Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile

Sunday, April 12, 2026
Washington Monument Grounds
Washington, DC
7:18 A.M. – Elite Women’s Start
7:30 A.M. – 10 Mile Start

Race Registration

The fields for the 2026 10 Mile and the Double Blossom (run the 5K on Saturday, April 11 and the 10 Mile on Sunday, April 12), will be determined by Lottery.

NEW LOTTERY DATES: The lottery dates are moving for the 2026 race; the lottery will open at 10 a.m. on Monday,  January 5, 2026 and close at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, January 19, 2026. Lottery results will be sent via email by Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, and lottery registrants can also check their status on their Race Roster account. Note that there will not be a lottery for those who wish to run only the 5K – registration for the 5K will open on January 26 and will stay open on a first-come, first-served basis until Monday, March 2, 2026, or until the field limit of 6,000 is reached, whichever comes first. (Note: last year the 5K field filled in three weeks.) Click Here for full details on the 5K, scheduled for Saturday, April 11. 

There are some other options for gaining entry into the 10 Mile besides the Lottery:

• • 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 1973-2025, 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 must still enter the lottery, but if you are a 100 Mile Club member and you do not get in through the lottery, you can gain a guaranteed “100 Mile Club” entry (at the prevailing entry fee), which will be accepted if submitted by February 15, 2026. If you are rejected in the lottery and feel you qualify, please send an email to searchable@cherryblossom.org. Remember, please do not apply for a 100 Mile Club guaranteed entry unless you are rejected in the lottery.100 Mile Club requests received before the lottery results are posted will not be considered. 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 (2024 and 2025) and failed to be accepted in either year) but who wish to run in 2026 must still enter the 2026 lottery, but if you are 2-time Lottery loser (2024 and 2025) and you do not get in through the lottery for the 2026 race, you can gain a guaranteed “Two-Time Loser” entry (at the prevailing entry fee), which will be accepted if submitted by February 15, 2026. If you are rejected in the lottery and feel you qualify, please send an email to info@cherryblossom.org.
  • Charity Entries: If you miss lottery registration or do not get picked in the lottery, you can still gain entry into the in-person race by signing up to become a Charity Race Entry Participant. To qualify as a Charity Race Entry Participant, you just have to raise $500 dollars for our official race charity, Children’s Miracle Network. Every dollar raised will be donated to the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, a network of 170 non-profit children’s hospitals located across North America. Charity Entries will open in late January 2026.
  • Seeded Runners: Top open and age-group runners are eligible for special seeded numbers. Seeded runners may be admitted after the lottery closes and will be allowed to start the race in the Yellow Corral immediately behind the elite athletes. Requests for seeded runner status will be accepted starting in the Fall of 2025. Seeded runners are encouraged to apply for seeded status in the late fall prior to the opening of the lottery (the lottery opens on January 5). The cut off date for requesting Seeded Runner status is February 15, 2026. For details on how to request seeded runner status and the qualifying times in each age group, Click Here.
  • Volunteer: All volunteers receive a guaranteed entry into the race (at the prevailing entry fee) for the next year’s race. This entry is transferable. Guaranteed entries for 2025 volunteers for the 2026 race will be sent out via email in late November. Click Here for information on volunteering.

Entry Fees

The entry fees* for the 2026 races are as follows:

• • 10 Mile – $64
  • 5K – $47
  • Double Blossom – $111

*Fees listed here do not include processing fees.

Switching Races

In 2026 no switching between races is allowed, so be sure to sign up for the race that you actually want to run (10 Mile, 5K or Double Blossom). If you decide not to run the race you signed up for, if you use the Official Transfer Process between Feb. 2, 2026 and Feb. 28, 2026, you will be allowed to transfer your bib to someone else, but you cannot sign up for one race and then decide you want to do a different one. No one is permitted to sign up for the 10 Mile and then switch to the 5K, sign up for the 5K and switch to the 10 Mile, or sign up for the 10 Mile and the 5K separately and switch to the Double Blossom. You can of course sign up for the Double Blossom and then choose not to run one (or both) of the races, but there are no refunds for races you decide not to participate in.

You must wear the correct bib for whatever race you run. Anyone who runs the 5K race with a 10 Mile bib, or the 10 Mile race with a 5K bib, will be disqualified from both races and banned from the races for up to 5 years.

Getting to the 10 Mile Start

Thanks to the generosity of WMATA, in 2025 Metrorail opened 2 hours early on 10 Mile Race Day at 5:00 a.m., so 10 Mile runners could use Metro to get to and from the race. We do not yet know if Metro will offer the same courtesy in 2026 (we certainly hope so). If Metro does not open early, Click Here for a full description of all of your other options for getting to the Washington Monument Grounds on race day, including our Two Wheel Bike Valet.

Wave Start

The 10 Mile will use a wave start again this year. Runners will be assigned to a color-coded starting corral based on previous race times. Colors on bib numbers will match starting corrals. There will be six waves of approximately 3,500 runners each. The waves will start in 3-5 minute intervals. Runners outside the top 25 males and females will be scored on net times. Click Here for details on the wave start.

Maps

Click Here for the 10 Mile Course Map and Staging Area Maps. Note that these maps are currently from 2025. We expect much of the 10 Mile course map and Staging Area to remain substantially similar, but construction is a near-constant in Washington, DC, so we anticipate that some aspects will need to be adjusted.  We will make 2026 maps available as soon as more details are firmed up.

Course Highlights Video

Click Here for the 10 Mile Course Highlights Video. Get an idea of what to expect along the course of the 10 Mile, plus get some great tips on bathrooms, aid stations, and how to run the race! Don’t worry, watching the video will take you a lot less time than running the race.

Seeding Times Required

In order to ensure a safe start in the 10 Mile, we will be lining up runners into six corrals based on previous race times. All entrants must provide a past 10-mile time (or a projected time based on a 10K time). If you have run the race in the last three years, we reserve the right to seed you based on the time(s) we have on file. Individuals not submitting a time will be placed in the slowest time group.

Stroller Policy

No strollers are allowed in the 10 Mile. Push-assist pairs (“duos”) are categorized as wheelchairs and are permitted in the 10 Mile.

Wearing the MyLaps Bib Tag

Runners will be timed and scored using the MyLaps Bib Tag. There is a single Bib Tag adhered on the back of your bib number. Simply leave the Bib Tag where you find it — on the back of the bib. Do not remove it. The Bib Tags are single-use.

• Click Here for details on wearing the MyLaps Bib Tag.
• Click Here for a MyLaps Bib Tag video.

Time Limit

No runner who takes longer than 2:20:00 to finish the race from the time they cross the starting line will be given an official finishing time. This is true regardless of the corral in which you start the race. So if you start in the Green corral at 7:50 a.m. but it takes you another minute to actually cross the start line, then you would have until 10:11 a.m. to finish the race and be scored. If you are in the Blue corral, which starts at 7:39, but it takes you a minute to cross the starting line, then you have until 10 a.m. to finish the race. If you don’t beat the time limit in that case, you will be able to finish the race since the finish line won’t be closed, but you won’t get an official finishing time. As a result, all we can post is the time the finish line will be closed (10:20 a.m.) – it doesn’t mean everyone who finishes before that time will be scored. This means that trying to jump into a faster corral that starts earlier won’t make your finish time limit any longer. 

PRRO Championship Circuit

The Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run is a member of the 2026 Professional Road Running Organization circuit.