Sunday marked the first Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run since 2019

A local runner won the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run for the first time since 1983.

Susanna Sullivan of Reston, Virginia, won the elite women’s race on Sunday.

“It’s indescribable, I mean, I dreamed of this and it just kind of came together,” Sullivan told WTOP shortly after crossing the finish line. “I felt great coming into the race, training’s been going well, I run these roads every weekend. Crucial. The conditions were perfect. I had close friends and teammates out on the course. So it was just amazing.”

Her unofficial time clocked in at 52 minutes and 32 seconds, making it a personal record for the long distance athlete who is also a fifth grade teacher at Haycock Elementary School in Fairfax County.

“It’s almost a two-minute PR. And that doesn’t happen when you’re 31,” said Sullivan “I feel like I’ve gotten a lot stronger in the last few years. I think the pandemic gave me time to really focus on not racing and building a really strong base. And they’re just doing more strength stuff. And that’s really helped.”

Nicolas Kosimbai of Mill Valley, Kenya, won the elite men’s race and tied the course record with a time of 45 minutes and 15 seconds.

Sullivan and Kosimbai were joined by 17,000 other eager runners on the chilly April morning. The course and weather made for a lot of personal best times for many of the amateur racers.

“I knew I did well, because I had nothing left when I crossed the finish line and I wanted to collapse,” said Alex Crisafulli, who lives in Washington D.C.

posted Sunday April 3rd