WASHINGTON, DC. (April 3, 2025) /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – The Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile on Sunday morning, April 6 will host the second stop on the 2025 PRRO Circuit, and like past editions, deep international and U.S. fields are expected in the nation’s capital. Field favorites include defending champion Wesley Kiptoo and top Americans: defending national champion Hillary Bor, who set the since broken U.S. 10 Mile record last year in finishing a close third (45:56), and 2024 Olympian Fiona O’Keeffe, who is on the comeback trail. For the third consecutive year, the race also hosts the USATF 10 Mile Championships.
The top runners expected at Cherry Blossom include:
MEN: Wesley Kiptoo (KEN), defending race champion; Hillary Bor (USA), defending USA champion; Patrick Dever (GBR), 5th Aramco Houston Half (1:00:11); Joe Klecker (USA), 2020 Olympian; Drew Hunter (USA), 10 mile debut; Marcelo Laguera (MEX), 11th 2025 Aramco Houston Half (1:00:53); Tuemay Tsegay (ERI), 2024 California International Marathon winner (2:07:35); and Biya Simbassa (USA), 5-time USA road champion, including 10 mile title at 2021 Cherry Blossom
WOMEN: Fiona O’Keeffe (USA), 2024 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials champion, Olympian & 2025 NYC Half runner-up (1:07:46); rising star Taylor Roe (USA), 2025 Publix Atlanta Half winner / national champion (1:07:22); Emma Grace Hurley (USA), 4th 2024 Cherry Blossom & 2025 Publix Atlanta Half runner-up (1:07:35); Annie Frisbie (USA), 2024 Garry Bjorklund Half winner (1:07:34); Adane Anmaw (ETH), 6th 2025 Ras Al Khaimah Half (1:08:02); and local Susanna Sullivan (USA), 2022 Cherry Blossom winner
Elite bios can be found HERE.
The 52nd edition offers a generous guaranteed prize purse of $80,600 ($38,000 in the international division and $42,600 in the U.S. division) plus time bonus incentives (sub-46 men and sub-52 women) and world ($5000), American ($5000) and event ($3000) record bonus money.
At the fourth stop on the 2024-25 PRRO Circuit, the Cherry Blossom champions will also earn automatic eligibility to compete for the $20,000 PRRO Super Bonus at the 28th PRRO Championship hosted by the Boilermaker 15K on July 13, 2025 in Utica, NY. In addition, PRRO recently announced a new points system in which the 2-10 finishers at the five Circuit events earn points with the top 5 scorers overall before the PRRO Championship also qualifying to compete for the Super Bonus. Points standings can be found HERE.
“At this year’s Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile, like recent editions, we expect the world class field to be duking it out for top places and more than $80,000 in prize money. Also on the line, $20,000 PRRO Super Bonus automatic qualification for the 2025 PRRO Championship and Super Bonus points for the eligible 2nd to 10th finishers,” said PRRO President Don Kardong.
In the annual “Runner’s Rite of Spring,” more than 17,000 are expected to run the 10 Mile past the world famous Japanese cherry trees in the nation’s capital on a flat, fast course that passes by all the major DC monuments. In addition, on Saturday, April 5, there are 7,000 entrants in the accompanying 5K, which was voted the Best 5K in the country by USA Today poll for 2023 and 2025. Both races are again sold-out.
At the 2024 Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile, Wesley Kiptoo won a close men’s race in 45 minutes, 54 seconds, beating countryman Raymond Magut by 1 second, while Sarah Chelangat of Uganda defended her women’s title in a dominant 51:14, setting a course record. Hillary Bor and Emily Durgin won the USATF 10 Mile titles in 45:56 (third) and 51:26 (second), respectively.
The PRRO Circuit showcases world class competition at five of America’s Classic Road RacesImage may be NSFW.
