The Cross Internacional de Venta de Baños is a

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 that takes place in

Venta de Baños Venta de Baños is a small town and municipality of about 6,400 inhabitants located in the Cerrato district of the province of Palencia, part of the autonomous community of Castile and León in central Spain. It lies some 10 km south of the ...

Castile and León Castile and León is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in northwestern Spain. Castile and León is the largest autonomous community in Spain by area, covering 94,222 km2. It is, however, sparsely populated, with a pop ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. The competition was first held in 1980 and since then it has been held every year in mid-December. Among the past winners are international athletes, such as former World Cross Country Champions

Kenenisa Bekele Kenenisa Bekele Beyecha (; ; born 13 June 1982) is an Ethiopian Long-distance running, long-distance runner. He was the world record holder in both the 5000 metres, 5,000-metre and 10000 metres, 10,000-metre from 2004 until 2020. He won the go ...

and Gelete Burka, and local athletes

Marta Domínguez Marta Domínguez Azpeleta (born 3 November 1975) is a Spanish former runner and politician. She competes mainly in the steeplechase. She has represented Spain four times at the Olympics and has competed at the World Championships on six occ ...

and

Isaac Viciosa Isaac Viciosa (born 26 December 1969, in Cervatos de la Cueza) is a former middle distance runner from Spain. Viciosa is a former European record holder at 3000m and the first European man under 7:30. He won European Championships 1998 for 5000 ...

(both former European Champions). The competition began life as a regional competition, the ''Cross de Navidad'' (Christmas cross country), in 1980. The race became national in its second edition and, following the acceptance of an English team into the competition in 1982, it obtained its current name – the Cross Internacional de Venta de Baños. The competition was televised throughout Spain for the first time in 1984, but it was not until 1995 that the competition was broadcast annually.25 años de historia
''(25 Years of History)''. Venta de Baños. Retrieved on 2009-12-27. The course on which the competition is held is defined by the muddy and cold conditions typical of

Palencia Palencia () is a city of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the province of Palencia. Located in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, in the northern half of ...

in winter. The event comprises two distinct parts: the professional senior races and the amateur

fun run A fun run is a friendly race that involves either road running or cross country running with participants taking part for their own enjoyment rather than competition. A fun run will usually be held to raise funds for a charity, with sponsors prov ...

races. The competition's races are separated into categories based on age and sex, including: the professional senior races, veteran competitions, under-23 and junior competitions, as well as four other youth categories for children. The professional men's senior race is usually held over 10.7 kilometres while the course for the women's senior race tends to be 6.6 km long. Both senior races trace a path through the flat, grassy areas to the east of the village before running a loop around the local

sports centre A leisure centre, sports centre, or recreation centre is a purpose-built building or site, usually owned and provided by the local government authority, where people can engage in a variety of sports and exercise, and keep fit. Typical facilit ...

.Cross de Venta de Baños
. Fundación ANOC. Retrieved on 2009-12-27.Valiente, Emeterio (2009-12-21)

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 2009-12-27.

Past senior race winners

Wins by country

References

;General
Podium Cross Internacional
''(List of medallists)''. Venta de Baños. Retrieved on 2009-12-27. ;Specific

External links

Competition page
from

Real Federación Española de Atletismo The Royal Spanish Athletics Federation (Spanish: ''Real Federación Española de Atletismo'', RFEA), is the governing body for the sport of athletics in Spain. As of 2023, the federation has 1,323 registered clubs and 87,532 federated athletes. ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cross Internacional de Venta de Banos Cross country running competitions Sports competitions in Castile and León Athletics competitions in Spain Recurring sporting events established in 1980 Cross country running in Spain Annual sporting events in Spain 1980 establishments in Spain