The Lottery

The 2026 fields for the 10 Mile (Sunday, April 12) and the Double Blossom (5K on Saturday, April 11 and 10 Mile on Sunday, April 12) will be determined by lottery. (There is no lottery for the 5K if that is the only race you wish to run; registration for the 5K will open on January 26 and is first-come, first-served. Click Here for 5K Registration information.)

NEW DATES FOR THE LOTTERY THIS YEAR: Ring in the New Year by signing up for the lottery in 2026! Prospective entrants will be able to register for the lottery starting on Monday, January 5, 2026 on the event website, cherryblossom.org. Lottery registration will close at midnight on Monday, January 19, 2026.  When registering, prospective entrants will complete and submit the entire entry form including the credit card information. However, credit cards will not be charged unless the applicant is selected.

Entry Fees

The entry fees* for the 2026 races are as follows:

• • 10 Mile – $64
  • 5K – $47
  • Double Blossom – $111

*Fees listed here do not include processing fees.

(Please note that pre-registration is required for the 2026 Kids Run, but it will be held on a first-come, first-served basis and will open on Monday, January 26, 2026. The Kids Run is limited to 500 entrants.)

Lottery Buddies

Do you want to make sure that if you are accepted into the 10 Mile or Double Blossom through the lottery that your friends and/or family members will be accepted along with you? Then have everyone in your circle (up to 10 people) enter the lottery as Lottery Buddies. Talk to your friends/family and decide which of you will be the first “buddy” to enter the lottery. That buddy should give your circle a Lottery Buddy Name when they register for the lottery, and then subsequent buddies can select that Lottery Buddy Name from the dropdown list on the registration form when they go to register.  Lottery Buddies do not all have to enter just the 10 Mile Lottery or just the Double Blossom Lottery – each Lottery Buddy can enter the event that they prefer to run, and the Buddies will either all be accepted into or all rejected from whichever event they applied for. Each circle of Lottery Buddies has exactly the same chance of getting in as each single individual. Please note that no additional Lottery Buddies can be added after the lottery period closes.

You are only Lottery Buddies for purposes of entering the Lottery. Of course we hope that you will all stay friends after the lottery, but for the purposes of the race itself you will be running as an individual.

Starting Corral Assignments: Every accepted runner will be assigned a starting corral for the 10 Mile based on the estimated finish time that they enter on their registration form for the 10 Mile race. Because corral positions are allocated based on estimated finish times, even if you enter the race with your Lottery Buddies and are all accepted, you will not necessarily be placed in the same starting corral as your Buddies.

Remember there is no Lottery for the 5K. Registration for the 5K will open on January 26 and is first-come, first-served. Click Here for 5K Registration information.)

Lottery Results

Once the lottery registration period is closed, the accepted runners will be selected from those who registered for the lottery. All lottery registrants will receive an email indicating their status by Friday, January 23, 2026, and they can also check their status through their Race Roster account. Individuals (and Lottery Buddies) not selected will not have their credit cards charged for the entry fee or for any ancillary items purchased such as the “Upgrade” performance shirts, medals, sustainability donations, or Children’s Miracle Network donations.

Entry into the Double Blossom (5K on Saturday and 10 Mile on Sunday)

If you wish to enter BOTH races – the 5K on Saturday, April 11 and the 10 Mile on Sunday, April 12 – you must enter the lottery and select Double Blossom as your event. If your entry is successful, you will then be entered into BOTH races at the same time (and your credit card will be charged for the Double Blossom entry fee and for any ancillary items you ordered at the time of registration). If you are not successful in gaining entry through the lottery, your credit card will not be charged at all for either race.

Note: If you are accepted into the lottery for the 10 Mile, you are allowed to register for the 5K (if 5K registration is still open) and run both races, but you will NOT be entered into the Double Blossom. So if you want to do the Double Blossom, be sure to sign up for that event when lottery registration opens. There is no way to switch into the Double Blossom later – if you want to do the Double Blossom, entering the lottery is your only opportunity to gain entry.

