Campaccio

Campaccio

Dathan Ritzenhein racing on the course in 2015
Date Early January
Location San Giorgio su Legnano
Event type Cross country
Distance 10 km for men
6 km for women
Established 1957

The Campaccio is an annual cross country running competition which takes place in early January in San Giorgio su Legnano, Italy. Organised by the Unione Sportiva Sangiorgese (Sangiorgese Sports Association), the event attracts participation from Olympic and world champions in athletics, in spite of the fact that the host town has a population of just over 6000.[1] It is typically the first major athletics event of the year in Italy,[2] and holds European Athletics Cross Country Permit status.[3]

The event was first held in 1957 in a rough patch of farmland in the town and derives its name from the word "Campasc", which means "uncultivated field" in the local dialect.[4] The Campaccio began as a men's only race, but expanded to include a men's junior race in 1961.[4] The first women's race was held in 1970, with Paola Cacchi taking 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.[5]

Trees on the race course in San Giorgio su Legnano

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.[6] The organisers successfully bid to hold the 2006 European Cross Country Championships 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).[7] As a result of the continental championships (scheduled in mid-December), independent Campaccio races were not held in either 2006 or 2007.[5]

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.[8][9] Past winners on the men's side include world champions Paul Tergat, Kenenisa Bekele, Haile Gebrselassie and Eliud Kipchoge. The women's race has been won by world champions Jackline Maranga, Ingrid Kristiansen and Grete Waitz, as well as prominent marathoners Uta Pippig and Paula Radcliffe. Some of Italy's best runners have taken victory at the Campaccio, such as steeplechase world champion Francesco Panetta, Olympic marathon winner Gelindo Bordin, Gabriella Dorio (1984 Olympic champion) and Olympic medallist Paola Pigni-Cacchi.[5][4]

