New Balance Signs
on as Sponsor of Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run On-line
Lottery Sign-up Opens December 1, 2010
WASHINGTON, November 30, 2010 – Global athletic
leader New Balance announced today the signing of an official sponsorship deal
with the historic Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile. The company will serve
as a supporting sponsor of the race and presenting sponsor of the virtual
training program. This year’s 39th annual race will be held in Washington, DC on
Sunday April 3, 2011, on the middle weekend of the National Cherry Blossom
Festival®. The Credit Union Cherry Blossom, which is known as “the Runner’s Rite
of Spring®,” is the only world-class road race in the Nation’s Capital and it is
part of the Professional Road Running Organization Circuit.
“New Balance is excited to become a sponsor of
the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile, a race rich in history and tradition
in our nation’s capital,” says Josh Rowe, running marketing manager at New
Balance. “This race attracts both elite and everyday runners and thus is an
excellent opportunity to for us to highlight our innovative footwear, apparel,
and unique brand attributes to runners of all abilities.”
As supporting sponsor of the race and
presenting sponsor of the virtual training program, New Balance will provide
special offers to the more than 5,000 registrants who participate in the free,
10-week virtual training program. The program, prepared by virtual training
coach Kirt West, will offer three levels – beginner, intermediate, and advanced
– to prepare runners to perform their best on race day. Virtual training
participants will receive training advice via daily email messages. Participants
can select which program best suits their needs when they register for the
lottery.
New Balance will also showcase their
performance running collection at the Health and Fitness Expo in the historic
National Building Museum. New Balance will provide a Lightning Dry performance
top as the official upgrade participant shirt and offer a new line of Credit
Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile branded performance merchandise which will be
available to runners at the eight Potomac River Running stores and other
locations, and on-line via
www.cherryblossom.org. Race and volunteer staff will be outfitted in New
Balance products.
“We welcome New Balance as a new partner in the
event,” says event director Phil Stewart. “As a global manufacturer of some of
the best-rated running product in the industry, and a brand with a history of
domestic manufacturing, New Balance is a perfect fit for our event, which is
held on the National Mall among all of the National Monuments and Memorials.”
Due to the popularity of the event, the
organizers will conduct a lottery to select entrants. Entrants will be able to
register for the lottery over a 10-day period between 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday,
December 1, 2010 and 11:59 P.M. on Friday, December 10, 2010. Entrants will be
electronically selected for the 10 mile and 5K Run-Walk after the lottery
registration period closes and the results of the selection process for both
events will be posted on the event website, www.cherryblossom.org, by 10:00 A.M.
on Tuesday, December 14.
For more information about the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile, specifics on
the lottery system and to register for the lottery please visit the event
website, www.cherryblossom.org.
About the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10
Mile:
The Credit Union Cherry Blossom is known as
“The Runner’s Rite of Spring®.” The staging area for the event is on the
Washington Monument Grounds and the course passes in sight of all of the major
Washington, DC Memorials. The event will offer $46,000 in prize money and time
incentives to elite athletes from around the world. The event also serves as a
fundraiser for the Children’s Miracle Network, a consortium of 170 premier
children’s hospitals across the United States. Since the Credit Unions became
the title sponsor in 2002, over $4.5 million dollars has been raised through
donations and fundraising on the part of the runners and individual sponsoring
Credit Unions and partners. About one-third of these funds support Washington,
DC’s own Children’s National Medical Center (“Children’s Hospital”). The event
also funds two $5,000 Road Runners Club of America “Roads Scholar” grants
designed to support up-and-coming U.S. distance running talent.
About New Balance:
New Balance, headquartered in Boston, MA has
the following mission: Demonstrating responsible leadership, we build global
brands that athletes are proud to wear, associates are proud to create and
communities are proud to host. New Balance employs more than 4000 people around
the globe, and in 2009 reported worldwide sales of $1.65 billion. For more
information please visit
http://www.newbalance.com.
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by Larry Eder
