Team Results Confirmed for Thirteen Different Categories
July 18, 2016, Washington, DC: Race organizers announced today that results of the 2016 Credit Union Cherry Blossom Run, the third stop on the 2015-16 PRRO Circuit, have been certified as official, and the names of all 18,210 finishers in the 10 Mile Run and the 5K Run-Walk have been uploaded on to the All-time Searchable Database, which now contains all 312,903 performances since the first running of the race in 1973. The All-time Searchable Database, which can be accessed on the event website CherryBlossom.org, allows participants to view their entire competitive history in the event.
The All-time Searchable Database also makes it easy for race organizers to identify members of the "100 Mile Club," runners whose finishes total 100 miles or more in the event. Members of the 100 Mile Club are eligible for a guaranteed entry into next year's race, set for April 2, 2017. (Note: The 100 miles required for entry into the 100 Mile Club can consist of any combination of finishes in the 10 mile and 5K events that total 100 miles or more.)
One other addition to the Cherry Blossom website is a downloadable PDF results booklet, which contains the names and times of all 2016 finishers in both the 10-mile and 5K as well as photos, articles and interesting statistics about the event. By not printing and mailing the results booklet to all participants, as was done until 2009, over 50,000 pounds of CO2 was kept out of the atmosphere.
Before closing the books on this year's event, here's one last look at many of the highlights of the 44th Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile:
Thirty-one year-old Sam Chelanga, a naturalized American citizen who was born in Kenya, won the race in a time of 48:26. The last American male to win Cherry Blossom was Chris Fox in 1990. Twenty-six year-old Kenyan Veronica Nyaruai Wanjiru won the women's race in a time of 53:12. Chalenga and Wanjiru each took home $8,000 for their victories, and the total amount of prize money paid out was $67,000. Wanjiru went on to place second at the 21st PRRO Championship in Utica, NY on July 10, earning $1,500 for her top 10 finish there. (The winning male and female at Cherry Blossom are eligible for the $10,000 PRRO Super Bonus for winning the PRRO Championship presented by the Boilermaker Road Race; by placing in the top 10 at the PRRO Championship, they earn the PRRO Event Champions' bonus of $1,500.)
Conditions for the event were less than ideal, with temperatures in the mid-30s and winds gusting up to 40 miles per hour during the race, thus slowing all runners' times considerably. For the first time in 10 years, the elite women started with the men, and surely benefited from running in the larger pack. The change in starting procedure was one of many concessions made on account of the weather conditions. Among the other changes were an elimination of all signage on the course, no clocks at mile markers and no start/finish scaffolding. Race organizers plan to return to the women's advance start for the 2017 race, and look forward to being able to take full advantage of customary logistical infrastructure.
In addition to Chelanga's victory, a number of other American runners placed among the top ten men and women. Martin Hehir placed third overall in a time of 48:29, and Christo Landry placed ninth in 49:05. Maegan Krifchin was the first American woman and placed third overall in a time of 55:01; Serena Burla placed sixth among women in a time of 55:58; and Allie Kiefer placed ninth in 56:43.
Top local runners were Carlos Jamieson from Washington, DC, who placed 14th in 51:17, and Maegan Krifchin, also from Washington, DC. Both Jamieson and Krifchin won trips to the 2015-16 PRRO Circuit Championship presented by the Boilermaker Road Race on July 10, 2016. Ben Beach, 65, of Bethesda, MD remained the only runner to have completed the race all 44 times when he finished in 1:40:24.
Other notable finishes included: 40-year-old Meb Keflezighi, who ran socially with the six-minute pace group and finished in 1:00:40.5, and 58-year-old Joan Benoit Samuelson, who ran a hard-fought 1:07:27. The 5K Run-Walk winners were Sylvain Clarenne in 18:31 and Melanie Nakagawa in 22:47.
This year's team results recognize the accomplishments of 128 teams in 13 different categories; team scoring is based on the combined times of a team's first three runners. $1,000 prize money is awarded to the winning men's and women's teams in the Washington Metropolitan Elite Team division; all other teams compete simply for bragging rights.
