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 6 – March 12, 2023

Overview:  Week 7 continues with 5-7 days of running with a weekly long run and two anaerobic threshold speed sessions. This is a good week to test your fitness level with a race on this weekend or next—the race should replace the 20-25 minute threshold run.  Share your race results on our 10 Mile Intermediate/Advanced Virtual Training Facebook page.

Monday, March 6, 2023

• • Goal:    Rest day or optional easy recovery run of 4-7 miles.
  • Tip:      Running a race this weekend can help you prepare for the Credit Union Cherry Blossom race, as it can be used as a dry run of pre-race routine (food, bathroom, etc.).

Tuesday, March 7, 2023

• • Distance:     5-8 miles
  • Goal:    3-4 one-mile repeats with a two-minute recovery.
  • Tip:      Work on pacing. Run the first mile at your 15K or 10-mile race pace (80-85% of maximum heart rate). Try to see if you can run each mile 5 seconds faster than the previous mile.

Wednesday, March 8, 2023

• • Distance:     5-7 miles
  • Goal:     Easy recovery run.
  • Tip:       Whenever possible, try to run on a soft path or trail – stay away from concrete and hard asphalt if possible.

Thursday March 9, 2023

• • Distance:     5-8 miles
  • Goal:    20-25 minute anaerobic threshold run
  • Tip:      Start with at least a one-mile warm up. Effort should be at 15K-10 mile race pace. If running this workout with a heart monitor, workout should be between 80-85% of maximum heart rate. If you do not have a heart monitor, the effort should feel somewhat hard but doable. You should feel like you could keep going for a long time but if you picked up the pace you would feel like stopping. Be sure to run at least a one-mile cool down at the end of the workout. You should feel terrific within 30 minutes of completing the workout.

Friday, March 10, 2023

• • Goal:    Rest day or optional easy recovery day of 4-7 miles.
  • Tip:      Rest days are very important to improving and maintaining fitness. During rest days or very easy recovery days, your body will assimilate the training that you have been doing, which makes you stronger and faster.

Saturday March 11, 2023

• • Distance:     5-8 miles
  • Goal:    Easy recovery day or optional race up to 10K distance
  • Tip:       If weight training is a regular part of your weekly activities, consider cutting back on your intensity and/or stopping altogether until after the race.

Sunday March 12, 2023

• • Distance:     10-13 miles
  • Goal:    Easy long run.
  • Tip:      Only 3 weeks to go. Run the entire workout at a conversational effort if you raced yesterday. If you plan to race today, run a couple of warm-up miles and a few cool down miles to hit your mileage goal.  You only have one long run remaining before the Credit Union Cherry Blossom race. If not racing today and you did not race yesterday, run three miles at your Credit Union Cherry Blossom goal pace during the middle of the long run and the last mile to see if you can handle the pace. Stay hydrated and consider training with the same drink that will be served on race day, Gatorade Endurance Formula, the Official Sports Fuel Provider of the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile. For more information about Gatorade Endurance Formula, click here.