FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Credit Union Cherry Blossom Features an Outstanding Lineup of Speakers
at Health and Fitness Expo Presented By Wegmans
Former winners, past race directors, and best-selling authors
gather to discuss the state of the sport - 50 years ago, and today
March 14, 2023, Washington, DC: Organizers of the 50th Anniversary of the
Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile, 5K and Kids Run (CUCB) announced today
a full schedule of talks to be held on Friday, March 31, and Saturday,
April 1, at the Health and Fitness Expo Presented by Wegmans. The venue
will be the auditorium of the National Building Museum - a National
Historic Landmark, located at 401 F Street, NW in the District.
The CUCB speakers program will be open to the public, not just registered
runners, and will kick off with 1973 Cherry Blossom women's race winner
Kathrine Switzer talking about the Women's Running Movement at 4:00 p.m. on
March 31. Kathrine is perhaps best known for the iconic photos of Boston
Marathon director Jock Semple attempting to evict her from the 1967 race,
which did not allow women to run officially. She went on to win the 1974
New York City Marathon and to champion women in the sport globally.
Switzer's talk will be followed at 5:00 pm by a panel featuring
best-selling author Alison Mariella Désir, whose book Running While Black
will provide context for a lively discussion among a number of notable
Black runners from the DC area, including: Alisa Harvey, a world class
1500-meter runner in the late 1980s and throughout the 90s, and winner of
the Fifth Avenue Mile in 1991 and 1999; Bill Sollers, who ran CUCB 35 times
between 1973 and 2018, when he won 75-79 age group honors at the age of 78;
Marilyn Bevans, who ran CUCB 11 times between 1976-2005, winning 25-29 age
group honors in 1976 at the age of 26, and who became the first Black woman
to break three hours for the marathon in Boston in 1977, placing second
overall in 2:51:12; and Delabian Thurston, who ran CUCB eight times between
1974-1986.
The final speaker at 6:30 pm on Friday will be Lisa Bentley, a familiar
face to past CUCB expo attendees, who will reprise her talk from 2019 about
Running Your Best Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile or 5K – how to use
your mind and body to achieve a personal best.
The program on April 1 will begin at 11:00 a.m. with repeats of Friday's
session with Kathrine Switzer, followed by a noon session with Alison
Mariella Désir and her fellow Black runners.
At 1:30 p.m., 1973 women's winner Kathrine Switzer will be joined by
four-time Cherry Blossom 10 Mile champion Bill Rodgers (1978-1981);
three-time winner Lisa Rainsberger, who won the race in 1985, ‘89 and ‘90
as Lisa Weidenbach; 1983 victor and still American Record holder (46:13)
Greg Meyer; 1998 winner Colleen De Reuck; former CUCB race directors Ed
Murray and Jeff Darman; and noted running historian and outstanding age
group performer Roger Robinson, whose most recent running bio entry is 2023
World Cross Country Champion for men 80+. They'll all be sharing 50 Years
of Cherry Blossom Memories.
Lisa Bentley will close the speakers program at 4:00 p.m. with a repeat of
her Friday session of Running Your Best Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile
or 5K – how to use your mind and body to achieve a personal best.
Cherry Blossom, Inc. Historian George Banker will moderate all of the
sessions on both days.
Kathrine Switzer, Bill Rodgers and Roger Robinson will be signing books at
a booth in the expo hall from 5:00-6:00 p.m. on March 31 and from 3:00-4:00
p.m. on April 1; Kathrine and Roger will also be signing books from
noon-1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Alison Mariella Désir will be signing her book
from 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Friday evening and again from 1:30-2:45 p.m. on
Saturday.The books of those doing book signings will be available for sale
at the expo.
Event Director Phil Stewart, who makes it clear that he has not directed
the race for the last 50 years (he did place 5th in 1977 in 51:01), said:
"Our 50th anniversary speakers truly celebrate our traditions of the last
50 years through athletes and former race directors, and our goal of making
the event more inclusive in the years ahead with Alison Mariella Désir."
The inaugural Cherry Blossom Ten Mile in 1973 was won by Sam Bair in a time
of 51:22; the women's winner was Kathrine Switzer in a time of 1:11:19; 127
men and 12 women ran that first race. Bill Rodgers holds the honor of most
victories, with four consecutive wins between 1978 and 1981. Three women
have each won the race three times: Julie Shea (1975-77), Lisa Weidenbach
(now Lisa Rainsberger) (1985, ‘89 and ‘90) and Lineth Chepkurui (2008-10).
Ben Beach leads all Cherry Blossom finishers with an active streak of 49
years. A comprehensive media guide detailing a wide variety of statistics
from the first 49 CUCB races is available here.
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.
About the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile:
The Credit Union Cherry Blossom races, organized by Cherry Blossom, Inc., a
501c(3) chapter of the Road Runners Club of America, are known as "The
Runner's Rite of Spring®" in the Nation's Capital. The staging area for
Sunday's 10 Mile is on the Washington Monument Grounds, and the course
passes in sight of all of the major Washington, DC Memorials. In 2023, the
re-imagined Saturday 5K will stage on Freedom Plaza and traverse the route
of Presidential Inaugurations down Pennsylvania Avenue before crossing the
National Mall in the shadow of the Capitol Building and returning by the
same route. The Kids Run is staged at 9:30 a.m. Saturday on the grounds of
the National Building Museum. All events serve as a fundraiser for the
Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, a consortium of 170 premier
children's hospitals across North America. About one-third of the funds
raised support Washington, DC's own Children's National ("Children's
Hospital"). The event also funds the Road Runners Club of America's "Roads
Scholar" program 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 10
Mile, 5K, Kids Run and Virtual Run. Current presenting sponsors include
ASICS, REI Co-op and Wegmans; supporting sponsors include CACI, Co-op
Solutions, CUNA Mutual Group, FinisherPix, Gatorade Endurance, Guayaki,
MedStar Health, PSCU, Potomac River Running, Suburban Solutions, The MO
Apartments and UPS.
The 10 Mile is a proud member of the PRRO Circuit (PRRO.org), a series of
this country's classic non- marathon prize money road races with circuit
stops in Washington, DC; Spokane, WA; and Utica, NY. The 2023 10 Mile will
serve as the 2022-2023 PRRO Championship.
In addition to being sanctioned by USA Track & Field and the Road Runners
Club of America, the Credit Union Cherry Blossom races have earned Gold
Level Inspire Certification from the Council for Responsible Sport in
recognition of its legacy of commitment to sustainability and thoughtful
resource management.
To learn more, visit www.cherryblossom.org and follow the event on social
media @CUCB and #CUCB2023.
About Credit Union Miracle Day:
Credit Union Miracle Day is a partnership of over 100 credit unions, CUSOs
and partner organizations united to sponsor the Credit Union Cherry Blossom
races, promoting awareness of the credit union difference and benefitting
Children's Miracle Network Hospitals nationwide.
About America's Credit Unions:
Credit unions are financial cooperatives that 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, and
low or no-fee products and services. The credit union philosophy of placing
members' needs first is why more than 131 million Americans do their
banking at a credit union.
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