The Cross Internacional Zornotza is an annual cross country running event which takes place in January in Amorebieta-Etxano (Zornotza), the Basque Country, Spain. The competition was first held in 1954 and has taken place every year since, with the sole exception of 1961. Organised by the Club Deportiva Zornotza,[1] the event began as a mainly national-level competition and it started to attract elite international competitors from the mid-1980s onwards.[2]

Cross Zornotza
DateOctober
LocationAmorebieta-Etxano
Event typeCross country
Distance2021:
8.7 km for men
6.7 km for women
Established1954
Official siteOfficial website

Zornotza has previously been an IAAF and European Athletics status meeting,[3][4] as well as being in the now-defunct IAAF World Cross Challenge circuit,[5] but is not currently part of an international cross country series. The race suffered from economic problems leading up to the period around 2010, but organisers continued its focus of attracting some of the sport's top competitors.[6] The competition's course, the Jauregibarria,[7] played host to the 1993 IAAF World Cross Country Championships.[8]

The competition features two elite level races: a 10.7 km race for men and a 6.7 km contest for women. In addition to these, several shorter races are held for local runners and youths. Past winners of the elite race include two-time Olympic champion Derartu Tulu. Mariano Haro, a Spanish World Cross medallist, has won the competition more than any other athlete (seven) and won five times consecutively in the mid-1970s.[9]

Past senior race winners

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National era

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Edition Year Winner
1st 1954 Winner unknown
2nd 1955 Winner unknown
3rd 1956 Winner unknown
4th 1957 Winner unknown
5th 1958 Winner unknown
6th 1959 Winner unknown
7th 1960   José Fernández (ESP)
1961 Not held
8th 1962   José Fernández (ESP)
9th 1963   Pablo Fernández (ESP)
10th 1964   Mariano Haro (ESP)
11th 1965   Nicolás López (ESP)
12th 1966   José Antonio Begona (ESP)
13th 1967   José María Barrientos (ESP)
14th 1968   José Miguel Maíz (ESP)
15th 1969   José Antonio Begona (ESP)
16th 1970   Antonio Frechilla (ESP)
17th 1971   Mariano Haro (ESP)
18th 1972   Juan Hidalgo (ESP)
19th 1973   Mariano Haro (ESP)
20th 1974   Mariano Haro (ESP)
21st 1975   Mariano Haro (ESP)
22nd 1976   Mariano Haro (ESP)
23rd 1977   Mariano Haro (ESP)
24th 1978   Fidel García (ESP)

International era

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Olympic marathon champion Rosa Mota won in 1986.
 
