The Campaccio 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 which takes place in early January in

San Giorgio su Legnano San Giorgio su Legnano (Legnanese: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Milan in the Italian region Lombardy, located about northwest of Milan. San Giorgio su Legnano borders the following municipalities: Legnano, Villa Co ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. Organised by the ''Unione Sportiva Sangiorgese'' (Sangiorgese Sports Association), the event attracts participation from Olympic and world champions in

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competi ...

, 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 Cross Country Permit status.

History

The event was first held in 1957 in a rough patch of

farmland Agricultural land is typically land ''devoted to'' agriculture, the systematic and controlled use of other forms of lifeparticularly the rearing of livestock and production of cropsto produce food for humans. It is generally synonymous with bo ...

in the town and derives its name from the word "''Campasc''", which means "uncultivated field" in the

local dialect Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States * Local government, a form of public administration, usually the lowest tier of administra ...

.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 Cacchitaking 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. 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 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 ...

. 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 Sir Mohamed Muktar Jama Farah (born Hussein Abdi Kahin; 23 March 1983) is a British long-distance runner. His ten glo ...

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 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 ...

Haile Gebrselassie Haile Gebrselassie ( am, ኀይሌ ገብረ ሥላሴ, ''haylē gebre silassē''; born 18 April 1973) is an Ethiopian retired long-distance track, road running athlete, and businessman. He won two Olympic gold medals and four World Champion ...

and

Eliud Kipchoge Eliud Kipchoge ( ; born 5 November 1984) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in the marathon and formerly specialized at the 5000 metre distance. Widely regarded as the greatest marathon runner of all time, he is the 2016 and 2020 O ...

. The women's race has been won by world champions Jackline Maranga,

Ingrid Kristiansen Ingrid Kristiansen (née Christensen on 21 March 1956) is a Norwegian former athlete. She was one of the best female long-distance runners during the 1980s. She is a former world record holder in the 5000 metres, 10,000 metres and the marathon ...

and

Grete Waitz Grete Waitz (, 1 October 195319 April 2011) was a Norwegian marathon runner and former world record holder. In 1979, at the New York City Marathon, she became the first woman in history to run the marathon in under two and a half hours. Waitz wo ...

, as well as prominent marathoners Uta Pippig and

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 ...

. Some of Italy's best runners have taken victory at the Campaccio, such as steeplechase world champion

Francesco Panetta Francesco Panetta (born 10 January 1963 in Siderno) is a former Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic ...

, Olympic marathon winner

Gelindo Bordin Gelindo Bordin (born 2 April 1959) is an Italian former athlete, winner of the marathon race at the 1988 Summer Olympics. He is the first Italian to have won an Olympic gold in the marathon and the only male to win both the Boston Marathon and th ...

Gabriella Dorio Gabriella Dorio (born 27 June 1957 in Veggiano, Veneto) is an Italian former athlete and Olympic gold winner. She won two medals, at senior level, at the International athletics competitions. Biography She first participated in the 1976 Summer O ...

(1984 Olympic champion) and Olympic medallist Paola Pigni-Cacchi.