The BOclassic is an annual road running competition over the distance of 10 kilometres for men and 5 kilometres for women. It is held on New Year's Eve in Bolzano, Italy.[1] The competition has only elite races, competed between a limited number of runners, but over 10,000 spectators gather in the streets each year to witness the race. The race has been broadcast live on television by Italian channel Rai Sport Più.[2]

BOclassic
A panorama of Bolzano's town centre where the race takes place
Date31 December
LocationBolzano, Italy
Event typeRoad
Distance5 kilometres (women)
10 kilometres (men)
Established1975
Course recordsMen: 28:02 (1991)
Zimbabwe Philemon Hanneck
Women: 15:22 (2021)
Ethiopia Dawit Seyaum
Official siteBOclassic
Participants24 (only elite runners)
512 (2019)
401 (2018)

It was first held in 1975 under the title Corsa Internazionale di San Silvestro – inspired by the Saint Silvester Road Race in Brazil, it was the first European New Year's Eve road race (Silvesterlauf).[3] After nine editions as a 13 km race, the men's race settled on its 10 km format. A women's competition was included in the programme from 1977 onwards and it has been a 5 km race since 1987.[4] The Corsa Internazionale di San Silvestro changed its name in 1996: race president Kurt Putzer renamed it the BOclassic.[5]

The course is in the centre of the town of Bolzano. It is a looped circuit, starting at Walther Square and heading west on Via della Mostra before turning onto Via Goethe and Via del Portici. The route then heads southwards along Via Laurin before looping back on itself to follow along Vaile della Stazione back to the starting point.[6]

Past male competitors have included multiple European champion Serhiy Lebid, Olympic marathon champion Stefano Baldini while women such as World Half Marathon Champions Tegla Loroupe and Berhane Adere have won the women's section.[7] The 2011 edition featured three reigning world champions in Vivian Cheruiyot, Imane Merga and Wilson Kiprop.[8]

