Cross Internacional de Soria
Encyclopedia
The Cross Internacional de Soria, also known as the Campo a Través Internacional de Soria, is an annual cross country running
competition that takes place in Soria
, Spain
. First held in 1994, it usually takes place in late November and gained IAAF cross country permit meeting status in 2007. It was previously a European Athletic Association
permit meeting.
The competition features elite races of 10 km for men and 8 km for women. The men's and women's race had initially been competed over distances of 9 km and 6 km respectively, but the course lengths were increased in 2006. The course, known as the "Monte Valonsadero", was used in the early 1990s as a training ground by Fermín Cacho
and Abel Antón
, two of the region's foremost athletes. After inspecting the area, Miguel Ángel Pérez and Adolfo Caballero (members of the Athletics Delegation for Soria) suggested that a cross country meeting should be held there. It is a grassy course set in the Sorian countryside, and it is at a particularly high altitude – 1063 metres above sea level.
Many World Championship medallists have competed at the course, including Gebregziabher Gebremariam, Zersenay Tadese, Meselech Melkamu
and Linet Masai
. The meeting tends to be dominated by runners from East Africa
and Spain. The high standard of runners that the meeting attracts means that the Cross Internacional de Soria is consistently ranked among the best cross country meetings in Spain by the Real Federación Española de Atletismo – the Spanish governing body for athletics.
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 takes place in Soria
Soria
Soria is a city in north-central Spain, the capital of the province of Soria in the autonomous community of Castile and León. , the municipality has a population of c. 39,500 inhabitants, nearly 40% of the population of the province...
, 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...
. First held in 1994, it usually takes place in late November and gained IAAF cross country permit meeting status in 2007. It was previously a European Athletic Association
European Athletic Association
The European Athletic Association is the European governing body for the sport of athletics.- History :In 1932, during a meeting of the International Amateur Athletic Federation in Los Angeles, a special committee was designated by the Council with the task of reviewing the conditions for the...
permit meeting.
The competition features elite races of 10 km for men and 8 km for women. The men's and women's race had initially been competed over distances of 9 km and 6 km respectively, but the course lengths were increased in 2006. The course, known as the "Monte Valonsadero", was used in the early 1990s as a training ground by Fermín Cacho
Fermín Cacho
Fermín Cacho Ruiz is a Spanish athlete, winner of the 1500 metres at the 1992 Summer Olympics.Born in Ágreda, Spain, Cacho had an enviable competitive record in the 1500 m, but it wasn't until late in his career that he produced a time of corresponding quality.Cacho's first notable result came in...
and Abel Antón
Abel Antón
Abel Antón Rodrigo is a Spanish long-distance runner. He won gold medals in the marathon at the 1997 and the 1999 World Championships in Athletics. In 1998 Antón became the first Spanish runner to win the London Marathon...
, two of the region's foremost athletes. After inspecting the area, Miguel Ángel Pérez and Adolfo Caballero (members of the Athletics Delegation for Soria) suggested that a cross country meeting should be held there. It is a grassy course set in the Sorian countryside, and it is at a particularly high altitude – 1063 metres above sea level.
Many World Championship medallists have competed at the course, including Gebregziabher Gebremariam, Zersenay Tadese, Meselech Melkamu
Meselech Melkamu
Meselech Melkamu is an Ethiopian long-distance runner, who specializes in the 5000 metres, 10,000 metres and cross-country events...
and Linet Masai
Linet Masai
Linet Chepkwemoi Masai is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in track and cross country running events...
. The meeting tends to be dominated by runners from 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:...
and Spain. The high standard of runners that the meeting attracts means that the Cross Internacional de Soria is consistently ranked among the best cross country meetings in Spain by the Real Federación Española de Atletismo – the Spanish governing body for athletics.
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 | 1994 | 24:38 | 11:31 (5 km) | ||
| II | 1995 | 23:44 | 13:45 | ||
| III | 1996 | 24:41 | 13:08 | ||
| IV | 1997 | 26:42 | 14:02 | ||
| V | 1998 | 25:12 | 14:25 | ||
| VI | 1999 | 29:03 | 16:49 | ||
| VII | 2000 | 26:05 | 15:37 | ||
| VIII | 2001 | 26:36 | 19:25 | ||
| IX | 2002 | 26:04 | 20:24 | ||
| X | 2003 | 27:35 | 20:44 | ||
| XI | 2004 | 25:52 | 19:24 | ||
| XII | 2005 | 26:24 | 19:47 | ||
| XIII | 2006 | 30:10 | 27:38 | ||
| XIV | 2007 | 28:58 | 27:24 | ||
| XV | 2008 | 29:11 | 26:40 | ||
| XVI | 2009 | 30:21 | 27:06 | ||
| XVII | 2010 | 29:57 | 28:18 | ||
| XVIII | 2011 | 29:49 | 27:28 |