2027 Race Entry Lottery Opens December 14

   

Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run & 5K Walk/Run

Lottery Entry

The Lottery

The 2027 fields for the 5K (Saturday, April 3), 10 Mile (Sunday, April 4) and the Double Blossom (5K on Saturday, April 3 and 10 Mile on Sunday, April 4) will all be determined by lottery. The Lottery for the 10 Mile, 5K and Double Blossom will open at 10 a.m. on December 14, 2026 and close at midnight on January 5, 2026.

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.

Entry Fees

The entry fees for the 2027 races have not yet been determined but will be posted here when they become available.

(Please note that pre-registration is required for the 2027 Kids Run, but it will be held on a first-come, first-served basis and will open in January 2027. The Kids Run is limited to 600 entrants.)

Lottery Buddies

Do you want to make sure that if you are accepted into the 5K, 10 Mile or Double Blossom through the lottery that your friends and/or family members will be accepted along with you? Then have everyone in your squad (up to 10 people) fill out a Lottery Registration form and enter the lottery as Lottery Buddies.

How Do Lottery Buddies Work?

Every Lottery Buddy must fill out a separate registration form and select their Lottery Buddy Squad from the dropdown in the registration form.

    • Every Lottery Buddy must fill out their own individual registration form.
    • The first Lottery Buddy for your squad to fill out their race registration should Create the Lottery Buddy squad when they reach that field in the registration form. They should enter the Lottery Buddy Squad Name and complete their registration.
    • Once the first Lottery Buddy creates the squad name and completes their registration, they should contact the other Lottery Buddies and tell them the Lottery Buddy Squad name.
    • That Lottery Buddy Squad name will now appear in a dropdown when subsequent Lottery Buddies go to register, and each Lottery Buddy should select that squad when they reach that field in their own registration forms.

Lottery Buddies do not all have to enter just the 5K Lottery, just the 10 Mile Lottery or just the Double Blossom Lottery – Lottery Buddies can enter the Lottery for whichever of the three events that each individual prefers to run (either the 5K 10 Mile or the Double Blossom), and each of the Buddies will either all be accepted into or all rejected from whichever event they applied for. Each squad of Lottery Buddies has exactly the same chance of getting in as each single individual. Please note that no additional Lottery Buddies can be added after the lottery period closes.

You are only Lottery Buddies for purposes of entering the Lottery. Of course we hope that you will all stay friends after the lottery, but for the purposes of the race itself you will be running as an individual.

LOTTERY BUDDIES ARE NOT TEAMS! There is a separate team registration that opens February 1 if you meet the criteria and wish to enter a team. Click Here for details on Team Registration.

Starting Corral Assignments: Every accepted runner will be assigned a starting corral for the 10 Mile and the 5K based on the estimated finish time that they enter on their registration form for their race. Because corral positions are allocated based on estimated finish times, even if you enter the race with your Lottery Buddies and are all accepted, you will not necessarily be placed in the same starting corral as your Buddies.

Lottery Results

Once the lottery registration period is closed, the accepted runners will be selected from those who registered for the lottery. All lottery registrants will receive an email indicating their status after the lottery has been held, and they can also check their status through their Race Roster account. Individuals (and Lottery Buddies) 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, sustainability donations, or Children’s Miracle Network donations.

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 3 and the 10 Mile on Sunday, April 4 – you must enter the lottery and select Double Blossom as your event. If your entry is successful, you will then be entered into BOTH races at the same time (and your credit card will be charged for the Double Blossom entry fee and for any ancillary items you ordered at the time of registration). If you are not successful in gaining entry through the lottery, your credit card will not be charged at all for either race.

If you want to do the Double Blossom, be sure to sign up for that event when lottery registration opens. There is no way to switch into the Double Blossom later – if you want to do the Double Blossom, entering the lottery is your only opportunity to gain entry.

Please consult the “FAQs” on the website or CUCB’s Run Concierge on our home page for more detailed answers to questions regarding the lottery.

Special Lottery Categories

  • 100 Mile Club: 100 Mile Club members have completed at least 100 miles in any combination of the 10 mile or the 5K results (i.e. 10 completions of the 10 mile equals 100 miles; 9 completions of the 10 mile and four completions of the 5K equals 102 miles, etc.), either in a row or non-consecutively. You can check your status in the 100 Mile Club by going to our All-Time Results Database, which has all results from 1973-2026, and will list all the times you have run the 10 Mile and/or 5K and how many miles you have accumulated. 100 Mile Club Members should not enter the lottery; there will be a separate registration process for 100 Mile Club members. Full details on how to apply for a 100 Mile Club entry for the 5K, 10 Mile or Double Blossom will be posted here when they become available. If you feel you qualify and have not been contacted by early January, please send an email to info@cherryblossom.org. Click Here for info on the 100 Mile Club.
  • Two-Time Loser Entries: TTL entries (those who have entered the lottery in the last two consecutive years (2025 and 2026) and failed to be accepted in either year) but who wish to run in 2027 should not enter the lottery; there will be a separate registration process for TTLs. Full details on how to apply for a TTL entry for the 5K, 10 Mile or Double Blossom will be posted here when they become available. If you feel you qualify and have not been contacted by early January, please send an email to info@cherryblossom.org. Click Here for info on TTL Entries.

Notes About the Registration Form

Email Address: When you register, be sure to provide the email address where you want all race communications to go. We want to be sure that you receive all race details and information in a timely fashion.

Shirts: All entrants receive a cotton 10 Mile/5K t-shirt with their registration. Entrants can upgrade to an ASICS performance t-shirt at the time of registration for $20 plus tax and processing fee. Click Here for more on T-shirts and Medals (including photos).

Medals: In order to keep our race registration fees low, we do not give medals to all finishers. If you would like to receive a medal when you finish the race, you may purchase an event-specific standard medal when you register for $15. We also offer an enhanced medal for $25. The enhanced medal consists of the standard medal that you pick up after your race plus an iTab plate that we will mail to you in May with your finish time and place on it and that you can attach to the ribbon of your medal. Click Here for more on Medals and T-shirts (including photos).

Training Plans: Registrants have three different Training Programs available to them: a FREE ASICS Online Training Program offering 3 levels each for 10 Mile and 5K – Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced; the Runna coaching app that provides  a personalized training plan built around your goals and access to online coaches (Runna is offering a free 2-week trial of the app after which participants pay a monthly fee); and the PR Training Program, an in-person program for those in the MD/DC/VA area who want to train with others. Full details on all of these programs are available at https://cherryblossom.org/pre-race/training/.

Mugs: You can order a ceramic 2027 CUCB 10 Mile custom mug featuring your official finishing time and the 2027 CUCB logo! Mugs will be shipped in June after the race, once race times have become official and mugs can be imprinted.

Photo Packages: You will be able to pre-order at a reduced rate a photo package or a photo/video package of all the photos and videos of you taken out on the course.

Packet Mailout: If you know you won’t be able to make it to the Expo to pick up your packet on Friday, April 2 or Saturday, April 3, you will be able at registration to request to have your packet shipped to you.

 

2027 Lottery Notification List

If you ran the 2026 event, we have your email address and will send you in early January an email notification of the opening of the lottery on January 5. If you did not enter the 2026 10 Mile, 5K or Double Blossom and you wish to receive notification of the 2027 entry process by e-mail, or if your email address changes, please click the link below and complete the Notification Request form.

NOTE: We cannot be responsible for your email host failing to deliver our emails. For instructions on how to maximize your chances of our emails being properly delivered, CLICK HERE.

Sign Up for the 2027 Lottery Notification List