FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Misplaced Turn-around Nullifies Record Times at
2019 Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile
Race organizers will pay $13,500 to elite athletes
who otherwise would have qualified for time bonuses
April 12, 2019, Washington, DC: Organizers of the 2019 Credit Union Cherry
Blossom Ten Mile, run last Sunday, April 7 in our Nation's Capital,
announced today that a semi-circle of cones on the revised course marking
the turn-around point on Ohio Drive on an out-and-back segment between
miles three and four had been misplaced. The net effect of that was to
shorten the 10-mile course by 240 feet, negating the apparent American
record time run of 46:00 run by Stanley Kebenei.
Despite the shortened route taken by the runners, race organizers will go
ahead and pay Kebenei the $10,000 record bonus for posting a time faster
than Greg Meyer's American record of 46:13, set here in 1983. The Credit
Union Cherry Blossom Run also pays $1,000 and $750 each year to the first
two men and women who run times better than 46:00 and 52:00 minutes,
respectively. Race winners Jemal Yimer (45:36) and Rosemary Wanjiru,
(50:42) and second place finishers Josphat Tanui (45:38) and Gotytom
Gebreslase (50:47) will be paid those time bonuses; their times were well
under the established time bonus benchmarks.
Event Director Phil Stewart said, "The organizers profoundly regret this
unfortunate error in an event which for 47 years has prided itself on
organizational excellence and support for elite athletes as well as the
masses of runners who follow them. We have taken every step possible to
make our bonus winners whole again. Clearly this is not the ending we
wanted to an outstanding weekend with perfect running conditions, nearly
$100,000 in prize money and bonuses paid out, and $400,000 raised for
Children's Miracle Network."
Due to road construction, the course for this year's race had to be
adjusted just a few weeks before the date of the event. The revised course
was then measured and certified in accordance with international course
measurement standards, and record times would have been valid if the course
was run as measured. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Later analysis
showed that the turn-around on Ohio Drive in West Potomac Park had been
misplaced on race morning. Sadly, an application for recognition of
Kebenei's effort being an American record will not be submitted to USATF.
Rosemary Wanjiru also ran an apparent record - fastest U.S. all-comers time
in a women's only race - which will also go unrecognized, even though she
finished one minute and two seconds faster than the time of 51:44, set here
in 2007 by Tebya Erkesso. Race organizers do not offer a bonus for U.S.
all-comers records.* Wanjuri's time will not be considered as an event
record either, leaving intact Colleen de Reuck's women's event record of
51:16.
As they did in 2015 when a traffic accident necessitated re-routing the
race route at the last minute, which resulted in runners running a shorter
course, race organizers will adjust all runners' pace per mile in official
race results to reflect the fact that they only ran 9.96 miles this year.
There were 17,656 finishers in this year's 10 mile.
*All-comers records are defined as the fastest time run
by an individual of any nationality on U.S. soil.
About the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile:
The 2019 Credit Union Cherry Blossom Run marked the 18th year of title
sponsorship by Credit Union Miracle Day. Since 2002, over $9.5 million has
been raised for the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals including $400,000
this year.
The Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile, organized by Cherry Blossom,
Inc., a 501c(3) chapter of the Road Runners Club of America, 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 Credit Union Miracle
Day, Inc., a consortium of credit unions and credit union suppliers in
partnership with CUNA Mutual Group and PSCU, is the title sponsor of the
Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run, 5K Run-Walk and Kids' Run. Other
sponsors include Garmin, the presenting technology sponsor; and supporting
sponsors E-Trade, Gatorade, Gold's Gym, Honey Stinger, Mamma Lucia, MedStar
Sports Medicine, ParkMobile, Peet's Coffee, Potomac River Running, Suburban
Solutions, Under Armour and UPS.
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