Past winners

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Key:   Course record

Edition Year Men's winner Time (m:s) Women's winner Time (m:s) Ref.
1st 1975   Anton Gorbunow (GER) 39:59 Not held N/A
2nd 1976   Günter Zahn (GER) 39:30 Not held N/A
3rd 1977   Patriz Ilg (GER) 38:33   Heide Brenner (GER) 47:45
4th 1978   Dietmar Millonig (AUT) 38:46   Heide Brenner (GER) 46:25
5th 1979   Klaus-Peter Hildenbrand (GER) 39:09   Päivi Roppo (FIN) 22:46
6th 1980   Christoph Herle (GER) 38:32   Ellen Wessinghage (GER) 21:11
7th 1981   Christoph Herle (GER) 38:48   Mathilde Heuing (GER) 22:28
8th 1982   Emiel Puttemans (BEL) 38:03   Christiane Finke (GER) 22:54
9th 1983   Alex Hagelsteens (BEL) 37:45   Ellen Wessinghage (GER) 21:34
10th 1984   Alex Hagelsteens (BEL) 29:10   Birgit-Maria Schmidt (GER) 17:03
11th 1985   Alberto Cova (ITA) 29:31   Cristina Tomasini (ITA) 14:54
12th 1986   Pierre Délèze (SUI) 29:25   Vera Michallek (GER) 14:54
13th 1987   Féthi Baccouche (TUN) 28:46   Elly van Hulst (NED) 16:02
14th 1988   Salvatore Antibo (ITA) 28:34   Maria Curatolo (ITA) 15:54
15th 1989   Ezequiel Canário (POR) 28:27   Elly van Hulst (NED) 16:11
16th 1990   Stephenson Nyamu (KEN) 28:38   Uta Pippig (GER) 16:04
17th 1991   Phillimon Hanneck (ZIM) 28:02   Kathrin Weßel (GER) 15:34
18th 1992   Jonah Koech (born 1968) (KEN) 28:25   Lyudmila Borisova (RUS) 16:05
19th 1993   Addis Abebe (ETH) 28:43   Lyudmila Borisova (RUS) 16:01
20th 1994   Shem Kororia (KEN) 28:33   Tegla Loroupe (KEN) 15:49
21st 1995   Shem Kororia (KEN) 28:19   Tegla Loroupe (KEN) 15:49
22nd 1996   Daniel Komen (KEN) 28:37   Tegla Loroupe (KEN) 16:14
23rd 1997   Bernard Barmasai (KEN) 28:08   Berhane Adere (ETH) 16:02
24th 1998   Paul Kosgei (KEN) 28:10   Merima Denboba (ETH) 15:44
25th 1999   Serhiy Lebid (UKR) 28:24   Gete Wami (ETH) 15:50
26th 2000   John Korir (KEN) 28:27   Merima Denboba (ETH) 16:08
27th 2001   Serhiy Lebid (UKR) 28:41.5   Susan Chepkemei (KEN) 16:26.4
28th 2002   Serhiy Lebid (UKR) 29:02   Berhane Adere (ETH) 15:50.6
29th 2003   Serhiy Lebid (UKR) 28:36   Berhane Adere (ETH) 15:49.9
30th 2004   Serhiy Lebid (UKR) 28:23.1   Berhane Adere (ETH) 16:14.7
31st 2005   Abebe Dinkesa (ETH) 28:38.9   Isabella Ochichi (KEN) 15:53.6
32nd 2006   Abderrahim Goumri (MAR) 28:34.0   Anikó Kálovics (HUN) 15:44.6
33rd 2007   Edwin Soi (KEN) 28:50.7   Sylvia Kibet (KEN) 16:01.6
34th 2008   Edwin Soi (KEN) 28:55.5   Gulnara Samitova-Galkina (RUS) 15:59.7
35th 2009   Edwin Soi (KEN) 28:44.3   Sule Utura (ETH) 16:11.4
36th 2010   Imane Merga (ETH) 28:32   Vivian Cheruiyot (KEN) 15:52
37th 2011   Edwin Soi (KEN) 28:16   Vivian Cheruiyot (KEN) 16:03
38th 2012   Imane Merga (ETH) 29:12   Sylvia Kibet (KEN) 16:21
39th 2013   Imane Merga (ETH) 28:43   Maryam Jamal (BHR) 16:00
40th 2014   Muktar Edris (ETH) 29:07.1   Janet Kisa (KEN) 15:49.4
41st 2015   Tamirat Tola (ETH) 28:29   Netsanet Gudeta (ETH) 15:58
42nd 2016   Muktar Edris (ETH) 28:52   Agnes Tirop (KEN) 15:44
43rd 2017   Muktar Edris (ETH) 28:45   Agnes Tirop (KEN) 15:30
43rd 2018   Tamirat Tola (ETH) 28:12   Netsanet Gudeta (ETH) 15:46
44th 2019   Eyob Faniel (ITA) 28:21   Margaret Kipkemboi (KEN) 15:30
45th 2020   Oscar Chelimo (UGA) 13:17   Margaret Kipkemboi (KEN) 30:43 [9]
46th 2021   Tadese Worku (ETH) 28:18   Dawit Seyaum (ETH) 15:22 [10]
47th 2022   Oscar Chelimo (UGA) 28:14   Dawit Seyaum (ETH) 15:33 [11]
  • NB: The race course distances varied in the early years of the competition but the men's distance settled at 10 km from 1984 onwards and the women's race has been a 5K run since 1987.[4]
  • 2020 race distances: Men: 5 km, Women: 10k m [12]

See also

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References

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General
Specific
  1. ^ Sampaolo, Diego (2010-01-01). Three-peat for Soi in Bolzano. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-05-20.
  2. ^ Sampaolo, Diego (2008-12-31). Soi and Kibet at the double? Boclassic preview. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-05-20.
  3. ^ The legend begins Archived 2011-07-22 at the Wayback Machine. BOclassic. Retrieved on 2010-01-03.
  4. ^ a b Civai, Franco & Gasparovic, Juraj (2009-01-05). Corsa Internazionale di San Silvestro. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 2010-01-03.
  5. ^ Sapevi che... Archived 2009-12-23 at the Wayback Machine (in Italian). BOclassic. Retrieved on 2010-01-03.
  6. ^ BOclassic Parcours 2010. BOclassic. Retrieved on 2010-05-20.
  7. ^ BOclassic as New Year's Eve blast Archived 2011-01-04 at the Wayback Machine. BOclassic. Retrieved on 2010-05-20.
  8. ^ Sampaolo, Diego (2012-01-01). Soi and Cheruiyot take thrillers in Bolzano. IAAF. Retrieved on 2012-01-02.
  9. ^ "2020 BOclassic results". tds.sport. 31 December 2020.
  10. ^ Diego Sampaolo (1 January 2022). "Azimeraw and Katir end year on a high in Madrid". World Athletics. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  11. ^ Sapper, Svenja (2022-12-31). "Silvesterläufe international: Konstanze Klosterhalfen rennt an die Spitze der ewigen deutschen Bestenliste". leichtathletik.de (in German). Retrieved 2022-12-31.
  12. ^ "2020 BOclassic programm". boclassic.it. 31 December 2020.
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46°29′54″N 11°21′17″E / 46.4984°N 11.3546°E / 46.4984; 11.3546