Cross Internacional Juan Muguerza
Encyclopedia
The Cross Internacional Juan Muguerza, also known as the Elgoibar Cross Country, is an annual cross country running
competition which takes place each January in Elgoibar
, the Basque Country
, Spain
. It is named as a memorial of local runner Juan Muguerza, a multiple national champion who was killed in 1937 during the bombing of Mungia
in the Spanish Civil War
.
The competition was first held in 1943 and was a men only contest, principally between national-level runners. This changed at the twentieth anniversary of the race in 1963, when the competition became an international one. Ethiopia
n runner Mamo Wolde
was the first foreign winner and he went on to score three more victories that decade. 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
gold medallists Kenenisa Bekele
, Paul Tergat
, John Ngugi
, Derartu Tulu
and Edith Masai
. The top runners of Spain and Portugal regularly compete at the competition. Among them, world medallists Mariano Haro
and Carmen Valero
won in Elgoibar in the 1970s, while prominent Portuguese athletes Paulo Guerra
and Fernanda Ribeiro
took the top honours in the 1990s.
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
competition which takes place each January in Elgoibar
Elgoibar
Elgoibar is an industrial town located in the province of Gipuzkoa, in the Autonomous Community of Basque Country, northern Spain.It is located in a valley and it is traversed by the Deba river....
, the Basque Country
Basque Country (autonomous community)
The Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories....
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. It is named as a memorial of local runner Juan Muguerza, a multiple national champion who was killed in 1937 during the bombing of Mungia
Mungia
Mungia is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the Basque Country of northern Spain. Thetown has 15,000 inhabitants.-Geography:...
in the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
.
The competition was first held in 1943 and was a men only contest, principally between national-level runners. This changed at the twentieth anniversary of the race in 1963, when the competition became an international one. Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
n runner Mamo Wolde
Mamo Wolde
Degaga Wolde was an Ethiopian long distance track and road running athlete and was winner of the marathon at the 1968 Summer Olympics....
was the first foreign winner and he went on to score three more victories that decade. 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
IAAF World Cross Country Championships
IAAF World Cross Country Championships is the most important competition in international cross country running. Held annually and organised by International Association of Athletics Federations , it was inaugurated in 1973, when it replaced the International Cross Country Championships...
gold medallists Kenenisa Bekele
Kenenisa Bekele
Kenenisa Bekele is an Ethiopian long-distance runner, who holds the world record and Olympic record in both the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres events...
, Paul Tergat
Paul Tergat
Paul Kibii Tergat is a Kenyan professional long distance runner. He held the world record in the marathon from 2003 to 2007, with a time of 2:04:55, and is regarded as one of the most accomplished long-distance runners of all time.Now concentrating exclusively on the marathon, Tergat won many...
, John Ngugi
John Ngugi
John Ngugi Kamau , is a former Kenyan athlete, often called one of the greatest cross country runners of all time and winner of the 5000 metres at the 1988 Summer Olympics.-Career:...
, Derartu Tulu
Derartu Tulu
Derartu Tulu is an Ethiopian long distance track, road and marathon athlete.Derartu , a member of the Oromo ethnic group, grew up tending cattle in the village of Bekoji in the highlands of Arsi Province...
and Edith Masai
Edith Masai
Edith Chewangel Masai is a Kenyan former long-distance runner who specialised in cross country and track races, then road races in her late career. She represented Kenya at the 2004 Summer Olympics.. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2011-11-07...
. The top runners of Spain and Portugal regularly compete at the competition. Among them, world medallists Mariano Haro
Mariano Haro
Mariano Haro Cisneros is a former Spanish athlete, competing in the long-distance events. He was born in Becerril de Campos....
and Carmen Valero
Carmen Valero
Carmen Valero Medes is a former middle-distance runner from Spain, who represented her native country at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada. There she was eliminated in the heats of the 800 and the 1500 metres...
won in Elgoibar in the 1970s, while prominent Portuguese athletes Paulo Guerra
Paulo Guerra
Paulo Alexandre Martins Guerra is a Portuguese runner who specialized in the 10,000 metres and cross-country running...
and Fernanda Ribeiro
Fernanda Ribeiro
Maria Fernanda Moreira Ribeiro, GCIH , is a long-distance runner, born in Penafiel, Portugal. She achieved the top of her career in the 1996 Summer Olympics where she won the women's 10,000 m gold medal, giving Portugal their 3rd Olympic gold , and establishing a new Olympic record - 31:01.63.-...
took the top honours in the 1990s.
National era
| Edition | Year | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1943 | |
| 2nd | 1944 | |
| 3rd | 1945 | |
| 4th | 1946 | |
| 5th | 1947 | |
| 6th | 1948 | |
| 7th | 1949 | |
| — | 1950 | Not held |
| 8th | 1951 | |
| 9th | 1952 | |
| 10th | 1953 | |
| 11th | 1954 | |
| 12th | 1955 | |
| 13th | 1956 | |
| 14th | 1957 | |
| 15th | 1958 | |
| 16th | 1959 | |
| 17th | 1960 | |
| 18th | 1961 | |
| 19th | 1962 |
International era
| Edition | Year | Men's winner | Time (m Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... :s Second The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock.... ) |
Women's winner | Time (m Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... :s Second The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock.... ) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20th | 1963 | Not held | |||
| 21st | 1964 | ||||
| 22nd | 1965 | ||||
| 23rd | 1966 | ||||
| 24th | 1967 | ||||
| 25th | 1968 | ||||
| 26th | 1969 | Not held | |||
| 27th | 1970 | ||||
| 28th | 1971 | ||||
| 29th | 1972 | ||||
| 30th | 1973 | 30:40 | |||
| 31st | 1974 | ||||
| 32nd | 1975 | ||||
| 33rd | 1976 | 26:27 | |||
| 34th | 1977 | 32:02 | |||
| 35th | 1978 | 30:24 | |||
| 36th | 1979 | 30:12 | |||
| 37th | 1980 | ||||
| — | 1981 | Cancelled | |||
| 38th | 1982 | ||||
| 39th | 1983 | ||||
| 40th | 1984 | ||||
| 41st | 1985 | ||||
| 42nd | 1986 | ||||
| 43rd | 1987 | 29:37 | |||
| 44th | 1988 | 29:16 | |||
| 45th | 1989 | ||||
| 46th | 1990 | 30:32 | |||
| 47th | 1991 | 29:33 | 13:43 | ||
| 48th | 1992 | 33:44 | 17:12 | ||
| 49th | 1993 | 29:38 | 17:01 | ||
| 50th | 1994 | 34:30 | 19:01 | ||
| 51st | 1995 | 34:38 | 19:28 | ||
| 52nd | 1996 | 31:04 | 17:24 | ||
| 53rd | 1997 | 32:09 | 17:37 | ||
| 54th | 1998 | 32:16 | 18:05 | ||
| 55th | 1999 | 31:23 | 17:34 | ||
| 56th | 2000 | 30:05 | 17:21 | ||
| 57th | 2001 | 31:56 | 17:47 | ||
| 58th | 2002 | 31:53 | 22:05 | ||
| 59th | 2003 | 30:58 | 20:45 | ||
| 60th | 2004 | 30:14 | 20:39 | ||
| 61st | 2005 | 32:02 | 22:20 | ||
| 62nd | 2006 | 32:23 | 22:19 | ||
| 63rd | 2007 | 31:08 | 20:37 | ||
| 64th | 2008 | 31:54 | 21:19 | ||
| 65th | 2009 | 31:18 | 21:39 | ||
| 66th | 2010 | 32:44 | 22:37 | ||
| 67th | 2011 | 32:05 | 22:08 | ||