Feb. 19, 2014
For immediate release
Credit Union 10-mile races help support Children’s Miracle Network hospitals
The Credit Union SACTOWN Ten-Mile Run picked quite an event to emulate.
Runners from across the East Coast flock to Washington D.C. for the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run, an annual rite of spring that helps raise money for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
The 41st annual race last year drew more than 17,000 runners to the nation’s capital and raised $483,000 for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, which includes Sacramento’s UC Davis Children’s Hospital.
Since the Credit Union National Association became a sponsor in 2002, the Cherry Blossom race has raised more than $6 million for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
The race has become so popular there’s a lottery to gain a spot in the field.
“It’s just a really well-known event,” said SACTOWN race director Michelle La Sala, who ran in two Cherry Blossom races while living in New York City.
“You really can’t be a runner in the Mid-Atlantic and not know about it.”
Both the Cherry Blossom and SACTOWN races are set for April 6.
The 2013 Cherry Blossom race was held on the third weekend of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, which commemorates the 1912 gift of 3,000 cherry trees from Tokyo Mayor Yukio Ozaki to the city of Washington, D.C.
Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals is an affiliation of children’s hospitals throughout the country. Each year these non-profit hospitals provide state-of-the-art care, cutting edge research and preventative health education.
Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals treat more than 17 million patients each year, including 98 percent of all children needing heart or lung transplants and 88 percent of all children with cancer.
The Credit Union SACTOWN Ten-Mile Run, which models itself after the Cherry Blossom race, helped raise more than $180,000 last year for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
Credit Unions for Kids is the brand under which America’s credit unions and affiliated organizations fundraise for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. To date, credit unions have raised more than $100 million since the introduction of the CU4Kids program back in 1996.
“That cause is a really great cause,” La Sala said. “Here in this community everybody knows where UC Davis Children’s Hospital is and drives by it occasionally.
“It’s a pretty inspirational place.”
Registration for the fourth annual Credit Union SACTOWN Ten-Mile Run, which begins at 8 a.m., is $50 online until 11:59 p.m. on April 5 at www.sactown10.org. Runners can also sign up for a three-person relay for $120 per team.
A Miracle Mile for kids 13 and under is free for anyone registering by April 4 at 11:59 p.m. and $10 at packet pickup and on race day.
The 10-mile SACTOWN course starts and finishes near the state Capitol, with runners going through midtown and east Sacramento.
The race will serve as USA Track & Field’s Pacific Association Ten-Mile Championship and features a $15,000 purse.
The Sacramento Running Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to finding ways to encourage people of all ages and abilities to run. The SRA is committed to developing new, quality running events that appeal to a broad variety of runners.