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March 1, 2023, Washington, DC: Organizers of the 50th running of the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile (CUCB) announced today that the April 2 event will serve as the USATF 10 Mile Championships for American men and women. In addition, the organizers are providing a $50,000* shared bonus available for any World or American record times set at this year’s Runner’s Rite of Spring®.
Race Director Phil Stewart observed: “We are excited to host the USATF championships with this very special 50th anniversary edition of the race. We are pleased to support American runners in this manner as the 2024 Olympic year approaches, and we hope that one of them will earn the $50,000 bonus with a new American record.”
This will be the fourth time one or more of the USATF 10 Mile Championships have been hosted by CUCB race organizers: the women’s championships were part of the 2013 event, while Cherry Blossom hosted both the men’s and women’s championships in 2014 and again in 2021. USATF champions crowned at CUCB include Janet Bawcom (2013), Christo Landry and Janet Bawcom (2014), and Abbabiya Simbassa and Nell Rojas (2021).
This year, the American prize purse totals $25,000. International elite runners will be part of a field competing for $44,000 in prize money; American runners placing in the top-10 overall are eligible to receive both open and American-only prize money.
In addition to the USATF Championships, the event will host the 2023 Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) National 10 Mile Championships and the 2023 PRRO Circuit Championship.
The RRCA Championship is open to both International and American runners, with the winners in the open, 40+, 50+ and 60+ age groups earning the title of 2023 RRCA National Champion.
The Ten Mile will serve as the 2022-2023 Professional Road Racing Organization (PRRO) Circuit Championship. Winners of the individual 2022-2023 PRRO Circuit events will be eligible for the $10,000 PRRO Super Bonus by winning the PRRO Championship (the bonus is split if an eligible male and female win the Championship).
* If World Best times and American Records for men and women are set by the winners at the event (i.e. four records set), the $50,000 record bonus would be split into four $12,500 shares. If only one World or American record is set for either men or women, the athlete setting the record would get the full $50,000. If an American sets an American record and no other World or American records are set, he or she would receive the entire $50,000 as well. Currently, the times to beat are as follows:
- Haile Gebreselassie’s (ETH) World Athletics Best of 44:24, run at the Tilburg 10 Mile in Tilburg, Netherlands, September 4, 2005;
- Keira D’Amato’s World Athletics Best in a women’s only race of 51:23, run at the UpDawg 10 Mile in Washington, DC, November 24, 2020;
- Greg Meyer’s American Record of 46:13, run at the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile in Washington, DC, March 27, 1983; and
- Keira D’Amato’s previously listed World Best 51:23, which is also the American Record for a women’s only race.
Thanks to Credit Union Miracle Day’s title sponsorship since 2002, the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Run has raised over $10.2 million for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, including $323,000 in 2022.
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