Credit Union Cherry Blossom Run Presents 2022 Les Kinion Outstanding Service Award To Danny Talmage In Recognition Of His Many Years Of Service To The Race

April 3, 2022

Award honors the memory of longtime race volunteer Les Kinion.

April 2, 2022, Washington, DC: /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – Credit Union Cherry Blossom organizers announced this evening that Danny Talmage has been named the 2022 recipient of the Les Kinion Outstanding Service Award. Established in 2015, the award is presented at the event’s pre-race dinner in front of an appreciative crowd of race committee colleagues, other key volunteers and invited athletes.

In presenting the award, Deputy Director Becky Lambros had this to say about Danny’s significant contribution to the event: “Danny manages the shed with an iron hand. He knows where everything is and who it belongs to. Nothing moves in the shed without Danny’s approval.”

Race Director Phil Stewart added: “There are a lot of glamorous aspects to organizing a road race like dealing with world class runners, signing new sponsors, doing media interviews, and more. But one ever-so-critical function usually elicits eye rolling and groans — the task of organizing and managing the event’s storage shed. That’s hardly the case for this year’s Les Kinion award winner, Danny Talmage. Danny loves, defends and organizes the shed to his own high standards, and for that, we are eternally grateful and promise him the job for life.”

When not managing the Credit Union Cherry Blossom shed, Talmage is a program officer with more than 20 years of experience at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine and has been with the Board on Human System-Integration for 6 years. He is also a Managing Partner of Crazy Dog Events, which provides professional race management assistance to charities starting new fundraising races in the Montgomery County and DC areas.

The Les Kinion Award was established in honor of Les Kinion, a Baltimore firefighter with Engine Company 43. By passion, he was first a runner and then a running club officer and race director. In 1970, Les co-founded the Baltimore Road Runners Club, one of the earliest chapters of the Road Runners Club of America. In 1973 he helped launch the first Maryland Marathon. After retiring in 1986, Les moved to Bishopville, MD, and worked on hundreds of races on the Maryland-Delaware Coast. He became involved with the Cherry Blossom Run in the early 1990s, and was active until he passed away in July 2014 at the age of 78.

Past recipients of the Les Kinion Award include: Irv Newman, George Tarrico, Michelle Carter, Jean Arthur, Glenn Klenk, Nita Lalla Rincone, and Marsha May. Press releases about each year’s award recipient can be found in the archives.

Thanks to credit union title sponsorship since 2002, the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Run has raised over $10 million for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, including $323,000 this year.

About the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile:

The Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile, organized by Cherry Blossom, Inc., a 501c(3) chapter of the Road Runners Club of America, is known as “The Runner’s Rite of Spring®” in the Nation’s Capital. 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 serves as a fundraiser for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, a consortium of 170 premier children’s hospitals across North America. About one-third of the funds raised support Washington, DC’s own Children’s National (“Children’s Hospital”). The event also funds the Road Runners Club of America’s “Roads Scholar” program designed to support up-and-coming U.S. distance running talent.

Credit Union Miracle Day, Inc., a consortium of credit unions and credit union suppliers, is the title sponsor of the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run, 5K Run-Walk and Kids’ Run. Presenting sponsors include ASICS, Discovery, Garmin, MedStar Health and Wegmans; supporting sponsors include CO-OP Financial Service, CUNA Mutual Group, PSCU, Potomac River Running, Gatorade Endurance, Suburban Solutions and UPS.

The event is a proud member of the PRRO Circuit (PRRO.org), a series of major non-marathon prize money road races in Washington, DC; Spokane, WA; and Utica, NY. The circuit is committed to a drug-free sport and funds drug testing at all circuit events in compliance with the standards of international and U.S. drug testing authorities.

In addition to being sanctioned by USA Track & Field and the Road Runners Club of America, the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Run has earned Gold Level Inspire Certification from the Council for Responsible Sport in recognition of its legacy of commitment to sustainability and thoughtful resource management.

To learn more, visit www.cherryblossom.org and follow the event on social media @CUCB and #CUCB2022.

About Credit Union Miracle Day:

Credit Union Miracle Day is a partnership of over 100 credit unions, CUSOs and partner organizations united to sponsor the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run promoting awareness of the credit union difference and benefitting Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals nationwide.

About America’s Credit Unions:

Credit unions are financial cooperatives that provide consumers choices for financial services such as checking accounts, investments and loans of all kinds including mortgages. Funds are federally insured, but unlike banks, there are no stockholders at credit unions. Earnings are returned to member-owners in the form of lower loan rates, higher savings rates, low or no-fee products and services. The credit union philosophy of placing members’ needs first is why more than 115 million Americans do their banking at a credit union.