The Cross Internacional de Itálica 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 cou ...

competition that is held every January in

Santiponce Santiponce is a town located in the province of Seville, Spain. According to the 2006 census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used ...

, near

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. Inaugurated in 1982, the race course is set in the ruins of the ancient

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

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.Circuito
. Cross Internacional de Italica. Retrieved on 2010-01-30. 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.Civai, Franco & Gasparovic, Juraj (2010-01-18)

Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 2010-01-30. 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.Valiente, Emeterio (2010-01-15)
Gebremariam and Masai head stellar line-up in Seville - preview
IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-01-30. The international fields for the Cross de Itálica frequently feature some of the most successful cross country athletes. Past winners include

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 ...

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 ...

Gelete Burka Gelete Burka Bati (sometimes misspelled ''Burika'', Oromo: Galate Burqaa Baati, Amharic: ገለቴ ቡርቃ; born 23 January 1986) is an Ethiopian middle-distance and long-distance runner. She was born in Kofele in the Arsi Zone of the Oromi ...

Paula Radcliffe Paula Jane Radcliffe MBE (born 17 December 1973) is a former British long-distance runner. She is a three-time winner of the London Marathon (2002, 2003, 2005), three-time New York Marathon champion (2004, 2007, 2008), and 2002 Chicago Marath ...

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 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 ...

Past senior race winners

Winners by country

References

;General
Italica course profile
. Real Federación Española de Atletismo. Retrieved on 2009-11-29. *Civai, Franco & Gasparovic, Juraj (2010-01-18)
Cross Italica
Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 2010-01-30. ;Specific

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cross Internacional de Italica Cross country running competitions Athletics competitions in Spain Sport in Andalusia Recurring sporting events established in 1982 1982 establishments in Spain Cross country running in Spain Annual sporting events in Spain