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 Advanced 10 Mile Training Program Presented by ASICS

Week of March 20 – March 26, 2023

Overview: Week 9 begins your taper. It includes doing training at projected Credit Union Cherry Blossom race pace. Training volume should be reduced by 20-25% with perhaps an extra rest day. The weekly long run should be reduced by 2-3 miles.  Check out what others are doing on our 10 Mile Intermediate/Advanced Virtual Training Facebook page.

Monday, March 20, 2023

• • Goal:   Rest day or optional easy recovery run of 4-7 miles.
  • Tip:     You are now beginning to taper for the Credit Union Cherry Blossom. This week will be moderate in intensity. Your hard training is over and you should be doing a lot of easy running. Too much hard running before a long race can leave you tired on race day, with disappointing race results.

Tuesday March 21, 2023

• • Distance:     5-7 miles
  • Goal:     3-4 Credit Union Cherry Blossom race pace mile repeats.
  • Tip:       Warm up for one mile and then run 3-4 one-mile repeats at goal race pace with a 400-meter jog recovery (2-3 minutes) between miles. Cool down one mile.

Wednesday March 22, 2023

• • Distance:     4-6 miles
  • Goal:    Easy run
  • Tip:      Most of your training is over. You will start having more days off. Remember to stretch on days off.

Thursday March 23, 2023

• • Distance:     4-6 miles
  • Goal:    2-3 Credit Union Cherry Blossom repeat miles.
  • Tip:    Warm up for one mile and then run 2-3 one-mile repeats at goal pace with a 400-meter jog recovery (2-3 minutes) between sets. Cool down one mile.

Friday March 24, 2023

• • Distance:    Rest day or optional easy recovery run of 3-5 miles.
  • Goal:    Taper!
  • Tip:      Nothing you do today will make you faster on race day. Overtraining, however, can result in a bad race. You want to go into the race rested and frisky.

Saturday March 25, 2023

• • Distance:     5-6 miles
  • Goal:    5-10K race or easy run.    
  • Tip:      If you race this weekend, it will be your last hard effort. Stay away from races longer than a 10K; otherwise, you may not be fully recovered on race day. Run very easy if not racing today.

Sunday March 26, 2023

• • Distance:     6-9 miles
  • Goal:    Last long run.
  • Tip:      If you did not race yesterday, consider running 2-3 miles at predicted Credit Union Cherry Blossom pace at the end of the run. The more race pace miles you run, the more likely it is that you will be able to hold that pace for 10 miles.