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Two Olympic Silver Medalists and Strong American Contingent Join Elite Field
Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile
March 23, 2009
Washington, DC
For the Washington Running Report
Start of 2008 Race.
Organizers of the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run announced the broadcast dates of the television coverage of the race. The 30-minute tape-delay show will be broadcast on both WJLA ABC Channel 7 and NewsChannel 8. The WJLA show will air between 11:30 a.m. and noon on Saturday, April 11. The show will air on NewsChannel 8 the same day between 1:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.
"We are tremendously excited to be working with our media partners, WJLA ABC Channel 7 and NewsChannel 8, to bring these broadcasts. This will allow the 12,000 participants in the event, along with running enthusiasts from throughout the WJLA/NewsChannel 8 viewing area, to catch all the action," said event Director Phil Stewart. The 2009 event will be held on Sunday, April 5 in Washington, DC, starting and finishing on the Washington Monument Grounds.
The quality of the elite competition in Washington's only World-Class running event continues to escalate with the addition of marathon Olympic Silver Medalists Catherine Ndereba (2004 and 2008) and Lidia Simon (2000) to the women's field. On the men's side, 2007 champion Tadesse Tola of Ethiopia has joined the field. Tola clocked 46:01 in 2007 to tie the third-fastest winning time ever in the event and the fastest time on the course in a decade. He joins past champions Ridouane Harroufi and John Korir in pursuit of the men's crown and $7,500 payday.
Other top Americans joining the husband-and-wife team of Jason Lehmkuhle (5th in the 2007 Olympic Trials Marathon with a 2:12:54 PR) and Kristen Nicolini Lehmkuhle (2004 Olympic Trials qualifier at 5000 meters) are Jason Hartmann, 10th in the 2007 Men's Olympic Marathon Trials (2:15:27), and Ryan Kirkpatrick, 7th in the 2008 U.S. half marathon championship (1:03:54), on the men's side; and Kate O'Neil, 2004 U.S. Olympian at 10,000 meters and 2008 U.S. Half Marathon champion, and Zoila Gomez, 4th place finisher at the 2008 U.S. Women's Olympic Trials Marathon (2:33:53 PR), on the women's.
The $40,000 prize purse is the largest in the event's history. The top 2 men finishing under 46:00 and top 2 women finishing under 52:00 will receive an additional $750 time bonus. Showing its commitment to keeping the sport drug free, the event funds drug testing of the elite athletes under the auspices of the United States Anti-Doping Agency.
Further back in the pack, approximately 25 runners from "Students Run LA" have raised $25,000 to make the trip to participate. The group consists of at-risk high school and middle school students who commit to a rigorous running program and to meeting strict academic standards to help them escape the hard-scrabble life of inner-city Los Angeles. This will be the first trip to the Nation's Capital for these student-athletes. Event organizers waived the entry fees for the group.
The sponsoring Credit Unions are celebrating the $2.4 million that they have raised for the Children's Miracle Network (a national consortium of 170 children's hospitals across the U.S.) since becoming the title sponsor in 2002, Funds raised in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area, totaling over $900,000, go to the Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC. Funds raised from outside the Metropolitan area go to CMN affiliates in the home states of the participating Credit Unions.
Entries to the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run,® known as "The Runner's Rite of Spring," reached its limit of 12,000 finishers in December. With the large number of runners and spectators, Metro will begin its Sunday operations two hours early -- at 5:00 a.m. on race day. The Smithsonian Metro stop (Orange and Blue lines) is conveniently located only ¼ mile from the start and finish lines.
The event is part of the Professional Road Running Organization Circuit and the National Cherry Blossom Festival. The National Cherry Blossom Festival is an annual two-week, citywide event celebrating spring. The 2009 Festival is March 28 - April 12, and will feature daily cultural performances, sporting events, arts and crafts, demonstrations and other special events. The National Cherry Blossom Festival celebrates the 97th anniversary of the gift of the cherry blossom trees and the enduring friendship between the citizens of the United States and Japan.