The Juan Muguerza Cross-Country, also known as the ''Elgoibar Cross-Country'', is an annual

cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open coun ...

competition which takes place each January in

Elgoibar Elgoibar ( es, Elgóibar) is an industrial town located in the province of Gipuzkoa, in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, northern Spain. Located in a valley, it is traversed by the Deba river. Elgoibar is nicknamed the "capital cit ...

, the Basque Country, Spain. It is named as a memorial of local runner

Juan Muguerza Juan Muguerza Sasieta (6 May 1900 – 5 May 1937) was a Spanish middle-distance runner. He competed in the men's 1500 metres at the 1920 Summer Olympics The 1920 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1920; nl, Olympische Z ...

, a multiple national champion who was killed in 1937 during the bombing of

Mungia Mungia (in Spanish: ''Munguía'') is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the Basque Country of northern Spain. The town has 17,691 inhabitants (2019). Geography Mungia lies 20 metres above sea level in an area full of o ...

in the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

. The competition was first held in 1943 and was a men-only contest, principally between national-level runners. This changed at the 20th anniversary of the race in 1963, when the competition became an international one.

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

n runner

Mamo Wolde Degaga "Mamo" Wolde ( amh, ማሞ ወልዴ; 12 June 1932 – 26 May 2002) was an Ethiopian long distance runner who competed in track, cross-country, and road running events. He was the winner of the marathon at the 1968 Summer Olympics. Ear ...

was the first foreign winner and he went on to score three more victories that decade.Cross Memorial Juan Muguerza

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 ...

(2011-01-21). Retrieved on 2011-03-11. His performances brought exposure for African runners in Spain and his influence was recognised with the erection of a memorial in his memory in 2003. Having been held every year since 1943, with the exception of cancellations in 1950 and 1981, the Cross Juan Muguerza is one of the longest-running competitions of its type in Spain. The men's race has typically been contested over distances varying from 9 km to 11 km, with the current race being 10.8 km. A women's short course race was trialled in the late 1960s and became a permanent fixture of the programme in 1972. Initially a two kilometre course, the distance was gradually increased over the lifespan of the competition, resulting in the current distance of 6.6 km. A men's junior race was held in addition to the main senior race in 1963. The current race programme comprises the two senior races and six different age categories for younger runners. The elite events attract the highest level of international runners, with past winners including

IAAF World Cross Country Championships World Athletics Cross Country Championships is the most important competition in international cross country running. Formerly held annually and organised by World Athletics (formerly the IAAF), it was inaugurated in 1973, when it replaced the Int ...

gold medallists

Kenenisa Bekele Kenenisa Bekele ( om, Qananiisaa baqqalaa; am, ቀነኒሳ በቀለ; born 13 June 1982) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. He was the world record holder in both the 5000-metre and 10000-metre from 2004 (5,000m) and 2005 (10,000m) unti ...

Paul Tergat Paul Kibii Tergat (born 17 June 1969) is a Kenyan former professional long distance runner. He became the first Kenyan man to set the world record in the marathon in 2003, with a time of 2:04:55, and is regarded as one of the most accomplished l ...

John Ngugi John Ngugi Kamau (born 10 May 1962), is a former Kenyan long-distance runner, often called one of the greatest cross country runners of all time and winner of the 5000 metres at the 1988 Summer Olympics, in Seoul South Korea. Career Born in Kigu ...

Derartu Tulu Derartu Tulu NL COL ( om, Daraartuu Tulluu, Amharic: ደራርቱ ቱሉ; born 21 March 1972) is an Ethiopian former long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at ...

and

Edith Masai Edith is a feminine given name derived from the Old English words ēad, meaning 'riches or blessed', and is in common usage in this form in English, German, many Scandinavian languages and Dutch. Its French form is Édith. Contractions and va ...

.Valiente, Emeterio (2003-01-13)
Bekele in a class of his own again

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 ...

. Retrieved on 2011-03-11. The top runners of Spain and Portugal regularly compete at the competition. Among them, world medallists

Mariano Haro Mariano Haro Cisneros (born 27 May 1940) is a former Spanish athlete, competing in the long-distance events. He was born in Becerril de Campos. Haro ran almost compulsively using his gifted legs to run errands and handle odd jobs. He soon becam ...

and

Carmen Valero Carmen Valero Omedes (born October 4, 1955, in Castelserás, Teruel) is a former middle-distance runner from Spain, who represented her native country at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. There she was eliminated in the heats o ...

won in Elgoibar in the 1970s, while prominent Portuguese athletes

Paulo Guerra Paulo Alexandre Martins Guerra (born 21 August 1970 in Barrancos, Baixo Alentejo Province) is a Portuguese former long-distance runner who specialized in the 10,000 metres and cross-country running. After 2001 he mainly ran half marathons. Inte ...

and

Fernanda Ribeiro Maria Fernanda Moreira Ribeiro, GCIH (; born 23 June 1969), is a long-distance runner born in Penafiel, Portugal. The pinnacle of her career was at the 1996 Summer Olympics when she won the women's 10000 m gold medal, establishing a new Olympic ...

took the top honours in the 1990s.

Past senior race winners

National era

International era

Carrera de cross internacional de Elgoibar (6 de 10) - Fondo Marín-Kutxa Fototeka

Elvan Abeylegesse 2010 European Team Championships

Winners by country

References

;List of winners
Cross Memorial Juan Muguerza

(2011-01-21). Retrieved on 2011-03-11.

External links

Official website

Images from 2011 race
{{IAAF Cross Country Meetings Cross country running competitions Athletics competitions in Spain Recurring sporting events established in 1943 Sport in Gipuzkoa Cross country running in Spain Annual sporting events in Spain 1943 establishments in Spain