New: We Have Gone to the Dogs!

While the traditional spring time crowd of some 17,000 runners at the in-person Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile and 2,000 in the 5K Run-Walk means we need to have you leave your dogs at home on race day, we have no such restrictions in the 2021 Credit Union Cherry Blossom Virtual Run (“VR”) between March 20 and April 11, 2021. In fact, we are encouraging dog-loving runners to register both themselves and their favorite dog to run in tandem in the Virtual Run. There is no entry fee for dogs!

Already Registered and Need to Add Your Dog? No Problem! If you have already registered for the Virtual Run and now want to run with your dog, you can update your form with your dog’s information at:

https://secure5.marathonguide.com/register/cherryblossom10MileVirtualRun/UpdateBasicInfo.cfm#Immediate

Give Your Dog Their Moment of Fame and Get Some Great Doggie Swag! After completing their runs, participants are encouraged to upload photos and videos of themselves and their dogs. We will have voting for the “cutest” dog at the conclusion of the event. And starting March 10, dog lovers will have a chance to order “My Dog Ran CUCB VR” car magnets, doggie scarves, and dog collars on the CUCB Merchandise site.

All the Virtual Run Details

Why: The Credit Union Cherry Blossom has become known as the “Runner’s Rite of Spring,” and we don’t want to have our runners miss out on running among the cherry blossoms at their peak. We hope that many of our runners will participate in the Virtual Run, and then come back to join us in person to enjoy the “Runner’s Delight of Fall” on Sept. 12.

Who: The Virtual Run is open to anyone who registers. Since there is no size limit, there will NOT be a lottery for the Virtual Run. Registration is now open. You may choose either the Ten Mile Run or 5K Run-Walk.

How Much? The entry fee for the Virtual Run is $35 for either distance.

Swag: Everyone who registers will receive a specially designed Virtual Run cotton t-shirt and Virtual Run medal. If you prefer an ASICS technical performance shirt, you can purchase an upgrade of the cotton t-shirt at the time of registration for $20. The Virtual Run t-shirt design will be different than the design for the September 12 in-person event. Virtual Run designs for the t-shirt and medal appear at right. T-shirts and medals will be mailed out after completion of the Virtual Run on April 11.

When and Where: You may complete your Virtual Run at any time during the entire span of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, extending from Saturday, March 20 through 11:59 P.M. on Sunday, April 11, 2021 on a route of your choosing. Please practice COVID-19 protocols during your run.

Special Features

Prizes for scenic cherry blossom photos! Virtual Run participants are encouraged to run either 10 miles or 5K in their own neighborhoods, selecting their most scenic routes which highlight the cherry blossoms at their peak. (The 16 day window for the event insures that everyone can run on peak blossom day wherever they live.) After completing your run, upload your photos and/or videos. We will select our ten favorite cherry blossom photos and post them on our website and on social media for a public vote for the most scenic cherry blossom locale. Prizes will be awarded to the top three vote getters.

Build Your Participation Around Other National Cherry Blossom Festival Happenings: Registrants will be provided with details about opportunities to tie their Virtual Runs to activities that are part of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, America’s Greatest Springtime Celebration.

Free Team Competition: We will have team competition in the Virtual Run in five divisions – Corporate/Non-profit, Government, Running Club, Credit Union and “Anything Goes” (this category is for any group of people who would like to create a team such as “The Wednesday Morning Runners,” or “American University Alumni,” or “Sam’s Friends,” etc.). (Each participant is limited to a single 10 mile or 5K Virtual Run.) Certificates will be given to all members of the top overall team and the top team in each division.There is no limit to the number of entrants on each team and there is no team entry fee. Registrants will have a chance to affiliate with any team they want at the time of registration. Teams can be created as individuals register for the event.

If you already registered and want to create a team, or if you want to change from one team to another team, Click Here.

Pin your blossom on a virtual cherry tree. Everyone who submits their results will have a virtual cherry blossom appear on a cherry tree along with a host of other stats about their performances through our interactive RunPix graphic results page.

Virtual Run Participation counts toward Hundred Mile Club Membership and Consecutive Completion Streaks: Individuals who cannot run the Fall race on September 12, but who do participate in the Virtual Run will have their Virtual Run miles added into their accumulated lifetime miles towards the Hundred Mile Club. Club members with 100 miles or more in race completions receive guaranteed entries for life. (Individuals who participate in both events will only have one performance count.)

Help raise funds for Children’s Miracle Network: Our official charity partner encourages participants to go to their website to set up your own personal fundraising page to raise funds to provide cutting edge health care for children in their own communities. The sponsoring credit unions, credit union partners and race participants have combined to raise nearly $10 million dollars for CMN since 2002. Online fundraising is  now open; Click Here for more information!

How to Do Your Virtual Run:

Run Your Race Distance

• You can run either Ten Miles or 5K for your Virtual Run. You will be asked to designate a distance when you register, but you can change your mind when you decide to do your run. (You do not need to notify us.) Just run whichever distance you feel is right for your fitness level. When you submit your results, be sure to use the dropdown to indicate if you ran 5K or Ten Miles. There are no time limits for either race.
• Run on any course at any time between March 20 and 11:59 P.M. Sunday, April 11, 2021.

Treadmill Runners

Want to stay indoors and run on your treadmill but see the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run course? Thanks to Outside Interactive, you can now download the cherry blossom course to your Apple or Android tablet and run your virtual run on your treadmill! You will experience all the fun and electricity of the real event while running in your own home. Once you download the course, you can use it anytime in your training and for the virtual race itself. And best of all – it’s FREE! Note: the Outside Interactive treadmill simulion works on TABLETS ONLY. NO PHONES at this time.

• Click Here for more information on downloading the Cherry Blossom simulation.
• Click Here for a preview of how you will see the course on your tablet.

Submit Your Results

A form will be provided here so you can submit your results starting on March 20. You must complete your run by 11:59 P.M. on Sunday, April 11, 2021, but you may use the form to submit your results anytime up until 11:59 PM on Friday, April 30, 2021. Again, be sure to indicate on the form if you ran Ten Miles or 5K so our results for both events will be accurate.

View the Results

You will have the opportunity to view the results in both list format and in RunPix graphical format after your run. We will also be posting a photo and video gallery of everyone’s run, so be sure to submit photos and videos when you submit your results.