Cross Internacional de la Constitución

Cross Internacional de la Constitución is an annual cross country running event which is held in early December in Alcobendas, Spain. The competition was first held in 1982 and began attracting top-level elite distance runners from the 1990s onwards.[1] Hosted by the Club de Atletismo Popular de Alcobendas,[2] the Cross de la Constitución takes place in Parque de Andalucia near the industrial centre in the city.[3][4] Almost 600 runners took part in the races in 2010.[5]

Cross Internacional de la Constitución
Vivian Cheruiyot running in Alcobendas in 2006
DateLate November or early December
LocationAlcobendas, Spain
Event typeCross country
Distance10.6 km for men
8.04 km for women
Established1982
Official siteCross de la Constitución
Participants115 (2019)
148 (2018)

The men's elite competition is held over roughly 10 km, while the women elite runners compete over approximately 6 km.[6] The exact race distances of the courses on the park's looped circuit vary from year to year, thus no course record is kept. The women's race was previously about 5 km but has been around 6 km since 1999.[7] The race day's events include nine categories of competition: six are youth races by age group, short and long course races are held for senior athletes, and a separate veteran's race is also held for older runners.[2]

Winners of the competition have included a number of World Cross Country champions: Zersenay Tadese, Joseph Ebuya, Gebregziabher Gebremariam and Albertina Dias have all gone on to win the world title after victory in Alcobendas. Other winners of note include Spanish marathon world champion Martín Fiz and track world champions Benjamin Limo, Vivian Cheruiyot and Linet Masai.[7] The meet previously received permit status from European Athletics, the continental body for the sport.[8]

Past senior race winners

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An aerial view of the host city and San Sebastián de los Reyes.
 
Tariku Bekele (left) and Abraham Chebii (center) have both won in Alcobendas.
 
Meselech Melkamu took consecutive titles in 2005 to 2006.
Edition Year Men's winner Time (m:s) Women's winner Time (m:s)
I 1982   Santiago Manguán (ESP)   María del Mar Arrollaga (ESP)
II 1983   Karl Harrison (ENG)   Alicia Silva (POR)
III 1984   António Leitão (POR)   Leonor Costa (POR)
IV 1985   João Campos (POR)   Alejandra Ramos (CHI)
V 1986   Manuel Matias (POR)   Ana Isabel Alonso (ESP)
VI 1987   David Lewis (ENG)   Conceição Ferreira (POR)
VII 1988   Domingos Castro (POR)   Dolores Rizo (ESP)
VIII 1989   Carlos Monteiro (POR) 27:50   Ana Moreira (POR) 13:36
IX 1990   William Mutwol (KEN) 28:52   Albertina Dias (POR) 17:14
X 1991   Martín Fiz (ESP) 32:05   Tullia Orietta Mancia (ITA) 19:22
XI 1992   Martín Fiz (ESP) 29:36   Lydia Cheromei (KEN) 17:54
XII 1993   Ondoro Osoro (KEN) 28:09   Conceição Ferreira (POR) 16:24
XIII 1994   Shem Kororia (KEN) 29:12   Merima Denboba (ETH) 17:09
XIV 1995   Shem Kororia (KEN) 29:52   Sally Barsosio (KEN) 18:20
XV 1996   Paul Koech (KEN) 29:00   Albertina Dias (POR) 17:36
XVI 1997   Paul Koech (KEN) 28:26   Merima Denboba (ETH) 16:30
XVII 1998   Daniel Gachara (KEN) 28:01   Genet Gebregiorgis (ETH) 20:46
XVIII 1999   Benjamin Limo (KEN) 30:27   Lydia Cheromei (KEN) 19:26
XIX 2000   Evans Rutto (KEN) 29:15   Rose Cheruiyot (KEN) 18:28
XX 2001   Abraham Chebii (KEN) 29:30   Leah Malot (KEN) 19:49
XXI 2002   Enock Mitei (KEN) 30:42   Salina Kosgei (KEN) 20:13
XXII 2003   John Yuda (TAN) 30:20   Alice Timbilil (KEN) 20:26
XXIII 2004   Fabiano Joseph (TAN) 30:13   Merima Hashim (ETH) 19:26
XXIV 2005   Zersenay Tadese (ERI) 29:14   Meselech Melkamu (ETH) 19:14
XXV 2006   Tariku Bekele (ETH) 32:18   Meselech Melkamu (ETH) 21:16
XXVI 2007   Joseph Ebuya (KEN) 29:08   Eunice Jepkorir (KEN) 19:40
XXVII 2008   Gebregziabher Gebremariam (ETH) 29:08   Linet Masai (KEN) 18:59
XXVIII 2009   Gebregziabher Gebremariam (ETH) 30:55   Vivian Cheruiyot (KEN) 19:53
XXIX 2010   Joseph Ebuya (KEN) 29:37   Mónica Rosa (POR) 20:15
XXX 2011   Kidane Tadesse (ERI) 30:10   Priscah Cherono (KEN) 20:06
XXXI[9] 2012   Teklemariam Medhin (ERI) 28:23   Nazret Weldu (ERI) 26:30
XXXII 2013   Emmanuel Bett (KEN) 28:00   Sofia Assefa (ETH) 25:33
XXXIII 2014   Timothy Toroitich (UGA) 28:36   Doris Changeywo (KEN) 26:49
XXXIV 2015   Tamirat Tola (ETH) 29:28   Linet Masai (KEN) 28:41
XXXV 2016   Timothy Toroitich (UGA) 30:52   Fionnuala McCormack (IRE) 28:18
XXXVI 2017   Aron Kifle (ERI) 29:22   Alice Aprot (KEN) 27:20
XXXVII 2018   Jacob Kiplimo (UGA) 30:01   Eva Cherono (KEN) 27:20
XXXVIII 2019   Thierry Ndikumwenayo (BDI) 27:23   Eva Cherono (KEN) 27:10
XXXIX 2021   Abdessamad Oukhelfen (ESP) 29:23   Dolshi Tesfu (ERI) 26:45
XL 2022   Rodrigue Kwizera (BDI)   Lucy Mawia (KEN)
XLI 2023   Rodrigue Kwizera (BDI)   Likina Amebaw (ETH)
XLII 2024   Rodrigue Kwizera (BDI)   Nadia Battocletti (ITA)

