Almond Blossom Cross Country

Almond Blossom Cross Country
The race takes place in a touristic town in the Algarve
Date	Early March
Location	Albufeira, Portugal
Event type	Cross country
Distance	12 km (7 mi) for men 8 km (5 mi) for women
Established	1977

The Almond Blossom Cross Country (Portuguese: Cross Internacional das Amendoeiras em Flor)^[1] is an annual international cross country running competition which takes place in Albufeira, Portugal in early March. It is one of the IAAF permit meetings which serve as qualifying events for the IAAF World Cross Country Championships.^[2] It is held in co-operation with the Associação de Atletismo do Algarve (Algarve Athletics Association).^[3] The race gets its name from the white blossom which appears on the almond trees native to the Algarve region during the spring.^[4]

History

The competition was first organised in 1977 through a joint partnership of the Federação Portuguesa de Atletismo (Portuguese Athletics Federation), the District of Faro and Turismo de Portugal, with the aim of promoting both sport and tourism in the region.^[5] The race relocated to Vilamoura, another town nearby, in 1996 and the competition remained there until 2003. The 2004 edition was not held due to financial problems, causing the race's annual history to be interrupted for the first time. The Almond Blossom Cross returned to its original home in Albufeira in 2005 and has been held there annually ever since.^[6]

The white flowers of an almond tree, after which the competition is named

The race takes place at the Açoteias Cross Country course; a looping track which is 2 km (1.2 mi) in length and comprises sections of both grass and sand.^[7][8] The race distances have traditionally been 10 km (6 mi) for men and 6 km (4 mi) for women, but this was extended in the 2010 edition to 12 km (7 mi) and 8 km (5 mi).^[9]

The Almond Blossom Cross Country competition is international in its nature, attracting a large number of foreign athletes each year, but it is also a significant draw for Portugal's top domestic runners.^[10] Among the past winners in the men's race are Portuguese world medallists Fernando Mamede and Paulo Guerra, track world champion Charles Kamathi, and Serhiy Lebid – a multiple European champion. On the women's side, past winners include Olympic champions Fernanda Ribeiro and Gabriela Szabo, the 1996 World Cross Country champion Gete Wami, and world champion in the 10,000 m Berhane Adere. Only two Portuguese athletes have won at the World Cross Country Championships (Carlos Lopes and Albertina Dias) and both have been victorious in Albufeira: Lopes won the first ever Almond Blossom race in 1977 while Dias won the 1989 women's race.^[9]

The Açoteias Cross Country course was also used to host the European Clubs Cross Country Cup in 2008, as it had done a number of times in the 1980s and 1990s.^[8][11] During the Almond Blossom's time in Vilamoura, it served as the tester race for the 2000 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, which was held on the same course a month later.^[12] The competition itself was selected in 2010 to host the Portuguese national cross country championship, in which Yousef El Kalai and Ana Dulce Félix took the honours in the men's and women's races, respectively.^[13]

Past senior race winners

Rosa Mota – the winner of the first women's race in 1978

Charles Kamathi of Kenya was the 2000 men's champion

Portuguese Olympic champion Fernanda Ribeiro won in 2003

Key:       Portuguese championship race
Distances:       12 km and 8 km races       8 km and 5 km races       4 km race 0 (10 km for men and 6 km for women where not stated)

Edition	Year	Men's winner	Time (m:s)	Women's winner	Time (m:s)
1st	1977	Carlos Lopes (POR)	?	—	—
2nd	1978	Greg Meyer (USA)	29:44	Rosa Mota (POR)	?
3rd	1979	Frank Zimmermann (GER)	30:09	Penny Yule (GBR)	13:19
4th	1980	Fernando Mamede (POR)	28:44	Wendy Smith (GBR)	13:02
5th	1981	Fernando Mamede (POR)	31:04	Wendy Smith (GBR)	?
6th	1982	Christoph Herle (GER)	30:03	Aurora Cunha (POR)	13:20
7th	1983	Fernando Mamede (POR)	?	Aurora Cunha (POR)	?
8th	1984	Frank Zimmermann (GER)	?	Aurora Cunha (POR)	?
9th	1985	António Leitão (POR)	?	Rosa Mota (POR)	?
10th	1986	António Leitão (POR)	?	Ruth Partridge (GBR)	?
11th	1987	Vincent Rousseau (BEL)	?	Ria Van Landeghem (BEL)	?
12th	1988	José Regalo (POR)	30:02	Angela Tooby (GBR)	20:01
13th	1989	José Regalo (POR)	23:42	Albertina Dias (POR)	16:46
14th	1990	Dionísio Castro (POR)	29:39	Jeanne-Marie Pipoz (SUI)	20:06
15th	1991	Richard Chelimo (KEN)	30:05	Catherina McKiernan (IRL)	20:04
16th	1992	Fita Bayisa (ETH)	29:06	Luchia Yishak (ETH)	19:37
17th	1993	Ondoro Osoro (KEN)	29:00	Tegla Loroupe (KEN)	19:48
18th	1994	Ondoro Osoro (KEN)	29:10	Catherina McKiernan (IRL)	19:34
19th	1995	Paulo Guerra (POR)	29:21	Gabriela Szabo (ROM)	19:31
20th	1996	Emerson Iser-Bem (BRA)	29:58	Gabriela Szabo (ROM)	19:45
21st	1997	Thomas Nyariki (KEN)	28:41	Elena Fidatov (ROM)	19:31
22nd	1998	Thomas Nyariki (KEN)	29:30	Julia Vaquero (ESP)	19:25
23rd	1999	Thomas Nyariki (KEN)	29:39	Zahra Ouaziz (MAR)	19:31
24th	2000	Charles Kamathi (KEN)	29:34	Getenesh Wami (ETH)	19:46
25th	2001	Patrick Ivuti (KEN)	20:34	Lydia Cheromei (KEN)	19:48
26th	2002	Thomas Nyariki (KEN)	29:48	Berhane Adere (ETH)	19:49
27th	2003	Patrick Ivuti (KEN)	29:33	Fernanda Ribeiro (POR)	20:12
—	2004	Not held	—	Not held	—
28th	2005	Moses Mosop (KEN)	27:49	Nancy Kiprop (KEN)	19:35
29th	2006	Peter Kamais (KEN)	28:01	Jeļena Prokopčuka (LAT)	19:32
30th	2007	Serhiy Lebid (UKR)	29:15	Dorcus Inzikuru (UGA)	19:27
31st	2008	Josphat Kiprono Menjo (KEN)	29:08	Mariya Konovalova (RUS)	19:03
33rd	2009	Josphat Kiprono Menjo (KEN)	31:01	Jeļena Prokopčuka (LAT)	19:30
34th	2010	Mark Bett (KEN)	35:22	Ana Dulce Félix (POR)	26:09
35th	2011	Josphat Kiprono Menjo (KEN)	30:21	Anikó Kálovics (HUN)	19:38

