Lilac Bloomsday Run

File:Bloomsday 2008 - Fort George Wright Drive 20080504.jpg

Descending Fort George Wright Drive in 2008

The Lilac Bloomsday Run, also known as Bloomsday, is an annual timed road race in the northwest United States, held on the first Sunday of May since 1977 in Template:Nowrap The course length is 12 km (7.456 mi).

The run had over 38,000 participants every year since 1986 until 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Registration peaked in 1996 at 61,298 with 56,156 finishers.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Lineth Chepkurui set an unofficial 12 km world record in the 2010 women's race.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref group="nb">The International Association of Athletics Federations, the international governing body for the sport of athletics/track and field, does not recognize world records or world bests in either an indoor or outdoor 12 km.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Association of Road Racing Statisticians does recognize a world record in the outdoor 12 km, however, their record keeping rules state: "A record quality course is defined as having not more than 1 m/km net drop between the start and finish and not more than 30 percent of the race distance separation between that start and finish, e.g. not more than a 3 km separation for a 10 km race [or 3.6 km for a 12 km race]. Records will only be accepted for record quality courses."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Per ARRS standards, the course for the Lilac Bloomsday Run fulfills these conditions. Although Chepkurui ran a 38:07 two weeks later on May 16, 2010 at the Bay to Breakers (presumably the fastest 12 km ever for a woman), the course is not considered a "record quality course" in that the start and finish are separated by approximately 10.5 linear kilometers.</ref>

The course record of 33:51 was set Template:Years or months ago in 2008 by Micah Kogo, a pace of 4:32.4 per mile and an average speed of Template:Convert. Veronica Loleo, of Kenya, broke the Women's course record by one hundredth of a second in 2025. Loleo navigated the 49th annual edition in 38:00.02.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The previous best, 38:00.03, was set in 2016 by Cynthia Limo.

Don Kardong, who founded the race, explained the name as "a starting event for the Lilac Festival … you know, lilacs blooming. And of course, I like it because it rhymes with doomsday."<ref name=krdcre/> The shortened name Bloomsday is usually associated instead with James Joyce's 1922 novel Ulysses and celebrations of June 16, the day in the life of Leopold Bloom that the novel chronicles.

Kardong had hoped for five hundred participants for the inaugural edition in 1977,<ref name=krdcre/> and got nearly triple that.<ref name=hordof/> The second edition had over five thousand,<ref name=mofhmnt>Template:Cite news</ref> and the third in 1979 was over ten thousand, with fifty thousand spectators lining the streets.<ref name=crmsos>Template:Cite news</ref> The sixth edition in 1982 had over 22,000,<ref name=twasbl>Template:Cite news</ref> and despite rain and some snow, there were over 30,000 in 1984.<ref name=ttsrec>Template:Cite news</ref>

The early editions were around Template:Convert in length.<ref name=hordof/><ref name=mofhmnt/><ref name=crmsos/><ref name=rwspr>Template:Cite news</ref> A new course was introduced Template:Nowrap

Course

The course starts in Downtown Spokane and heads northwest along the far west end of town, passes by Mukogowa Ft. Wright Institute and Spokane Falls Community College before heading up "Doomsday Hill" and back downtown past the Spokane County Courthouse and ending at the Monroe Street Bridge. Every finisher of the race receives a Bloomsday T-shirt.

