Lottery Entry
The Lottery
A lottery will be used to fill the fields for the 10 Mile and for the Double Blossom (participants running both the 5K on Saturday, April 6 and the 10 Mile on Sunday, April 7). Those who wish to enter either of those events should read the instructions below and then click on the button below to go to the Lottery Registration Form to enter.
For those wishing to enter only the 5K, registration will be on a first-come, first-served basis, and that registration will open on December 20. For details on registering for the 5K, click here.
The 10 Mile Lottery
The 2024 Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile will be held on Sunday, April 7, 2024. The lottery for the 2024 10 Mile will open on December 1 and close on December 15 at 11:59 pm. When registering, prospective entrants will complete and submit the entire entry form including the credit card information. However, credit cards will not be charged unless the applicant is selected. The entry fee for 2024 is $57 for the 10 Mile, which includes a cotton t-shirt. You will be given the opportunity to upgrade your shirt to an ASICS technical t-shirt and/or to purchase a finisher medal.
Prospective entrants will be able to register for the 10 Mile lottery as an individual or as part of a 10 Mile Lottery Group of 2-10 individuals. 10 Mile Lottery Groups may consist of 10 Mile entrants and Double Blossom entrants (see below) and will be accepted or rejected as a group. There will be no option for 5K registrants to register as part of a lottery group because there is no 5K lottery. Prospective 5K entrants should simply enter the 5K starting on December 20. For detailed instructions on forming Lottery Groups, see “Temporary 10 Mile Lottery Groups” below.
When registering for the lottery, registrants will have an opportunity to make a donation directly to our official race charity, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
Once the lottery registration period is closed on December 15 at 11:59 pm, the accepted 10 Mile runners will be selected from those who registered for the lottery. The lottery results will be posted on the event website by December 19. All lottery registrants will also receive an email indicating their status (these emails may precede the posting of the list on the website). Individuals (and members of Lottery Groups) not selected will not have their credit cards charged for the entry fee or for any ancillary items purchased such as the “Upgrade” performance shirts, medals and carbon offsets. Your notification of non-acceptance through the lottery will contain a link for an advance entry into the 5K should you wish to participate in that event only.
Entry into the Double Blossom (5K on Saturday and 10 Mile on Sunday)
If you wish to enter BOTH races – the 5K on Saturday, April 6 and the 10 Mile on Sunday, April 7 – you must enter the Double Blossom lottery. If you are successful in that lottery, you will then be entered into BOTH races
The entry fee for the Double Blossom is $129, and it includes the following:
- ASICS technical Double Blossom t-shirt
- Standard Cotton 10 Mile t-shirt (you may upgrade to an ASICS technical t-shirt for $20)
- Standard Cotton 5K t-shirt (you may upgrade to an ASICS technical t-shirt for $20)
- Standard Double Blossom finisher medal (you may also purchase a 10 Mile and/or 5K finisher medal for $15 each, or an enhanced 10 Mile and/or 5K finisher medal for $23)
If you are accepted into the Double Blossom, your credit card will be charged the $129 entry fee, plus any ancillary items that you chose to purchase at the time of registration. If you are not successful in gaining entry through the lottery, your credit card will not be charged. Your notification of non-acceptance through the lottery will contain a link for an advance entry into the 5K should you wish to participate in that event only.
If you wish to enter the 10 Mile and the 5K separately, but not as a Double Blossom participant, you should enter the 10 Mile lottery and then enter the 5K when registration opens. Unlike last year when individuals who entered both races separately and had their two entries consolidated into a Double Blossom entry, this year the only way to enter the Double Blossom is through the Double Blossom lottery.
Please consult the “FAQs” on the website for more detailed answers to questions regarding the lottery.
(Please note that pre-registration is required for the 2023 Kids Run, but it will be held on a first-come, first-served basis and will open on January 5, 2024. The Kids Run is limited to 500 entrants. Registration for the Virtual Run also opens on January 5, 2024.)
Before you click the link below to begin your Online Lottery Registration, please read this page IN ITS ENTIRETY.
This will help answer your questions before you begin the lottery process.
Note: Lottery Registration does not open until 2:00 A.M. on Thursday, December 1. If you click this link before the lottery opens, you will be requested to return on the morning of December 1. You may register for the lottery any time between December 1 and December 15. Your chance of being selected is not affected by the time that you register for the lottery, so if the server is busy, just try again later.
Check Your Registration Status
Want to check to see if your Lottery Registration was received? (This will be available after December 1).
The Results of the Lottery Will Be Posted Here By 10 A.M. on Tuesday, December 19, 2023
Temporary 10 Mile Lottery Groups (Will Be Disbanded After the Lottery Is Held)
The lottery will be able to handle “Lottery Groups” of 2-10 people. This is designed to allow families and other groups either to get in or not get in as a “Group.” Each “Group” has exactly the same chance of getting in as each single individual. The first person in a “Group” will set up the group, give it a name and register himself or herself as the first member of the Group. When subsequent members go to register, they will be able to affiliate with that “Group” by using a drop down menu on the registration form. Please note that no additional members can be added to a “Lottery Group” after the lottery period closes. The “Lottery Groups” exist only for purposes of entering the lottery. Once the lottery is held, the “Lottery Groups” are disbanded. Lottery Groups may consist of runners entered in both the 10 Mile and the Double Blossom (both races).
You must sign up either as an individual or as part of a 10 Mile Lottery Group – not both – and you will not be able to change your status from individual registrant to Lottery Group registrant once you have signed up. Individuals signing up as both individuals and as a member of a Lottery Group will have all of their registrations rejected.
Each Lottery Group will be treated exactly the same as an individual runner when the electronic selections are made. In other words, a Lottery Group has exactly the same chance to get into the race as any individual runner.
Please remember that these 10 Mile Lottery Groups are only for purposes of entering the lottery. The Temporary Lottery Groups cease to exist after the individual Temporary Lottery Group members are accepted or rejected. Temporary Lottery Groups have no relationship with Teams in our 10 Mile Team Competition (there is no Team Competition in the 5K). Teams may be formed from runners who are accepted into the race after the lottery is over. For details about team competition please contact Team Coordinator George Banker at teams@cherryblossom.org or visit Team Competition for more information.
Other Ways to Gain Entry into the Race
Use the links below to explore other ways to gain entry into the 2024 Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile & 5K:
Note: Lottery Registration does not open until 2:00 A.M. on Thursday, December 1. If you click the link above before the lottery opens, you will be requested to return on the morning of December 1. You may register for the lottery any time between December 1 and December 15. Your chance of being selected is not affected by the time that you register for the lottery, so if the server is busy, just try again later.