Past senior race winners

Key:       Course record

Three-time Boston Marathon winner Uta Pippig won in 1991.
Multiple Olympic and world champion Haile Gebrselassie was the 1994 men's winner.
Paul Tergat won both the Campaccio and World Cross Championships in 1997.
Nine-time European Cross winner Serhiy Lebid was victorious in both 2003 and 2005.
Hungarian Anikó Kálovics won three times consecutively from 2009–2011.
Edition Year Men's winner Time (m:s) Women's winner Time (m:s)
1st 1957  Franco Volpi (ITA) ? Not held
2nd 1958  Riccardo Della Minola (ITA) ?
3rd 1959  Giorgio Gandani (ITA) ?
4th 1960  Giorgio Gandani (ITA) ?
5th 1961  Luigi Conti (ITA) ?
6th 1962  Franco Volpi (ITA) ?
7th 1963  Antonio Ambu (ITA) ?
8th 1964  Antonio Ambu (ITA) ?
9th 1965  Nedjalko Farcic (SCG) ?
10th 1966  Antonio Ambu (ITA) ?
11th 1967  Antonio Ambu (ITA) ?
12th 1968  Antonio Ambu (ITA) ?
13th 1969  Nedjalko Farcic (SCG) ?
14th 1970  Lutz Philipp (GER) ?  Paola Cacchi (ITA) ?
15th 1971  Wohib Masresha (ETH) ? Not held
16th 1972  Danijel Korica (SCG) ?
17th 1973  Juan Hidalgo (ESP) 39:45
18th 1974  Danijel Korica (SCG) 38:30
19th 1975  Luigi Zarcone (ITA) 40:51  Margherita Gargano (ITA) 10:38
20th 1976  Franco Fava (ITA) 37:17  Gabriella Dorio (ITA) 14:24
21st 1977  Franco Fava (ITA) 36:11  Carmen Valero (ESP) 13:21
22nd 1978  Franco Fava (ITA) 35:06  Carmen Valero (ESP) 12:48.9
23rd 1979  Bronisław Malinowski (POL) 33:33.3  Margherita Gargano (ITA) 12:56
24th 1980  Venanzio Ortis (ITA) 37:26.9  Cristina Tomasini (ITA) 13:46.8
25th 1981  José Luis González (ESP) 33:11  Ingrid Kristiansen (NOR) 12:18
26th 1982  Venanzio Ortis (ITA) ?  Grete Waitz (NOR) ?
27th 1983  Leon Schots (BEL) ?  Ruth Smeeth (GBR) ?
28th 1984  Gelindo Bordin (ITA) ?  Ruth Smeeth (GBR) ?
29th 1985  Bogusław Mamiński (POL) 37:00  Corinne Debaets (BEL) 14:01
30th 1986  Francesco Panetta (ITA) ?  Cristina Tomasini (ITA) ?
31st 1987  Francesco Panetta (ITA) ?  Lieve Slegers (BEL) ?
32nd 1988  Gelindo Bordin (ITA) 33:55  Rosanna Munerotto (ITA) 14:08
33rd 1989  Francesco Panetta (ITA) 34:24.9  Maria Curatolo (ITA) 14:01.1
34th 1990  Francesco Panetta (ITA) 34:42  Nadia Dandolo (ITA) 16:19
35th 1991  Jonah Koech (KEN) 36:16  Uta Pippig (GER) 18:01
36th 1992  Stephenson Nyamu (KEN) 34:10  Rosanna Munerotto (ITA) 17:02
37th 1993  Francesco Panetta (ITA) 34:05  Rosanna Munerotto (ITA) 16:56
38th 1994  Haile Gebrselassie (ETH) 37:39  Silvia Sommaggio (ITA) 22:41
39th 1995  Fita Bayisa (ETH) 34:38  Merima Denboba (ETH) 20:28
40th 1996  Shem Kororia (KEN) 36:58  Florence Barsosio (KEN) 22:29
41st 1997  Paul Tergat (KEN) 36:15  Kutre Dulecha (ETH) 21:38
42nd 1998  Bernard Barmasai (KEN) 35:07  Jackline Maranga (KEN) 20:49
43rd 1999  Paul Koech (KEN) 34:24  Zahra Ouaziz (MAR) 20:09
44th 2000  Hillary Korir (KEN) 35:41  Florence Barsosio (KEN) 19:33
45th 2001  Paulo Guerra (POR) 36:38  Merima Denboba (ETH) 22:00
46th 2002  Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) 34:51  Paula Radcliffe (GBR) 21:03
47th 2003  Serhiy Lebid (UKR) 35:59  Helena Javornik (SLO) 21:23
48th 2004  Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) 34:36  Anikó Kálovics (HUN) 20:42
49th 2005  Serhiy Lebid (UKR) 36:10  Rita Jeptoo (KEN) 19:38
50th 2006 Held in conjunction with European Cross Country Championships
— 2007 Not held
51st 2008  Edwin Soi (KEN) 29:46  Kate Reed (GBR) 19:55
52nd 2009  Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) 29:54  Anikó Kálovics (HUN) 20:33
53rd 2010  Abreham Cherkos (ETH) 28:52  Anikó Kálovics (HUN) 20:17
54th 2011  Joseph Ebuya (KEN) 28:15  Anikó Kálovics (HUN) 20:04
55th 2012  Edwin Soi (KEN) 29:13  Mercy Cherono (KEN) 19:26
56th 2013  Muktar Edris (ETH) 28:42  Debele Degefa (ETH) 19:26
57th 2014  Albert Rop (BHR) 28:19  Hiwot Ayalew (ETH) 18:59
58th 2015  Dathan Ritzenhein (USA) 29:08  Janet Kisa (KEN) 19:00

See also

References

  1. ↑ 2006 European XC Championships Media Guide – General Information about San Giorgio su Legnano. European Athletics. Retrieved on 2011-01-12.
  2. ↑ Sampaolo, Diego (2008-01-03). Soi, Mosop the headliners at Italian Cross Country season kick off in Campaccio. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-01-12.
  3. ↑ Cross, i protagonisti del 54° Campaccio (Italian). FIDAL. Retrieved on 2011-01-13.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 3 STELLE CHE ILLUMINANO IL CAMPACCIO. Unione Sportiva Sangiorgese. Retrieved on 2011-01-12.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Civai, Franco & Lorange, Francois (2011-01-10). Campaccio Classica del Cross. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 2011-01-12.
  6. ↑ Sampaolo, Diego (2005-02-11). Lebid on course to recapture Campaccio title. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-01-12.
  7. ↑ Sampaolo, Diego (2006-11-09). European XC to mark Campaccio's 50th anniversary. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-01-12.
  8. ↑ Sampaolo, Diego (2011-01-06). Ebuya and Kalovics take Campaccio Cross Country win. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-01-12.
  9. ↑ Sampaolo, Diego (2003-01-07). Europeans win the day at Campaccio. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-01-12.
List of winners

Further reading

External links

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