Credit Union Cherry Blossom Kids Run presented by Warner Bros. Discovery

BIG CHANGES THIS YEAR - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY

SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 2024
New Starting Time for 2024: 11:00 am
New Location for 2024: The Kids Run will stage on Freedom Plaza and start and finish at the 5K starting line on Pennsylvania Ave. between 12th and 13th Sts. The event will take place after the conclusion of the 5K.
New Location for Packet Pick-up: Packet pick-up will take place on Friday at the National Building Museum (401 F St., NW) and on Saturday at Freedom Plaza (1455 Pennsylvania Ave., NW).

Registration for the 2024 Kids Run is now open!  We will accept registrations for kids aged 4 - 10.

The Credit Union Cherry Blossom 1/2 Mile Kids Run will start and finish at Freedom Plaza (the site of the Cherry Blossom 5K at 1455 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004).

The race is on an out-and-back course down Pennsylvania Ave. and is closely monitored by sentries. Parents are allowed to run with their children.

Limited to the first 500 to register.

Registration

Online registration will remain open until 11:59 pm on Monday, March 25, as long as the 500-runner maximum has not been reached. There will also be in-person registration (again as long as the 500-runner maximum has not been reached) at the Expo from 2 pm - 7:30 pm on Friday, April 5, and at Freedom Plaza (in the Kids Run Staging Area) on Saturday, April 6 from 9:30 am - 10:45 am.

Race Details

Ages: The Kids Run is for children ages 4-10.

Race Start Time: 11:00 am on Saturday, April 6, 2024

Fee: $10. Includes t-shirt.

Packet Pick-up: Packet pick-up for registered Kids Run participants will take place on Friday, April 5 inside the National Building Museum between 3:00 pm and 7:45 pm, and on Saturday,  April 6, between 9:30 am and 10:45 am in the check-in tent at Freedom Plaza (1455 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004).

Registration: Registration for the Kids Run has closed.

Awards: No times or places will be kept, but all finishers will receive a medal.

Course: CLICK HERE for the Kids Run Course Map and Staging Area Map

Kids Run Information:

• For security reasons as required by Metropolitan DC Police, every parent or guardian of a Kids Run entrant will need to locate and remove a detachable wrist band on the top of each child's bib number. The wrist band will be imprinted with the same number as each child's bib number. The responsible adult(s) will detach and wear the wrist band around their wrist. After the run, kids will be released from the secure Parent-Child Reunion Area only to adults with a wrist band matching the child's bib number.
• Every child on the race course must be registered and wear a bib number. Parents may choose to run with their child, but at least one parent must be wearing a wristband matching the bib number of their child.
• Accompanying adults may need to wear multiple wristbands as necessary for multiple child participants.
• Individual participants will run by age group, starting with 4-year olds and continuing by 1-year increments up to 10 years of age. It is likely there will be multiple heats in each age group, especially among the younger ages.
• Within each age group, heats will consist of approximately 25 participants.  Each heat will take about 8 to 10 minutes. The four-year-olds will run first, followed by the five-year-olds and on up in ascending order.
• Each age group will be called into the pre-race staging area by the announcer. From the pre-race staging area, children will be organized into heats and moved on to the Kids Run course.
• Participants will finish and be directed to a secure post-race reunion area. Children will only be released to the appropriate responsible adult wearing the wristband that matches the child's bib number. NO EXCEPTIONS TO THIS RULE. Any children not matched with an adult in the secure parent-child reunion area will be referred to on-site security personnel.

Kirt West Beginner 5K Training Program Presented by ASICS

March 27 – April 2, 2023

Overview: Six days to go with very little running. The hard training is over. Your goal is to feel strong and ready to go on race day. Keep hydrating and get plenty of rest during the week. Fight the temptation to run hard as you may be feeling frisky by the end of the week. If you are planning to continue running after this race, you may want to start using a sports watch to enhance your training. 

Monday, March 27, 2023

• • Time:  20 minutes
  • Goal:   Start taper
  • Tip:     If you are still feeling tired from the 40-minute long run, take the day off.

Tuesday, March 28, 2023

• • Rest Day
  • Tip:     Rest, Rest, Rest

Wednesday, March 29, 2023

• • Time:  15 minutes
  • Goal:   Continue to reduce amount of running time
  • Tip:     Make sure that you keep this run very easy.

Thursday, March 30, 2023

• • Rest Day
  • Tip:  Continue to stretch and keep hydrated with water or a sports drink such as Gatorade Endurance Formula, which is the Official Sports Fuel Provider of the Cherry Blossom. For details about Gatorade Endurance Formula, click here.

Friday, March 31, 2023

• • Rest Day
  • Tip:     Although there is 5K packet pick-up at the race site on Freedom Plaza on race morning, you should consider picking up your packet on Friday between 3:00 P.M. and 8:00 P.M. at the Health & Fitness Expo presented by Wegmans at the National Building Museum. This will allow you to be more relaxed on race morning by avoiding the hassle of packet pick-up just before the start of the race.

Saturday, April 1, 2023

• • RACE DAY
  • Tip:  Packet pick  up opens at 7 A.M. at Freedom Plaza. The 5K starts at 9:15 A.M. Try to get to the race site no later than 8:15 A.M., an hour before the 9:15 A.M. start, even earlier if you are planning on picking up your bib on Saturday morning. After you arrive, place your gear in the clear plastic bag-check bag you received at packet-pick-up and check it at the UPS Bag Check trucks; get in line early for the porta-potties. Closely follow the announcements regarding the appropriate time to assemble at the starting line. Line up based on your anticipated finishing per mile pace. Shortly before the start, there will be signs on the roadway to assist you. Most of the 5K Beginner Training program participants will be lining up nearer the back of the pack to allow the faster participants to go out first. Run easy for the first few minutes. Avoid starting out too fast and zigzagging around other runners during the first mile when it is the most crowded. The few seconds you save may cost you minutes at the end of the race because of expending needless energy. Slowly pick up your pace until you are at your goal pace by the end of the first mile. Try to run steady and comfortably. You can always pick up the pace the last part of the race. GOOD LUCK!

Sunday, April 2, 2023

• • Rest Day – Congratulations on finishing the race!