The Campaccio is an annual cross country running competition which takes place in early January in San Giorgio su Legnano, Italy. Organised by the ''Unione Sportiva Sangiorgese'' (Sangiorgese Sports Association), the event attracts participation from Olympic and world champions in athletics, in spite of the fact that the host town has a population of just over 6000. It is typically the first major athletics event of the year in Italy, and holds

IAAF World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...

Cross Country Permit status.

History

The event was first held in 1957 in a rough patch of farmland in the town and derives its name from the word "''Campasc''", which means "uncultivated field" in the local dialect.3 STELLE CHE ILLUMINANO IL CAMPACCIO
. Unione Sportiva Sangiorgese. Retrieved on 2011-01-12. The Campaccio began as a men's only race, but expanded to include a men's junior race in 1961. The first women's race was held in 1970, with

Paola Cacchi Paola Pigni (30 December 1945 – 11 June 2021) was an Italian middle- and long-distance runner. She was a three-time world champion in cross country and held the world record over five distance running events on the track, from 1500m to 10,00 ...

taking the inaugural honours, but it was not until 1975 that the women's contest became an annual fixture. The men's race was held over 12 kilometres for much of its history, but this was changed to a 10 km race in 2008. The women's race was initially around 3.5 km but settled on a 6 km format in the mid-1990s.Civai, Franco & Lorange, Francois (2011-01-10)
Campaccio Classica del Cross

Association of Road Racing Statisticians The Association of Road Racing Statisticians is an independent, non-profit organization that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics regarding road running races. The primary purpose of the ARRS is to maintain a valid list of world road record ...

. Retrieved on 2011-01-12. The competition has particular importance to Italian cross country runners as performances at the race, as well as the Italian national championships, often determine the national selection for the IAAF World Cross Country Championships. The organisers successfully bid to hold the

2006 European Cross Country Championships The 13th European Cross Country Championships were held at San Giorgio su Legnano in Italy on 10 December 2006. Mo Farah took the title in the men's competition, while Tetyana Holovchenko won the women's race. Results Men individual 9.95 km ...

in San Giorgio su Legnano, which coincided with the 50th edition of the Campaccio cross country race. In celebration of the anniversary, prominent Italian athletics journalist Ennio Buongiovanni published a book documenting the event's history: ''Campaccio e Dintorni - 50 Anni Di Storia'' (''Campaccio and its Setting – 50 Years of History''). As a result of the continental championships (scheduled in mid-December), independent Campaccio races were not held in either 2006 or 2007. The men's race often features the top Kenyan and Italian runners, while the women's elite race attracts a greater variety of nationalities, particularly Europeans.Sampaolo, Diego (2003-01-07)
Europeans win the day at Campaccio
IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-01-12. Past winners on the men's side include world champions Paul Tergat, Kenenisa Bekele, Haile Gebrselassie and Eliud Kipchoge. The women's race has been won by world champions

Jackline Maranga Jackline Maranga (born December 16, 1977, in Nyanturago, Kisii) is a retired Kenyan middle-distance runner. She won a silver medal at the World Junior Championships at the age of 15, and also won silver medals in the two following Championships ...

, Ingrid Kristiansen and Grete Waitz, as well as prominent

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

ers

Uta Pippig Uta Pippig (born 7 September 1965) is a retired German long-distance runner, and the first woman to officially win the Boston Marathon three consecutive times (1994–1996). She also won the Berlin Marathon three times (1990, 1992 and 1995); the 1 ...

and Paula Radcliffe. Some of Italy's best runners have taken victory at the Campaccio, such as steeplechase world champion Francesco Panetta, Olympic marathon winner Gelindo Bordin, Gabriella Dorio (1984 Olympic champion) and Olympic medallist

Paola Pigni-Cacchi Paola Pigni (30 December 1945 – 11 June 2021) was an Italian middle- and long-distance runner. She was a three-time world champion in cross country and held the world record over five distance running events on the track, from 1500m to 10,00 ...