Cinque Mulini
Encyclopedia
The Cinque Mulini is an annual cross country running
race in San Vittore Olona
, Italy
. First held in 1933, the course is unusual in that it revolves around a number of water mills, which lend the competition its name – meaning Five Mills in Italian
. It is one of the IAAF cross country permit meetings that act as qualifiers for the IAAF World Cross Country Championships
. As one of the most prestigious meets, numerous world record holders and Olympic champions have competed at the Cinque Mulini throughout its history.
(FIDAL) ordered that all cross country competitions be postponed. The course was altered from 10 km to 12 in the late 1930s, in order to accommodate all five mills. The race began to grow after being selected as the course for the Italian Cross Country Championship in 1946 and 1949. The competition became an international one in 1952 and Tunisia
n runner Ahmed Labidi became the first foreign winner two years later. By the early 1960s, Olympic silver medallist Franjo Mihalić
had brought the race to new heights, taking three victories over five editions.
A junior race was introduced in 1960, the first international women's race was held in 1971, and student races were added to the program in the late 1970s. Olympic and World champions graced the course at every edition in the 1970s. By the mid-eighties, East Africa
n runners had established themselves, frequently reaching the podium in the senior races. It was part of the IAAF World Cross Challenge
the following decade, remaining at the forefront of European cross country running. The course was significantly changed throughout the 2000s, only the Cozzi and Meraviglia mills remained as part of the course and gradually only the semi-functioning Meraviglia was included.
Both former champion David Bedford
and meet organiser Vito Garofalo stressed that the competition's longevity is due to, in part, the support the race receives from the local community. The race was elected to serve as the Italian national cross country championships in 1996; Gennaro Di Napoli
and Patrizia Di Napoli took the honours.
The event hosted the European Cross Country Club Championships alongside the traditional race in 2011; Portuguese club Grupo Desportivo e Recreativo Conforlimpa won the men's team title while the women's title went to Turkey's Üsküdar Belediyesi Spor Kulübü.
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
race in San Vittore Olona
San Vittore Olona
San Vittore Olona is a comune in the Province of Milan in the Italian region Lombardy, located on the river Olona and about 20 km northwest of Milan. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 7,982 and an area of 3.4 km²....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. First held in 1933, the course is unusual in that it revolves around a number of water mills, which lend the competition its name – meaning Five Mills in Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
. It is one of the IAAF cross country permit meetings that act as qualifiers for the IAAF World Cross Country Championships
IAAF World Cross Country Championships
IAAF World Cross Country Championships is the most important competition in international cross country running. Held annually and organised by International Association of Athletics Federations , it was inaugurated in 1973, when it replaced the International Cross Country Championships...
. As one of the most prestigious meets, numerous world record holders and Olympic champions have competed at the Cinque Mulini throughout its history.
History
Giovanni Malerba organised the first competition in 1933 as a reaction to a competition in a neighbouring village which revolved around seven clock towers. The competition has been held every year since its inception, including throughout the Second World War and in 1939 when the Federazione Italiana di Atletica LeggeraFederazione Italiana di Atletica Leggera
FIDAL is the governing body for athletics in Italy since 1906....
(FIDAL) ordered that all cross country competitions be postponed. The course was altered from 10 km to 12 in the late 1930s, in order to accommodate all five mills. The race began to grow after being selected as the course for the Italian Cross Country Championship in 1946 and 1949. The competition became an international one in 1952 and Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
n runner Ahmed Labidi became the first foreign winner two years later. By the early 1960s, Olympic silver medallist Franjo Mihalić
Franjo Mihalic
Franjo Mihalić is a long-distance runner best known for his 1958 win at the Boston Marathon and his marathon silver medal in the 1956 Summer Olympics...
had brought the race to new heights, taking three victories over five editions.