Wins by country

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Country Men's race Women's race Total
  Kenya 14 17 31
  Portugal 5 8 13
  Ethiopia 4 8 12
  Spain 4 3 7
  Eritrea 4 2 6
  Burundi 4 0 4
  Uganda 3 0 3
  England 2 0 2
  Tanzania 2 0 2
  Italy 0 2 2
  Chile 0 1 1
  Ireland 0 1 1

References

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  1. ^ Cross Internacional de la Constitución Archived 2010-09-18 at the Wayback Machine (in Spanish). CAP-Alcobendas. Retrieved on 2010-12-10.
  2. ^ a b Race Profile (in Spanish). Real Federación Española de Atletismo. Retrieved on 2010-12-10.
  3. ^ Teklemariam Mehdin vuelve a retar al campeón mundial Ebuya[permanent dead link] (in Spanish). ADN. Retrieved on 2010-12-10.
  4. ^ Circuito del XXIX Cross Internacional de la Constitución Archived 2012-07-01 at the Wayback Machine. CAP-Alcobendas. Retrieved on 2010-12-10.
  5. ^ Alcobendas obtiene 860 puntos, de los buenos. A pesar del gran nivel, lo mejor, el duelo entre Arturo Casado y Reyes Estevez en meta. Para los anales. (in Spanish). ANOC. Retrieved on 2010-12-10.
  6. ^ Valiente, Emeterio (2010-12-06). Ebuya breezes in Alcobendas. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-12-10.
  7. ^ a b Civai, Franco (2010-12-07). Cross Internacional de la Constitucion. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 2010-12-10.
  8. ^ Garcia lays down warning in Alcobendas. European Athletics (2008-12-08). Retrieved on 2010-12-10.
  9. ^ Valiente, Emeterio (2012-11-26). Medhin and Weldu breeze to Alcobendas victory. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-02-14.
List of winners
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