File:LilacBloomsdayRun-Course-Map.png

Course map of the Lilac Bloomsday Run

Results

Year	Date(s)	Registrants	Finishers	Men's winner	Country	Time	Women's winner	Country	Time
2025	May 4	32,926	30,029	Patrick Kiprop	Template:Flagcountry	34:08	Veronica Loleo	Template:Flagcountry	38:00.02
2024	May 5	32,000+	27,889	Tebello Ramakongoana	Template:Flagcountry	34:40	Sarah Naibei	Template:Flagcountry	39:00
2023	May 7	30,000+	25,882	Jemal Yimer (2)	Template:Flagcountry	33:58	Yeshi Kalayu	Template:Flagcountry	38:49
	April 27 - May 7			N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
2022	May 1	24,096	21,088	Charles Wanjiku	Template:Flagcountry	35:08	Biruktayit Degefa	Template:Flagcountry	38:47
	April 28 - May 8	5,448	5,276	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
2021	April 30 - May 9	28,824	23,029	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
2020	September 18-20*	21,149	20,999	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
2019	May 5	38,559	35,244	Gabriel Geay	Template:Flagcountry	34:50	Rosemary Wanjiru	Template:Flagcountry	39:06
2018	May 6	41,702	38,210	Jemal Yimer	Template:Flagcountry	Template:Nowrap	Buze Diriba (2)	Template:Flagcountry	Template:Nowrap
2017	May 7	42,986	39,371	Gabriel Geay	Template:Flagcountry	Template:Nowrap	Buze Diriba	Template:Flagcountry	Template:Nowrap
2016	May 1	46,566	43,018	Philip Langat	Template:Flagcountry	Template:Nowrap	Cynthia Limo (2)	Template:Flagcountry	Template:Nowrap
2015	May 3	46,914	43,026	Lani Rutto	Template:Flagcountry	Template:Nowrap	Cynthia Limo	Template:Flagcountry	Template:Nowrap
2014	May 4	49,094	44,681	Allan Kiprono (2)	Template:Flagcountry	Template:Nowrap	Mary Wacera	Template:Flagcountry	Template:Nowrap
2013	May 5	51,613	47,298	Belete Assefa	Template:Flagcountry	Template:Nowrap	Buzunesh Deba	Template:Flagcountry	Template:Nowrap
2012	May 6	53,296	48,229	Allan Kiprono	Template:Flagcountry	Template:Nowrap	Mamitu Daska	Template:Flagcountry	Template:Nowrap
2011	May 1	56,652	51,303	Simon Ndirangu	Template:Flagcountry	Template:Nowrap	Misiker Mekonnen	Template:Flagcountry	Template:Nowrap
2010	May 2	55,090	50,721	Peter Kirui	Template:Flagcountry	Template:Nowrap	Lineth Chepkurui (3)	Template:Flagcountry	Template:Nowrap
2009	May 3	51,259	45,477	John Yuda	Template:Flagcountry	Template:Nowrap	Lineth Chepkurui	Template:Flagcountry	Template:Nowrap
2008	May 4	47,528	43,640	Micah Kogo	Template:Flagcountry	Template:Nowrap	Lineth Chepkurui	Template:Flagcountry	39:47
2007	May 6	44,180	40,362	John Korir (3)	Template:Flagcountry	34:18	Edna Kiplagat	Template:Flagcountry	38:52
2006	May 7	44,756	40,809	Gilbert Okari	Template:Flagcountry	34:14	Isabella Ochichi	Template:Flagcountry	38:38
2005	May 1	43,842	40,012	John Korir	Template:Flagcountry	34:16	Asmae Leghzaoui	Template:Flagcountry	39:33
2004	May 2	43,514	39,695	Simon Wangai	Template:Flagcountry	34:59	Albina Ivanova	Template:Flagcountry	39:22
2003	May 4	44,641	40,027	John Korir	Template:Flagcountry	34:16	Lyudmila Biktasheva	Template:Flagcountry	40:01
2002	May 5	51,282	45,775	James Koskei	Template:Flagcountry	34:25	Colleen De Reuck	Template:Flagcountry	38:53
2001	May 6	49,532	45,346	Dominic Kirui	Template:Flagcountry	34:30	Elana Meyer	Template:Flagcountry	39:24
