The Juan Muguerza Cross-Country, also known as the ''Elgoibar Cross-Country'', 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 soil, earth, pass through woodlands and ope ...

competition which takes place each January in

Elgoibar Elgoibar () is an industrial town located in the province of Gipuzkoa, in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country, northern Spain. Located in a valley, it is traversed by the Deba River, Deba river. El ...

, 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 Mungia (in Spanish: ''Munguía'') is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the Basque Country of northern Spain. The town has 17,691 inhabitants (2019). Geography Mungia lies 20 metres above sea level in an area full of o ...

in the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

. The competition was first held in 1943 and was a men-only contest, principally between national-level runners. This changed at the 20th anniversary of the race in 1963, when the competition became an international one.

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

n runner Mamo Wolde was the first foreign winner and he went on to score three more victories that decade.Cross Memorial Juan Muguerza

Association of Road Racing Statisticians The Association of Road Racing Statisticians is an independent, non-profit organization that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics regarding road running races. The primary purpose of the ARRS is to maintain a valid list of world road record ...

(2011-01-21). Retrieved on 2011-03-11. 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 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 In ...

gold medallists

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 ...

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 ...

John Ngugi John Ngugi Kamau (born 10 May 1962) is a former Kenyan long-distance runner, often called one of the greatest cross country runners of all time and winner of the 5000 metres at the 1988 Summer Olympics, in Seoul, South Korea. Career Born in Ki ...

Derartu Tulu Derartu Tulu NL COL (, Amharic: ደራርቱ ቱሉ; born 21 March 1972) is an Ethiopian former long-distance runner, who competed in track, cross country running, and road running up to the marathon distance. Derartu is the first Ethiopian ...

and Edith Masai.Valiente, Emeterio (2003-01-13)
Bekele in a class of his own again

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 2011-03-11. 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 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 ...

took the top honours in the 1990s.

Past senior race winners

National era

International era

Elvan Abeylegesse 2010 European Team Championships

Winners by country

References

;List of winners
Cross Memorial Juan Muguerza

(2011-01-21). Retrieved on 2011-03-11.

External links

Official website

Images from 2011 race
{{IAAF Cross Country Meetings Cross country running competitions Athletics competitions in Spain Recurring sporting events established in 1943 Sport in Gipuzkoa Cross country running in Spain Annual sporting events in Spain 1943 establishments in Spain Debabarrena