A junior race was introduced in 1960, the first international women's race was held in 1971, and student races were added to the program in the late 1970s. Olympic and World champions graced the course at every edition in the 1970s. By the mid-eighties, East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
n runners had established themselves, frequently reaching the podium in the senior races. It was part of the IAAF World Cross Challenge
IAAF World Cross Challenge
The IAAF World Cross Challenge was a cross-country running contest organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations. The athletes accumulated points in three specific cross country meets during the season.-Men:-Women:...
the following decade, remaining at the forefront of European cross country running. The course was significantly changed throughout the 2000s, only the Cozzi and Meraviglia mills remained as part of the course and gradually only the semi-functioning Meraviglia was included.
Both former champion David Bedford
David Bedford (athlete)
David Colin Bedford is an English former long distance runner, a colourful character whose career spanned the early 1970s. He is now race director of the London Marathon, and a representative for UK Athletics on the IAAF Road Running Committee.Bedford held the world record at 10,000m, improving it...
and meet organiser Vito Garofalo stressed that the competition's longevity is due to, in part, the support the race receives from the local community. The race was elected to serve as the Italian national cross country championships in 1996; Gennaro Di Napoli
Gennaro Di Napoli
Gennaro Di Napoli is an Italian former middle distance runner.Di Napoli was born in Naples but moved early in his life to Lombardy, in northern Italy. He excelled in the distances from 800 to 3,000 meters....
and Patrizia Di Napoli took the honours.
The event hosted the European Cross Country Club Championships alongside the traditional race in 2011; Portuguese club Grupo Desportivo e Recreativo Conforlimpa won the men's team title while the women's title went to Turkey's Üsküdar Belediyesi Spor Kulübü.
National era
| Edition | Year | Men's winner | Time (m Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... :s Second The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock.... ) |
Women's winner | Time (m Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... :s Second The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock.... ) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1933 | Not held | — | |||
| 1934 | Not held | — | |||
| 1935 | Not held | — | |||
| 1936 | Not held | — | |||
| 1937 | Not held | — | |||
| 1938 | Not held | — | |||
| 1939 | Not held | — | |||
| 1940 | Not held | — | |||
| 1941 | Not held | — | |||
| 1942 | Not held | — | |||
| 1943 | Not held | — | |||
| 1944 | Not held | — | |||
| 1945 | Not held | — | |||
| 1946 | Not held | — | |||
| 1947 | Not held | — | |||
| 1948 | Not held | — | |||
| 1949 | Not held | — | |||
| 1950 | Not held | — | |||
| 1951 | Not held | — |
International era
| Edition | Year | Men's winner | Time (m Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... :s Second The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock.... ) |
Women's winner | Time (m Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... :s Second The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock.... ) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Not held | — | |||
| 1953 | Not held | — | |||
| 1954 | Not held | — | |||
| 1955 | Not held | — | |||
| 1956 | Not held | — | |||
| 1957 | Not held | — | |||
| 1958 | Not held | — | |||
| 1959 | Not held | — | |||
| 1960 | Not held | — | |||
| 1961 | Not held | — | |||
| 1962 | Not held | — | |||
| 1963 | Not held | — | |||
| 1964 | Not held | — | |||
| 1965 | Not held | — | |||
| 1966 | Not held | — | |||
| 1967 | Not held | — | |||
| 1968 | Not held | — | |||
| 1969 | Not held | — | |||
| 1970 | Not held | — | |||
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| 2010 | 28:03 | 19:25 | |||
| 2011 | 28:03 | 20:28 |
Winners by country
| Country | Men's race | Women's race | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | 3 | 30 | |
| 12 | 5 | 17 | |
| 11 | 4 | 15 | |
| 2 | 4 | 6 | |
| 4 | 2 | 6 | |
| 5 | 0 | 5 | |
