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 10 Mile Beginner Training Program Presented by ASICS

March 6 – March 12, 2023

Overview:   Week 7 has no more walk-runs. You are getting closer to race day. You will be doing your first long non-stop runs of 60 and 65 minutes, a couple of shorter runs and one day of aerobic intervals. It is okay if you need to stop for a moment during the long runs but try to limit the time to simply catching your breath. Thousands have successfully completed this program—you can do it too!  Don’t forget about our 10 Mile Virtual Training Facebook group.

Monday, March 6, 2023

• • Rest Day
  • Tip: You are less than a month away from the race. You are now in the final stage of preparation for the biggest race of your life. If you have been following the program and doing the workouts, you are on target to run the 10 Mile race. Thousands of runners have successfully followed the Beginner’s Program and have finished the race—it should work for you.

Tuesday, March 7, 2023

• • Time:  20 minutes
  • Goal:   20 minutes of easy running
  • Tip:   This should be an easy recovery day from the hard day you had on Sunday.

Wednesday, March 8, 2023

• • Time: 60 minutes
  • Goal:  Run the entire 60 minutes without a walking break
  • Tip:  Start out slowly for the first 10-15 minutes to help you make it through this run without taking a walking break.

Thursday, March 9, 2023

• • Time:  35 minutes
  • Goal:   35 minutes easy running
  • Tip:  This recovery run should be at a very easy conversational pace. No heavy breathing.

Friday, March 10, 2023

• • Rest Day
  • Tip:   About 3 weeks to go. Your training is almost over. Now is the time to consider getting a new pair of shoes to break them in before race day, as you do not want to run the race with a brand new pair of shoes. For friendly, expert advice visit REI or Potomac River Running, our official retail partners. They have the latest running shoes and apparel, including outstanding models from ASICS, our official shoe and apparel sponsor.

Saturday, March 11, 2023

• • Time: 35 minutes
  • Goal:  Include 15 minutes of aerobic intervals (15 seconds hard/45 seconds easy)
  • Tip:    Start out with easy running for the first 10 minutes. Then for the next 15 minutes, run 15 seconds hard (DO NOT SPRINT) followed by a 45-second very easy jog. The 15-second portion should not be a sprint but instead should simply be a slightly harder effort than you normally run. Repeat the 15/45 pattern 15 times until you have completed 15 minutes. Jog the last 10 minutes at very easy effort to finish the workout. Try to stay relaxed during the 15 seconds of hard running. If you don’t have a watch, try counting 22 left foot strikes, which is approximately 15 seconds, and then count 67 left foot strikes, which is approximately 45 seconds.

Sunday, March 12, 2023

• • Time:  65 minutes
  • Goal:   65 minutes without a walking break
  • Tip:   Don’t worry that you have not yet run 10 miles. It is not necessary to have run 10 miles to complete the Credit Union Cherry Blossom. Thousands of beginning runners have followed this program and successfully completed the 10 miles. You should be able to finish the race if you have been following the training schedule.