Statistics

Winners by country Country Men's race Women's race Total  Kenya 16 3 19  Portugal 10 8 18  United Kingdom 0 5 5  Ethiopia 1 3 4  Germany 3 0 3  Romania 0 3 3  Belgium 1 1 2  Ireland 0 2 2  Latvia 0 2 2  Brazil 1 0 1  Morocco 0 1 1  Spain 0 1 1  Hungary 0 1 1  Switzerland 0 1 1  Russia 0 1 1  Uganda 0 1 1  Ukraine 1 0 1  United States 1 0 1

Multiple winners Athlete Country Wins Years Thomas Nyariki  Kenya 4 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002 Fernando Mamede  Portugal 3 1980, 1981, 1983 Aurora Cunha  Portugal 3 1982, 1983, 1984 Josphat Kiprono Menjo  Kenya 3 2008, 2009, 2011 Wendy Smith-Sly  United Kingdom 2 1980, 1981 Frank Zimmermann  Germany 2 1979, 1984 Rosa Mota  Portugal 2 1978, 1985 António Leitão  Portugal 2 1985, 1986 José Regalo  Portugal 2 1988, 1989 Ondoro Osoro  Kenya 2 1993, 1994 Catherina McKiernan  Ireland 2 1991, 1994 Gabriela Szabo  Romania 2 1995, 1996 Patrick Ivuti  Kenya 2 2001, 2003 Jeļena Prokopčuka  Latvia 2 2006, 2009

References

1. ^ Cross Challenge back with a bang in Vilamoura. IAAF (1999-02-05). Retrieved on 2010-03-10.
2. ^ IAAF Cross Country Permits. IAAF (2010). Retrieved on 2010-02-12.
3. ^ Calendário Regional. Associação de Atletismo do Algarve (2009). Retrieved on 2010-03-10.
4. ^ (visitalgarve.pt/visitalgarve/vEN/NaoPerca/Detail/?EventoId=3619 33rd Almond Blossom International Cross-Country Race) [Blacklisted link]. VisitAlgarve. Retrieved on 2010-03-11.
5. ^ Cardoso, Carlos (2000-03-16). Vilamoura's dream comes true as Carla waits in the wings. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-03-10.
6. ^ Costa, Paulo (2005-01-31). Kenyans Moses and Kiprop win in Algarve. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-03-10.
7. ^ Welcome Message from the President. 2008 ECCC Cup. Retrieved on 2010-03-10.
8. ^ ^{a b} Albufeira plays host to European Champion Clubs Cup Cross Country. European Athletics (2008-02-01). Retrieved on 2010-03-10.
9. ^ ^{a b} Civai, Franco (2009-03-09). Amendoeiras em Flor (Almond Blossom) 10 km and 6 km. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 2010-03-10.
10. ^ Fernandes, António Manuel (2010-03-05). Focus on the locals as Portugal to select World XC squad at the Almond Blossom Cross Country. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-03-10.
11. ^ European Clubs Cross Country Cup. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2010-03-10.
12. ^ Wallace-Jones, Sean (200-02-06). Wami and Kamathi repeat Seville victories on World Championship course. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-03-10.
13. ^ Fernandes, António Manuel (2010-03-08). Bett and Felix take Almond Blossom XC titles. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-03-10.

External links

• Algarve Athletics Association website