Photo above: The start of the 2008 race on a rainy, warm April morning.

Photo left: Ridouane Harroufi (26) of Morocco used an explosive kick in the final 500 yards to wrap up the win in 46:14 over Kenyan stars Nicholas Kamakya and Sammy Kipketer, who finished in 46:15 and 46:20.

Update: See the event Web site for the latest information on entering the run.

Only 12,000 participants are allowed to finish the 37th running of the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run, so pre-race competition to secure a spot on the starting line will be intense when online registration opens at 8:00 A.M. on Tuesday, December 16, 2008. Last year's event filled in just four hours, prompting Event Director Phil Stewart to say, "This year there are two must-attend events in Washington, DC in early 2009, the Presidential Inauguration and the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run."

In an effort to "green" the event, organizers dramatically reduced the number of print entry forms by 90% this year. As recently as two-years ago, more than 20,000 forms were printed. This year it was less than 2,000. Participants wishing to mail in entry forms can download a .pdf version of the entry form from the Web site starting at 10:00 A.M. on Friday, December 12. About 15% of the total entries will be selected from the mail-in forms.

The staging area for the 2009 event will once again be on 15th Street adjacent to the Washington Monument Grounds, just 1/4 mile from the Smithsonian Metro stop (Blue and Orange lines). Metro will open at 5 A.M. on race day. The course will be run in the reverse direction than 2008, with the early miles along wider streets including Independence Avenue, Rock Creek Parkway and Memorial Bridge. The route will feature a mini-"Heartbreak Hill" up Raoul Wallenberg Place (15th Street) at 9-3/4 miles, just before the finish line.

The 5K Run-Walk is designed primarily for runners and walkers who plan on moving at a more leisurely pace than the 14-minute- per-mile pace that is required of all 10 milers.

Many elite athletes from around the world will come to participate in the Washington area's only world-class road race. The event is offering its largest prize purse ever - $40,000 in prize money and bonuses. The top male and female athletes will earn checks of $7,500 each. The event will feature a 10-minute advance start for the elite women. Besides showcasing the women's race, the advance start resulted in a women's world record being set at the event in 2006 and 2007. The current record belongs to Ethiopian Teyba Erkesso, with a time of 51:44, set at the 2007 race. The event will once again pay for drug testing of the elite athletes as part of its commitment to freeing the sport of drug cheats. The testing will be conducted by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). For the third year in a row the event serves as the Road Runners Club of America's National 10 Mile Championship.

Last year the sponsoring Credit Union Miracle Day Committee raised more than $1 million dollars for the Children's Miracle Network through donations and fundraising on the part of the runners, and through individual sponsoring Credit Unions and partners participating in the Credit Unions for Kids program. About a third of these funds support Washington, DC's own Children's National Medical Center ("Children's Hospital").

The event takes place on the second weekend of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, a two-week celebration of sporting and cultural events that commemorates the blossoming of the fabled trees donated to this country by Japan in the early 20th century.

The event is part of the Professional Road Running Organization Circuit. In addition to title sponsorship from Credit Union Miracle Day, Inc. and its affiliated Credit Unions and Partners, the event enjoys supporting sponsorship from Gatorade, Navy Federal Credit Union, and Metro Run & Walk.

Registration will take place on the event's website, www.cherryblossom.org. The 2009 race date is Sunday, April 5.

Photo below: Ultramarathoner Michael Wardian (33) of Arlington, VA takes the last cash spot in 53:14; Melissa Tanner (27) of Bethesda, MD (1:02:03) finished in 24th place among women. USATF has named Michael Wardian Ted Corbitt Memorial Ultra Runner of 2008.

Read the 2008 Race Report by Jim Hage.