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, the Gate River Run 15K in Jacksonville, FL, the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile in Washington, DC, the Lilac Bloomsday Run 12K in Spokane, WA, the Boilermaker 15K in Utica, NY and the Quad-City Times Bix 7 in Davenport, IA. The 2024-25 PRRO Circuit offers more than $400,000 in guaranteed prize money overall with $113,600 for U.S. athletes. The PRRO Circuit, a nationwide series of premier non-marathon road racing events, is organized and promoted by the Professional Road Running Organization (PRRO), an alliance of race directors.
Schedule and PRRO Super Bonus event qualifiers below:
THE PRRO CIRCUIT 2024-25 SCHEDULE
Boilermaker 15K, July 14, 2024, Utica, NY
$65,100 in prize money ($14,500 U.S. prize money)
WINNERS: John Korir*, Kenya, 42:11 and Grace Loibach Nawowuna*, Kenya, 49:18
50th Quad-City Times Bix 7, July 27, 2024, Davenport, IA
$50,000 in prize money
WINNERS: Wesley Kiptoo*, Kenya, 32:27 and Rachael Chebet*, Uganda, 36:11
Gate River Run 15K, March 1, 2025, Jacksonville, FL
$57,000 in prize money ($16,000 U.S. prize money) plus $5000 Equalizer gender race and World, U.S. & course record bonus money
WINNERS: Wesley Kiptoo*, Kenya, 42:10 (event record) and Calli Hauger-Thackery, Great Britain, 47:24
Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile, April 6, 2025, Washington, DC
$80,600 in prize money ($48,600 U.S. prize money) plus performance bonuses
Lilac Bloomsday Run 12K, May 4, 2025, Spokane, WA
$81,000 in prize money ($20,000 U.S. prize money)
THE 28th PRRO CHAMPIONSHIP
Boilermaker 15K, July 13, 2025, Utica, NY
$65,100 in prize money ($14,500 U.S. prize money) as well as:
- $20,000 PRRO Super Bonus to male or female champions who are either defending champions, have won any of the PRRO Circuit 2024-25 races or finished top 5 in the points system (split if both eligible male and female win)
- $2500 to male or female championship winners who have not won any races on the 2024-25 Circuit
- $1500 to eligible PRRO event champions, males and females, finishing in places 2-10
* = Automatically qualified to compete for the $20,000 PRRO Super Bonus at the 2025 PRRO Championship
Reigning PRRO champions Tebello Ramakongoana and Sarah Naibei, who won the 2024 PRRO Championship at the Lilac Bloomsday Run 12K, were the first two athletes to earn a chance to compete for the $20,000 PRRO Super Bonus at the 2025 PRRO Championship. In pursuit of the Super Bonus, the pair join the five qualified athletes who have won 2024-25 Circuit events thus far as well as any new runner who wins one of the remaining two Circuit events listed above or finishes in the top 5 in the points system.
Only current PRRO Circuit event champions are eligible for the PRRO Event Champion’s Bonus ($1500 for eligible athletes who do not win the PRRO Championship but do finish in places 2-10 at the PRRO Championship).
If the male and/or female winners of this summer’s PRRO Championship at Boilermaker have not won any of the events on the current Circuit, they will be awarded $2500 each as the PRRO Championship winners in addition to the prize money at the PRRO Championship event.
To-date, PRRO Circuit events have produced 17 world and 19 U.S. road records, awarded more than $8.6 million in prize money and seen more than 2.7 million runners cross their finish lines. In addition, since 1996, the PRRO Championship race has paid out more than $2.2 million including $188,500 in PRRO Championship bonus money.
PRRO Championship and Circuit Year
The PRRO Circuit, launched in 1995, starts and finishes the Circuit Year at the same event that will also host the season-ending PRRO Championship race. The reigning titlists of the PRRO Championship, the event winners on the current Circuit and the top 5 in the PRRO Super Bonus points system are eligible to compete for the PRRO Super Bonus at the PRRO Championship.
Visit PRRO.org for more information, including its history and past champions, as well as how to join the PRRO Circuit.
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