Cross Internacional de Itálica
Encyclopedia
The Cross Internacional de Itálica is an annual cross country running
competition that is held every January in Santiponce
, near Seville
, Spain
. Inaugurated in 1982, the race course is set in the ruins of the ancient Roman
city of Itálica
. As one of only two Spanish competitions to hold IAAF permit meeting status, it is one of the more prestigious races on the Spanish cross country circuit.
The competition comprises three general categories of race: children's and junior races, the mass participation ("popular") race, and the professional international races. The men's international race was a 10 km race until 1999 when it was increased to roughly 11 km. The distance of the women's international race (currently 8 km) has also fluctuated, varying between 5.5 km and 6.6 km in its early years. The course of the race loops through the ancient streets of Itálica, passing alongside ruins throughout. The red clay ground usually makes for a dry running surface, although rain has occasionally made this a particularly difficult, muddy course in previous editions.
The international fields for the Cross de Itálica frequently feature some of the most successful cross country athletes. Past winners include Paul Tergat
, Kenenisa Bekele
, Gelete Burka, Paula Radcliffe
and Florence Kiplagat
. Indeed in six separate years (1994, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2004 and 2009) one of the winners of the Cross de Itálica has gone on to win at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships
.
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...
competition that is held every January in Santiponce
Santiponce
Santiponce is a city located in the province of Seville, Spain. According to the 2006 census , the city has a population of 7742 inhabitants.The city contains the ruins of Roman city Italica.-External links:...
, near Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Inaugurated in 1982, the race course is set in the ruins of the ancient Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
city of Itálica
Italica
The city of Italica was founded in 206 BC by the Roman general Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus in order to settle Roman soldiers wounded in the Battle of Ilipa, where the Carthaginian army was defeated during the Second Punic War...
. As one of only two Spanish competitions to hold IAAF permit meeting status, it is one of the more prestigious races on the Spanish cross country circuit.
The competition comprises three general categories of race: children's and junior races, the mass participation ("popular") race, and the professional international races. The men's international race was a 10 km race until 1999 when it was increased to roughly 11 km. The distance of the women's international race (currently 8 km) has also fluctuated, varying between 5.5 km and 6.6 km in its early years. The course of the race loops through the ancient streets of Itálica, passing alongside ruins throughout. The red clay ground usually makes for a dry running surface, although rain has occasionally made this a particularly difficult, muddy course in previous editions.
The international fields for the Cross de Itálica frequently feature some of the most successful cross country athletes. Past winners include 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...
, Kenenisa Bekele
Kenenisa Bekele
Kenenisa Bekele is an Ethiopian long-distance runner, who holds the world record and Olympic record in both the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres events...
, Gelete Burka, Paula Radcliffe
Paula Radcliffe
Paula Jane Radcliffe, MBE is an English long-distance runner. She is the current women's world record holder in the marathon with her time of 2:15:25 hours...
and Florence Kiplagat
Florence Kiplagat
Florence Jebet Kiplagat is a Kenyan long-distance runner. She is a two-time world champion having won at the 2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships and the 2010 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships....
. Indeed in six separate years (1994, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2004 and 2009) one of the winners of the Cross de Itálica has gone on to win at 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...
.
Past senior race winners
| 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.... ) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | 1982 | ? | Not Held | — | |
| II | 1983 | ? | Not Held | — | |
| III | 1984 | ? | Not Held | — | |
| IV | 1985 | ? | Not Held | — | |
| — | 1986 | Not Held | — | Not Held | — |
| V | 1987 | ? | Not Held | — | |
| VI | 1988 | 28:48 | Not Held | — | |
| VII | 1989 | 28:28 | Not Held | — | |
| VIII | 1990 | 28:21 | Not Held | — | |
| IX | 1991 | 28:33 | 17:39 | ||
| X | 1992 | 28:05 | 17:17 | ||
| XI | 1993 | 27:53 | 17:11 | ||
| XII | 1994 | 28:04 | 17:54 | ||
| XIII | 1995 | 28:49 | 17:43 | ||
| XIV | 1996 | 28:59 | 17:57 | ||
| XV | 1997 | 29:57 | 20:26 | ||
| XVI | 1998 | 27:57 | 19:15 | ||
| XVII | 1999 | 30:56 | 21:34 | ||
| XVIII | 2000 | 20:30 | 21:15 | ||
| XIX | 2001 | 31:48 | 21:31.7 | ||
| XX | 2002 | 30:38 | 21:22 | ||
| XXI | 2003 | 31:32 | 21:42 | ||
| XXII | 2004 | 31:01.6 | 21:43 | ||
| XXIII | 2005 | 31:22 | 28:43 | ||
| XXIV | 2006 | 31:03 | 21:32 | ||
| XXV | 2007 | 31:05 | 21:14 | ||
| XXVI | 2008 | 31:01 | 25:49 | ||
| XXVII | 2009 | 30:37 | 26:14 | ||
| XXVIII | 2010 | 31:14 | 25:35 | ||
| XXIX | 2011 | 30:38 | 26:02 |