FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
50th Annual Credit Union Cherry Blossom Festivities Include
Hall of Fame Recognition for Gar Williams, Jeff Darman and Irv Newman
Rob Wolfe and Steve Broyles announced as co-recipients
of the 2023 Les Kinion Outstanding Volunteer Service Award
April 1, 2023, Washington, DC: Among the many special elements of this
weekend's Credit Union Cherry Blossom (CUCB) 50th anniversary celebrations,
the announcement of the inaugural CUCB Hall of Fame was clearly a highlight
of the pre-race dinner for elite athletes, race committee members, and
Credit Union Miracle Day partners. And, as it has been since 2015, the
announcement of this year's winners of the Les Kinion Outstanding Service
Award was just as eagerly anticipated.
In his remarks preceding the Hall of Fame induction, event director Phil
Stewart offered these thoughts: "Our goal is to honor individuals who have
made significant contributions to the race at any time over the last 50
years. These ‘contributions' can come in a variety of ways – the individual
could be a distinguished competitor, committee member, staff member,
sponsor representative, member of the media or just about any other
category you can think of. The bottom line is this person's impact on the
race at the time he or she was involved was truly significant."
Inductees into the Hall of Fame included: Gar Williams, one of the Cherry
Blossom 10 Mile's founders and co-director of the 1973 race; Jeff Darman,
who took over as co-race director in 1974 and served until 1991 in either a
solo or co-race director capacity; and Irv Newman, who has worn many CUCB
hats in the past 20+ years, most notably as Board President from 2014-2022.
While the annual announcement of CUCB Hall of Fame inductees will now
become a fixture of the pre-race dinner, awarding the Les Kinion
Outstanding Volunteer Service Award has been an essential component of the
evening's agenda since 2015.
Rob Wolfe and Steve Broyles were announced as co-recipients of the 2023 Les
Kinion Outstanding Volunteer Service Award. Rob wears many race committee
hats, from Cherry Blossom, Inc. Treasurer to starting line corrals
coordinator of the 10 Mile and the Kids Run. Steve has just worn one hat,
but he's worn it for 29 years! As the leader of the course recording team,
which plays a vital role in confirming the presence of elite athletes on
course throughout the race — no shortcuts allowed — Steve has led numerous
innovations in the reporting process, all intended to streamline the
verification work of the official judges back at the finish line.
"Rob and Steve have provided outstanding service to the race but in very
different manners," said event director Phil Stewart. "Rob is the
ringmaster of the roadway who gets 17,000 runners lined up for the 10 Mile
and 500 4-10 year-olds in order at the start of the Kids Run, while Steve
almost clandestinely and meticulously coordinates a team of
course-recorders from multiple locations on the course and hopes he has
nothing to report. As co-winners of the Les Kinion Award, they illustrate
the wide variety of roles involved in producing the race."
The Les Kinion Award was established in honor of Les Kinion, a Baltimore
firefighter with Engine Company 43. By passion, he was first a runner and
then a running club officer and race director. In 1970, Les co-founded the
Baltimore Road Runners Club, one of the earliest chapters of the Road
Runners Club of America. In 1973 he helped launch the first Maryland
Marathon. After retiring in 1986, Les moved to Bishopville, MD, and worked
on hundreds of races on the Maryland-Delaware Coast. He became involved
with the Cherry Blossom Run in the early 1990s, and was active until he
passed away in July 2014 at the age of 78.
Past recipients of the Les Kinion Award include: Irv Newman, George
Tarrico, Michelle Carter, Jean Arthur, Glenn Klenk, Nita Lalla Roncone,
Marsha Way, and Danny Talmage. Press releases about each year's award
recipient can be found in the archives.
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
reimagined 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 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, Gatorade Endurance, Guayaki, MedStar Health,
Outside+, 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.
Thanks to credit union title sponsorship since 2002, the Credit Union
Cherry Blossom Run has raised over $10.6 million for the Children's Miracle
Network Hospitals, including $450,00 this year.
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.
###
|
