The Lottery

The lottery for entry into the 2026 Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile and Double Blossom is now closed.

To Those Who Gained Entry, Congratulations!
We Look Forward to Seeing You on the Starting Line on April 12, and for those doing the Double Blossom, on April 11 as well!

If you did not gain entry through the lottery, you still have options; scroll down to see other options for entering the race.

E-Mail Notifications

Nearly all of the communications regarding the race will be done via email. Due to the high volume of emails, we cannot take time to fill out forms to get our messages past personal spam filters. To help make sure that our emails will reach you and will not be treated as spam, you should add the following email addresses to your “white list” or “safe senders” list or however your particular email program allows you to indicate particular email addresses that you want to receive email from:

info@cherryblossom.org
therunner@raceroster.com
support@raceroster.com

Note: This is something you must take care of in your own individual email program – it cannot be accomplished by requesting us to white list you.

Purchase Additional Registration Items

If you were accepted into the race and did not upgrade your race shirt, purchase a medal, request access to our FREE online training programs, order a packet mail-out, make a sustainable impact donation, or make a donation to Children’s Miracle Network hospitals, and would now like to do so, just click the button below to go to the Store on Race Roster and make your purchases.

Book Your Hotel Room

Our 2026 official race hotel is the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel at 1700 Richmond Hwy, Arlington, VA 22202. The hotel is offering a special Credit Union Cherry Blossom rate of  $239 per night to 2026 Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile and 5K participants.

To Those Who Did Not Gain Entry, You Still Have Options!

Charity Entries

You can still enter the 2026 race by becoming a Charity Race Entry Participant. To qualify as a Charity Race Entry Participant, you need to raise $500 dollars or more for our official race charity, Children’s Miracle Network. Every dollar raised will be donated to Children’s Miracle Network, a network of 170 non profit children’s hospitals located across North America.

Once you raise $500 through our Children’s Miracle Network Fundraising event, you will be sent a code so you can register for the race. To sign up to become a Charity Race Entry Participant, please click the button below:

The 2026 race marks the 24th year Credit Unions have sponsored the run in support of the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Almost $12 million dollars for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals has been raised during this time. Join thousands of runners and over a hundred Credit Unions and Credit Union partners to help provide local kids with state-of-the-art care, cutting edge research and treatment for every disease and injury imaginable. Remember, all funds you raise go to the Children’s Miracle Network Hospital, which supports your community.

Volunteer and Get a Guaranteed Entry in 2027

You can gain entry into the 2027 race (at the prevailing entry fee) by volunteering for the 2026 race. Click the link below if you or someone you know would like to volunteer for the 2026 race and earn a transferable guaranteed entry to the 2027 race.

100 Mile Club

100 Mile Club members who did not get in through the lottery may apply for a guaranteed entry code between now and February 15, 2026. 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.

Check your status on the All Time Searchable Database. If you did not get in through the lottery and you qualify for the 100 Mile Club, please send an email to info@cherryblossom.org.

Seeded Runner Entries

The qualifying standards for seeded runners are posted on the event website. Contact Seeded Runner Coordinator Sara Baugh at seededrunners@cherryblossom.org for details. Requests for seeded runner status close on Feb. 15.

5K Registration

5K Registration opens on January 26, 2026. The 5K will be held on Saturday, April 11 at 8:00 a.m. at Army-Navy Dr. at S. Fern St., Arlington, VA.

Kids Run Registration

Kids Run Registration opens on January 26, 2026. The Kids Run will be held on Saturday, April 11 at 9:45 a.m. at Freedom Plaza (the same location as the 5K, which starts at 8:00 a.m.).

Sign Up for 2027 Lottery Opening Notification

If you entered the 2026 event lottery, whether or not you were selected to participate in the event, or if you entered through a Guaranteed Entry for 2026, we have your email address and will send you an email notification of the opening of the lottery in January 2027. If you did not enter the 2026 event – or if your email address changes during the year – and you wish to receive notification of the 2027 entry process by e-mail, please click the link above and complete the Notification Request form.