2000	May 7	50,401	45,538	Reuben Cheruiyot	Template:Flagcountry	34:10	Jane Omoro (3)	Template:Flagcountry	40:08
1999	May 2	53,898	47,215	Joshua Chelanga	Template:Flagcountry	34:18	Jane Omoro	Template:Flagcountry	39:37
1998	May 3	53,389	48,453	Hezron Otwori	Template:Flagcountry	34:23	Jane Omoro	Template:Flagcountry	40:14
1997	May 4	55,270	49,467	Lazarus Nyakeraka (2)	Template:Flagcountry	34:19	Kim Jones	Template:Flagcountry Template:Flag	40:34
1996	May 5	61,298	56,156	Lazarus Nyakeraka	Template:Flagcountry	34:07	Colleen De Reuck	Template:Flagcountry	38:48
1995	May 7	59,100	54,154	Josphat Machuka (2)	Template:Flagcountry	33:52	Delillah Asiago	Template:Flagcountry	38:31
1994	May 1	60,037	55,195	Josphat Machuka	Template:Flagcountry	34:10	Olga Appell	Template:Flagcountry Template:Flag	38:57
1993	May 2	57,680	53,206	Arturo Barrios	Template:Flagcountry	33:55	Anne Marie Letko	Template:Flagcountry Template:Flag	39:19
1992	May 3	57,651	53,303	Yobes Ondieki	Template:Flagcountry	33:55	Lisa Ondieki	Template:Flagcountry	39:02
1991	May 5	60,104	55,794	Steve Moneghetti	Template:Flagcountry	34:52	Lisa Weidenbach	Template:Flagcountry Template:Flag	40:03
1990	May 6	54,869	51,122	Germán Silva	Template:Flagcountry	34:42	Anne Audain (7)	Template:Flagcountry	39:40
1989	May 7	56,280	52,457	John Halvorsen	Template:Flagcountry	34:21	Lynn Williams	Template:Flagcountry Template:Flag	39:30
1988	May 1	57,298	53,155	Peter Koech	Template:Flagcountry	34:22	Anne Audain	Template:Flagcountry	39:35
1987	May 3	54,261	50,946	Steve Binns	Template:Flagcountry	34:38	Lesley Welch	Template:Flagcountry Template:Flag	39:22
1986	May 4	48,406	45,541	Jon Sinclair	Template:Flagcountry Template:Flag	34:25	Anne Audain	Template:Flagcountry	38:48
1985	May 5	39,662	37,736	Paul Davies-Hale	Template:Flagcountry	34:27	Anne Audain	Template:Flagcountry	39:20
1984	May 6	33,312	30,463	Ibrahim Hussein	Template:Flagcountry	34:33	Regina Joyce	Template:Flagcountry	40:28
1983	May 1	28,173	25,932	Jon Sinclair	Template:Flagcountry Template:Flag	34:55	Anne Audain	Template:Flagcountry	39:29
1982	May 2	22,210	20,540	Henry Rono	Template:Flagcountry	35:49	Anne Audain	Template:Flagcountry	40:02
1981	May 3	17,000	15,546	Duncan McDonald	Template:Flagcountry Template:Flag	35:34	Anne Audain	Template:Flagcountry	41:54
1980	May 4	13,576	11,962	Mark Anderson	Template:Flagcountry Template:Flag	36:22	Gail Volk	Template:Flagcountry Template:Flag	46:27
1979	May 6	10,082	10,070	Ric Rojas	Template:Flagcountry Template:Flag	37:07	Cathy Twomey	Template:Flagcountry Template:Flag	43:56
1978	May 7	5,460	5,024	Bill Rodgers	Template:Flagcountry Template:Flag	37:07	Marty Cooksey	Template:Flagcountry Template:Flag	43:24
1977	May 1	1,400	1,198	Frank Shorter	Template:Flagcountry Template:Flag	38:26	Joan Ullyot	Template:Flagcountry Template:Flag	53:26

*Delay due to COVID-19 pandemic. First virtual race.

Key: Template:Legend2 Template:Legend2

• Early editions were around Template:Convert in length.<ref name=hordof/><ref name=mofhmnt/><ref name=crmsos/><ref name=rwspr/>

Notes

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External links

• Template:Official website