The Cross de l'Acier () was 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 soil, earth, pass through woodlands and ope ...

competition held in late November in

Leffrinckoucke Leffrinckoucke (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department in northern France. Heraldry Population Twin towns Leffrinckoucke is Twin towns and sister cities, twinned with: ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. First held in 1990, it was one of the foremost competitions of its type in France. Ten races were held at the event for athletes of varying abilities.Cross de l´Acier plays host to world champion Ebuya

European Athletics The European Athletic Association (EAA, more commonly known as European Athletics) is the governing body for Sport of athletics, athletics in Europe. It is one of the six Area Associations of the world's athletics governing body World Athletics. E ...

(2010-11-27). Retrieved on 2010-11-29. Around 2200 runners took part in the day's event in 2010. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

and disagreements with the National Athletics League, it was announced that the race would be discontinued in 2022 after two years absence. The course of the competition was held around the Fort des Dunes – part of a set of

military fortification A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lat ...

s used in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

known as the

Séré de Rivières system The system was an ensemble of fortifications built from 1874 along the frontiers, ridges and coasts of France. The fortifications were named after their architect, Brigadier-General Raymond Adolphe Séré de Rivières. The fortresses were obso ...

.Armand, Patrick (2010-11-29)
Le Kénya brille sur la neige
. ''Nord Éclair''. Retrieved on 2010-12-03. The men's international elite race covered 9.95 km while the women's race took place over 6.55 km. These races were often used by French athletes to gain selection for the national team at the

European Cross Country Championships The European Cross Country Championships is an annual international cross country running competition. Organised by the European Athletic Association, it is the area championships for the region and is held in December each year. The championship ...

, which is held a month after the event. The elite competition held permit status from

. Over its history, the cross attracted elite runners of the highest calibre and former winners include multiple

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organizatio ...

breaker

Haile Gebrselassie Haile Gebrselassie (; born 18 April 1973) is an Ethiopian former Long-distance running, long-distance track running, track, road running athlete, and businessman. He won two Olympic gold medals and four World Athletics Championships, World Cha ...

, World Cross Country champions

Zola Budd Zola Budd (also known as Zola Pieterse; born 26 May 1966) is a South African Middle-distance running, middle-distance and Long-distance running, long-distance runner. She competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics, 1984 Olympic Games for Great Britain ...

and

Joseph Ebuya Joseph Ebuya (born 20 June 1987) is a Kenyan professional runner who specialises in the 5000 metres and was the 2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships champion. Early life and career Ebuya is a rare example of a runner representing the Tur ...

, and track world champions

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 Olympi ...

and

Linet Masai Linet Chepkwemoi Masai (born 5 December 1989) is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner who competes in track and cross country running events. She won her first world title in the 10,000 metres at the 2009 World Championships in Athletic ...

.Ramsak, Bob (2010-11-29)
Ebuya and Masai take comfortable victories at Cross de l’Acier

IAAF World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation and International Association of Athletics Federations and formerly abbreviated as the IAAF, is the international sports governing body, governing body for the sport ...

. Retrieved on 2010-12-03. Although many of the competition's most successful runners hail from

East Africa East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...

, the race also features prominent European runners:

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

and

Mo Farah Sir Mohamed Muktar Jama Farah (born Hussein Abdi Kahin; 23 March 1983) is a Somali-British former long-distance runner. Considered one of the greatest runners of all time, his ten global championship gold medals (four Olympic and six World tit ...

both won the European Championships after winning in Leffrinckoucke a month previously.Palmares
. Cross de l'Acier. Retrieved on 2010-12-03.

Past senior race winners

References

;List of winners
Palmares
Cross de l'Acier. Retrieved on 2010-12-03.

External links

Official website
{{coord missing, France Cross country running competitions Athletics competitions in France Recurring sporting events established in 1990 Tourist attractions in Nord (French department) Sport in Nord (French department) 1990 establishments in France Cross country running in France