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 Intermediate 10 Mile Training Program Presented by ASICS

January 30 – February 5, 2023

Overview: Week 2 is a continuation of your training. Expect to run 4-5 days per week. Rest days are built into the schedule to ensure that your body has adequate time to recover. Don’t be surprised if the first week was somewhat difficult, especially if you have backed off training during the holidays. This is quite normal. Join our 10 Mile Intermediate/Advanced Virtual Training Facebook group to share your training experience.

Monday, January 30, 2023

• •  Rest Day
  • Tip:        Staying hydrated during training is very important. Consider training with the same drink that will be served on race day by drinking Gatorade Endurance Formula, the Official Sports Fuel Provider of the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile. For more information about Gatorade Endurance Formula, click here.

Tuesday, January 31, 2023

• • Distance:   2-5 miles
  • Goal:      Easy day
  • Tip:        When running outdoors in cold weather, try to run into the wind at the start of your run. Wear light layers of clothes in cold weather instead of one heavy layer. You lose a lot of heat through your head and hands, so be sure to wear a hat and gloves. To find training gear, visit REI or Potomac River Running, our official retail partners. They have the latest apparel made by ASICS, our official shoe and apparel sponsor.

Wednesday, February 1, 2023  

• Distance:   3-6 miles
• Goal:       1-3 miles of aerobic intervals of 15 seconds hard, 45 seconds easy
• Tip:         To warm up, run easy for the first mile, then pick up the pace for 15 seconds (THIS IS NOT A SPRINT!), jog for 45 seconds and repeat until you have run 1-3 miles. Finish with a one-mile cool-down jog. For those running a total of 3 miles, include 1 mile of aerobic intervals. For those running 4 miles, include 2 miles of aerobic intervals. For those running a total of 5 or 6 miles, include 3 miles of aerobic intervals. If you only ran one or two miles of aerobic intervals last week, try adding an additional mile of aerobic intervals this week.

Thursday, February 2, 2023

• • Distance:   2-5 miles
  • Goal:      Easy recovery day
  • Tip:        This is an optional running day. If you decide to run, make it a very easy run to allow your body to recover. When running in the dark, wear reflective clothing, including a reflective vest.

Friday, February 3, 2023

• • Rest Day
  • Tip:        Read a book on sports nutrition and think about some ways to improve your diet. Start by cutting down on junk food, sugar and alcohol.

Saturday, February 4, 2023

• • Distance:   3-5 miles
  • Goal:      Easy recovery day
  • Tip:        Be careful if you are training in cold weather. When running on ice or snow, run with short, choppy strides to maintain your balance and avoid slipping or falling. Remember to run into the wind at the beginning of your run so you will have a tail wind at the end.

Sunday, February 5, 2023

• • Distance:   5-8 miles
  • Goal:      Increase last week’s long run by one mile
  • Tip:        If you are running on a treadmill, adjust the elevation to 1.0 to account for the wind resistance when running outdoors. Otherwise, you may think you are running faster than you would be if running in the elements.