Pacers/NB prevailed in the men's Washington Metropolitan Elite Team division with a time of 2:40:10, while HoCo Striders won the women's Washington Metropolitan Elite Team division with a time of 2:02:13. Marriott #1 won the corporate team competition in a time of 3:36:12; Cash Us If You Can was the first credit union team with a time of 3:09:48; among the government teams, Fort Belvoir won in a time of 3:28:04; NBC News was the fastest media team with a time of 4:16:59; PRRacing/DCElite won the men's open club competition with a time of 2:45:12; PR/DCElite Masters were the fastest club mixed masters team in 2:51:06; DoJo of Pain won the open women's club title with a time of 3:12:45; Carper Diem prevailed among teams from the Senate in a time of 3:12:21; Red White and Blumenauer was the fastest House team in 3:18:43; the Lionesses and Tigers were the fastest embassy team in 4:58:00; and the top military team was Fort Belvoir, with a time of 3:21:14.
A total of 206 members of Congress signed on as Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run Honorary Race Chairs, and over 650 congressional staffers ran in what's known as the "Runner's Rite of Spring." Other numbers of interest include 16,278 finishers in the Ten Mile Run and 1,932 finishers in the 5K Run - Walk. A total of 10,810 runners, volunteers and spectators took advantage of Metro's early opening to get to the event, and 1,486 runners chose to support Cherry Blossom's carbon offset program by purchasing a green tag during race registration.
Over 26,000 runners submitted applications to participate in the 2016 Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile and 5K Run-Walk, and the list of accepted runners represented all 50 states and 15 foreign countries.
Since 2002, the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile and 5K Run-Walk have raised over $7.5 million for the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, with $505,000 of that total being raised by this year's runners. The 2016 event marked the 15th year of title sponsorship by Credit Union Miracle Day.
About the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile:
The Credit Union Cherry Blossom is known as "The Runner's Rite of Spring" in the Nation's Capital. The staging area for the event is on the Washington Monument Grounds and the course passes in sight of all of the major Washington, DC Memorials. The event serves as a fundraiser for the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, a consortium of 170 premier children's hospitals across the United States. About one-third of the funds raised support Washington, DC's own Children's National Medical Center ("Children's Hospital"). The event also funds two $5,000 Road Runners Club of America "Roads Scholar" grants designed to support up-and-coming U.S. distance running talent.
Credit Union Miracle Day, Inc., a consortium of credit unions and credit union suppliers, is the title sponsor of the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run and 5K Run-Walk. PSCU is the lead financial partner of Credit Union Miracle Day, Inc. Supporting sponsors include Cabot Creamery Cooperative, E-Trade, Gatorade, Gold's Gym, MarathonFoto, MedStar Sports Medicine, Navy Federal Credit Union, New Balance, Potomac River Running and Suburban Solutions Moving Company.
The event is a proud member of the PRRO Circuit (www.PRRO.org), a five-race non-marathon prize money circuit with events in Utica, NY; San Juan, PR; Washington, DC; Spokane, WA; and Pittsburgh, PA. The circuit is committed to a drug-free sport and funds USADA to conduct drug testing at all circuit events. The winning male and female at Cherry Blossom are eligible for the $10,000 PRRO Super Bonus if they go on to win the annual PRRO Championship; if they place in the top 10 at the PRRO Championship they earn the PRRO Event Champions' bonus of $1,500.
In addition to being sanctioned by USA Track & Field and the Road Runners Club of America, the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Run recently earned Gold certification from the Council for Responsible Sport for its many environmentally and socially responsible initiatives.
About America’s Credit Unions:
Credit unions provide consumers choices for financial services such as checking accounts, investments and loans of all kinds including mortgages. Funds are federally insured, but unlike banks, there are no stockholders at credit unions. Earnings are returned to member-owners in the form of lower loan rates, higher savings rates, low or no-fee products and services. The credit union philosophy of placing members’ needs first is why more than 104 million Americans do their banking at one of America’s 6,300 credit unions. Credit unions are for everyone– no matter where you live, there is a credit union to meet your needs.
To find a credit union near you visit: ASmarterChoice.org or CULookup.com.
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