| 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 |
Multiple winners
| Athlete | Country | Wins | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luigi Pellin | 3 | 1934, 1935, 1936 | |
| Romano Maffeis | 2 | 1937, 1940 | |
| Salvatore Constantino | 2 | 1942, 1943 | |
| Guiseppe Beviacqua | 2 | 1944, 1949 | |
| Guiseppe Italia | 2 | 1948, 1950 | |
| Luigi Pelliccioli | 2 | 1951, 1952 | |
| Franjo Mihalić Franjo Mihalic Franjo Mihalić is a long-distance runner best known for his 1958 win at the Boston Marathon and his marathon silver medal in the 1956 Summer Olympics... |
3 | 1957, 1958, 1961 | |
| Michel Jazy Michel Jazy Michel Jazy is a former French middle distance runner, who won the silver medal over 1500 metres at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. The race was won by Herb Elliott in a new world record time... |
2 | 1972, 1973 | |
| Filbert Bayi Filbert Bayi Filbert Bayi is a former Tanzanian middle-distance runner of the 1970s who set the world records for 1500 metres in 1974 and the mile in 1975... |
2 | 1975, 1976 | |
| Leon Schots | 2 | 1979, 1980 | |
| Paul Kipkoech Paul Kipkoech Paul Kipkoech was a Kenyan long-distance runner who specialized in the 10,000 metres and cross-country running. He became world champion over 10,000 m in 1987.... |
2 | 1987, 1988 | |
| Fita Bayisa Fita Bayisa Fita Bayisa , Oromia is an Ethiopian long-distance runner, most known for winning a bronze medal on the 5000 metres at the 1992 Summer Olympics. A year before he had won a silver medal at the World Championships in Tokyo... |
4 | 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 | |
| Paul Tergat Paul Tergat Paul Kibii Tergat is a Kenyan professional long distance runner. He held the world record in the marathon from 2003 to 2007, with a time of 2:04:55, and is regarded as one of the most accomplished long-distance runners of all time.Now concentrating exclusively on the marathon, Tergat won many... |
2 | 1996, 1998 | |
| Charles Kamathi Charles Kamathi Charles Waweru Kamathi is a Kenyan long-distance runner. He is best known for winning the 10,000 metres distance at the 2001 World Championships in Edmonton.-Early life and career:... |
2 | 2000, 2001 | |
| Serhiy Lebid | 2 | 2003, 2007 | |
| Saif Saaeed Shaheen Saif Saaeed Shaheen Saif Saaeed Shaheen formerly Stephen Cherono is a steeplechase runner now representing Qatar. He currently holds the world record for 3000 metre steeplechase. His older brother Abraham Cherono is also a steeplechase runner.He was the 1999 World Youth Champion in the steeplechase and set a world... |
2 | 2005, 2009 |
| Athlete | Country | Wins | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rita Ridley | 3 | 1971, 1972, 1974 | |
| Grete Waitz Anderson | 6 | 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984 |
|
| Lynn Jennings Lynn Jennings Lynn Jennings is a retired American athlete who competed mainly in the long distances. She is one of the best female American runners of all time, with a range from 1500 meters to the marathon. She excelled at all three of the sport's major disciplines--track, road, and cross country... |
2 | 1986, 1987 | |
| Luchia Yishak Luchia Yishak Luchia Yishak is a former Ethiopian long-distance runner. She ran for Ethiopia at the Summer Olympics in 1992 and 1996.... |
2 | 1991, 1992 | |
| Albertina Dias Albertina Dias Maria Albertina da Costa Dias Pereira is a former Portuguese long-distance runner. She competed in three consecutive Summer Olympics for her native country, starting in 1988... |
2 | 1994, 1995 | |
| Merima Denboba Merima Denboba Merima Denboba is an Ethiopian long-distance runner, who specializes in the 5000 metres and cross-country running.Denboba won the 2003 Oeiras International Cross Country, beating two time champion Leah Malot in the process... |
2 | 1996, 1998 | |
| Olivera Jevtić Olivera Jevtic Olivera Jevtić is a Serbian long-distance runner. She is based in her native city of Užice, Serbia. Jevtić's coach is Slavko Kuzmanović, and she competes for the running club "Mladost"... |
2 | 2001, 2002 | |
| Anikó Kálovics Anikó Kálovics Anikó Kálovics is a Hungarian runner who specializes in the 10,000 metres and the marathon. She is a three-time Olympian and has won both the Venice Marathon and Italian Marathon.-Career:... |
2 | 2002, 2006 |
- Last updated February 2011