Please consult the “FAQs” on the website for more detailed answers to questions regarding the lottery.

Special Lottery Categories

• 100 Mile Club: 100 Mile Club members have completed at least 100 miles in any combination of the 10 mile or the 5K results (i.e. 10 completions of the 10 mile equals 100 miles; 9 completions of the 10 mile and four completions of the 5K equals 102 miles, etc.), either in a row or non-consecutively. You can check your status in the 100 Mile Club by going to our All-Time Results Database, which has all results from 1973-2025, and will list all the times you have run the 10 Mile and/or 5K and how many miles you have accumulated. 100 Mile Club Members must still enter the lottery, but if you are a 100 Mile Club member and you do not get in through the lottery, you can gain a guaranteed “100 Mile Club” entry (at the prevailing entry fee), which will be accepted if submitted by February 15, 2026. If you are rejected in the lottery and feel you qualify, please send an email to searchable@cherryblossom.org. Remember, please do not apply for a 100 Mile Club guaranteed entry unless you are rejected in the lottery.100 Mile Club requests received before the lottery results are posted will not be considered. Click Here for info on the 100 Mile Club.
• Two-Time Loser Entries: TTL entries (those who have entered the lottery in the last two consecutive years (2024 and 2025) and failed to be accepted in either year) but who wish to run in 2026 must still enter the 2026 lottery, but if you are 2-time Lottery loser (2024 and 2025) and you do not get in through the lottery for the 2026 race, you can gain a guaranteed “Two-Time Loser” entry (at the prevailing entry fee), which will be accepted if submitted by February 15, 2026. If you are rejected in the lottery and feel you qualify, please send an email to info@cherryblossom.org.

Notes About the Registration Form

Email Address: When you register, be sure to provide the email address where you want all race communications to go. We want to be sure that you receive all race details and information in a timely fashion.

Shirts: All entrants receive a cotton 10 Mile/5K t-shirt with their registration. Entrants can upgrade to an ASICS performance t-shirt at the time of registration for $20 plus tax and processing fee. Click Here for more on T-shirts and Medals.

Medals: In order to keep our race registration fees low, we do not give medals to all finishers. If you would like to receive a medal when you finish the race, you may purchase a standard medal when you register for $15. We also offer an enhanced medal for $25. The enhanced medal consists of the standard medal that you pick up after your race plus an iTab plate that we will mail to you in May with your finish time and place on it and that you can attach to the ribbon of your standard medal. Click Here for more on Medals and T-shirts.

Training Plans: Runners can choose to sign up for a FREE online training program (there are 3 levels each for 10 Mile and 5K – Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced) at the time of registration. Online Training Plans will start on February 2, 2026. Click Here for more on our Online Training Plans. For runners who want a more personalized approach for their training, runners cansign up for a 2-week trial of a personalized training plan from Runna, then convert to the full plan if they wish to continue with Runna. More details on the Runna plan will be posted when they become available.

Mugs: You can order a ceramic 2026 CUCB 10 Mile custom mug featuring your official finishing time and the 2026 CUCB logo! Mugs will be shipped in June after the race, once race times have become official and mugs can be imprinted.

Photo Packages: You will be able to pre-order at a reduced rate a photo package or a photo/video package of all the photos and videos of you taken out on the course.

Packet Mailout: If you know you won’t be able to make it to the Expo to pick up your packet on Friday, April 10 or Saturday, April 11, you will be able at registration to request to have your packet shipped to you.

2026 Lottery Notification List

If you ran the 2025 event, we have your email address and will send you in late November an email notification of the opening of the lottery. If you did not enter the 2025 10 Mile, 5K or Double Blossom and you wish to receive notification of the 2026 entry process by e-mail, or if your email address changes, please click the link below and complete the Notification Request form.

NOTE: We cannot be responsible for your email host failing to deliver our emails. For instructions on how to maximize your chances of our emails being properly delivered, CLICK HERE.