5K
Credit Union Cherry Blossom 5K Presented by ASICS
Saturday, April 5, 2025
Freedom Plaza
Washington, DC
Time: 9:15 am
For everyone’s safety, running with a dog or headphones is NOT permitted.
Please Note: The 5K will be held on Saturday, April 5 (the day before the 10 Mile) and 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.
All 5K entrants receive the official 5K race t-shirt, their overall times and places in the event, and post-race food and drink. All runners will be scored on net times. Awards will be given to the top 5 overall men and women, as well as 3 deep in almost all age groups. Click Here and scroll to the bottom to see the full listing of all 5K awards. All 5K runners must finish and be off the course no later than 10:30 am.
Race Registration
Registration for the In-Person 5K Run-Walk will open on December 20, 2024. Registration will remain open until the 7,000-runner field limit is reached or February, 28, 2025, whichever comes first. (Note: We anticipate that the field will be filled long before the February 28 deadline; last year the field limit was reached in mid-February.) The entry fee for the 5K in 2025 is still to be determined; the entry fee will be posted here when it becomes available.
Double Blossom Registration: If you wish to do the “Double Blossom” (run the 5K on Saturday, April 5 and the 10 Mile on Sunday, April 6), you must enter the 10 Mile Lottery. If you are accepted into the 10 Mile Lottery for the Double Blossom, you do not need to register for the 5K separately. Click Here for Lottery Information.
Switching from the 10 Mile to the 5K
After the lottery, runners who were accepted into the 10 Mile may decide that they would prefer to run the 5K instead, whether because their training didn’t go as planned, they suffered an injury or illness, or a myriad of other reasons. You will be allowed to switch to the 5K as long as the field limit for the 5K has not been reached (last year the limit was reached in mid-February, so be sure to act promptly once you decide you want to make the switch). No switches will be permitted after 5K registration closes.
Unless you are entered in the Double Blossom and receive a special Double Blossom bib, please do not try to run the 5K with a 10 Mile bib. Anyone who runs the 5K race with a 10 Mile bib will be disqualified from both races.
Packet Pick-up
All 5K entrants must pick up their packets at the Health & Fitness Expo on Friday, April 4 or at the race start Freedom Plaza on Saturday, April 5 (or select to have their packets mailed to them when they register for the race). There will be 5K Packet Pick-up at Freedom Plaza on 5K race morning (April 5) from 7:00 a.m – 8:45 a.m.
Wave Start
The 5K will not use a wave start this year.
Bag Check
We will be using tents for bag check this year. A staging area map with the exact location of the bag check tents at Freedom Plaza will be posted here as soon as it becomes available.
5K Bag Check Opens at 7:15 am.
Course
We anticipate that the 5K will use the same course as in 2024, starting and finishing in Freedom Plaza. However, since construction is a near-constant in Washington, DC, we may need to make some minor adjustments. Once we are sure that we have the course set, we will post the map here. For now, the maps at the link below show the course and staging area for 2024.
There will be one water stop on the 5K course at Independence before 4th Street.
T-Shirts
Participant short-sleeved T-shirts (cotton or 50-50) are given to all 5K entrants. At registration, participants are given the option of purchasing a short-sleeved Performance upgrade shirt from ASICS in place of the non-technical short sleeved shirt. For more on t-shirts, Click Here.
Amenities
Post-race refreshments following the race will be available in the 5K staging area.