The 2010 world champion Joseph Ebuya won in 2011 and 2012
Edition Year Men's winner Time (m:s) Women's winner Time (m:s)
25th 1979   Roy Bayley (GBR) Not held
26th 1980   John Wild (GBR)
27th 1981   Antonio Prieto (ESP)
28th 1982   Eshetu Tura (ETH)
29th 1983 Winner unknown
30th 1984   Michael Bishop (GBR)   Jane Furniss-Shields (GBR)
31st 1985   Wodajo Bulti (ETH)   Ana Isabel Alonso (ESP)
32nd 1986   Tony Milovsorov (GBR)   Rosa Mota (POR)
33rd 1987   José Regalo (POR)   Cornelia Bürki (SUI)
34th 1988   Francisco Sánchez (ESP)   Jane Furniss-Shields (GBR)
35th 1989   Tim Hutchings (GBR) 32:40   Helen Titterington (GBR) 14:29
36th 1990   Domingos Castro (POR) 33:02   Luchia Yishak (ETH) 12:20
37th 1991   Ezequiel Bitok (KEN) 35:04   Susan Sirma (KEN) 19:06
38th 1992   Fita Bayisa (ETH) 34:34   Luchia Yishak (ETH) 17:55
39th 1993 Held in conjunction with 1993 World Championships
40th 1994   Domingos Castro (POR)   Hellen Kimaiyo (KEN)
41st 1995   Paulo Guerra (POR) 31:22   Rose Cheruiyot (KEN) 18:28
42nd 1996   Josephat Machuka (KEN) 31:57   Derartu Tulu (ETH) 18:38
43rd 1997   David Chelule (KEN) 33:45   Elena Fidatov (ROM) 18:03
44th 1998   Paul Koech (KEN) 30:16   Jackline Maranga (KEN) 17:27
45th 1999   Richard Limo (KEN) 33:53   Gete Wami (ETH) 23:19
46th 2000   Serhiy Lebid (UKR) 33:28   Gete Wami (ETH) 23:09
47th 2001   Paul Kosgei (KEN) 31:48   Naomi Mugo (KEN) 22:45
48th 2002   Julius Nyamu (KEN) 31:41   Susan Chepkemei (KEN) 22:27
49th 2003   Albert Chepkurui (KEN) 32:18   Teyba Erkesso (ETH) 22:42
50th 2004   Boniface Kiprop (UGA) 34:35   Ejegayehu Dibaba (ETH) 23:22
51st 2005   Ahmad Hassan Abdullah (QAT) 32:13   Benita Johnson (AUS) 22:23
52nd 2006   Abraham Chebii (KEN) 31:17   Rosa Morató (ESP) 22:19
53rd 2007   Micah Kogo (KEN) 32:03   Vivian Cheruiyot (KEN) 21:59
54th 2008   Tariku Bekele (ETH) 32:11   Vivian Cheruiyot (KEN) 23:27
55th 2009   Samuel Tsegay (ERI) 31:36   Linet Masai (KEN) 21:36
56th 2010   Hunegnaw Mesfin (ETH) 35:24   Ann Mwangi (KEN) 24:22
57th 2011   Joseph Ebuya (KEN) 31:27   Pauline Korikwiang (KEN) 22:48
58th 2012   Joseph Ebuya (KEN) 31:33   Nazret Weldu (ERI) 23:45
59th 2013   Mark Kiptoo (KEN) 32:42   Magdalene Masai (KEN) 23:44
60th 2014   Cyprian Kotut (KEN) 33:28   Magdalene Masai (KEN) 23:55
61st 2015   Timothy Toroitich (UGA) 32:01   Magdalene Masai (KEN) 23:36
62nd 2016   Thomas Ayeko (UGA) 29:33   Mercy Cherono (KEN) 31:51
63rd 2017   Nguse Amlosom (ERI) 32:51   Jessica Martin (GBR) 30:25
64th 2018   Timothy Toroitich (UGA) 36:28   Trihas Gebre (ESP) 33:39
65th 2019   Stanley Waithaka (KEN) 31:58   Trihas Gebre (ESP) 30:36
66th 2020   Enyew Mekonnen (ETH) 33:32   Tsige Abraha (ETH) 29:54
67th 2021   Awet Habte (ERI) 25:54   Francine Niyomukunzi (BDI) 22:39
68th 2022   Rodrigue Kwizera (BDI) 25:45   Isabel Barreiro (ESP) 23:06
69th 2023   Célestin Ndikumana (BDI) 25:34   Likina Amebaw (ETH) 29:36
70th 2024   Rodrigue Kwizera (BDI) 25:29   Francine Niyomukunzi (BDI) 30:07

Winners by country

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Country Men's race Women's race Total
  Kenya 14 15 29
  Ethiopia 6 8 14
  Great Britain 5 4 9
  Spain 2 4 6
  Portugal 4 1 5
  Burundi 3 2 5
  Eritrea 3 1 4
  Uganda 4 0 4
  Australia 0 1 1
  Qatar 1 0 1
  Romania 0 1 1
  Switzerland 0 1 1
  Ukraine 1 0 1

References

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  1. ^ Club Deportiva Zornotza Archived 2007-01-05 at the Wayback Machine. Club Deportiva Zornotza. Retrieved on 2011-01-21.
  2. ^ Gasparovic, Juraj (2011-01-10). Cross Zornotza. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 2011-01-21.
  3. ^ Minshull, Phil (2001-01-08). Kosgei and Mugo win in Amorebieta. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-01-21.
  4. ^ Valiente, Emeterio (2006-01-08). Chebii, Morató sprint to wins in Amorebieta Cross Country. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-01-21.
  5. ^ Moiben aims for second World Cross Challenge victory in Amorebieta. IAAF (1998-01-09). Retrieved on 2011-01-21.
  6. ^ Ebuya, gran atractivo del 57 Cross Internacional de Zornotza. Europa Press (2011-01-05). Retrieved on 2011-01-21.
  7. ^ Tras las nevadas, el Cross de Amorebieta se disputará sobre el barro. ABC. Retrieved on 2011-01-21.
  8. ^ Valiente, Emeterio (2008-01-04). Ebuya - T. Bekele clash on tap in Amorebieta – Zornotza Cross Country preview. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-01-21.
  9. ^ LVII Cross Internacional Zornotza Archived 2011-09-29 at the Wayback Machine. Real Federación Española de Atletismo. Retrieved on 2011-01-21.
List of winners
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