Cross Internacional de Itálica

Cross Internacional de Itálica
The race course passes alongside Itálica's ancient amphitheatre
Date	Mid-January
Location	Santiponce, Spain
Event type	Cross country
Distance	11 km for men 8 km for women
Established	1982
Official site	Cross Internacional de Itálica

The Cross Internacional de Itálica is an annual cross country running competition that is held every January in Santiponce, near Seville, Spain. Inaugurated in 1982, the race course is set in the ruins of the ancient Roman city of Itálica. As one of only two Spanish competitions to hold IAAF permit meeting status, it is one of the more prestigious races on the Spanish cross country circuit.

The competition comprises three general categories of race: children's and junior races, the mass participation ("popular") race, and the professional international races. The men's international race was a 10 km race until 1999 when it was increased to roughly 11 km. The distance of the women's international race (currently 8 km) has also fluctuated, varying between 5.5 km and 6.6 km in its early years. The course of the race loops through the ancient streets of Itálica, passing alongside ruins throughout. The red clay ground usually makes for a dry running surface, although rain has occasionally made this a particularly difficult, muddy course in previous editions.

The international fields for the Cross de Itálica frequently feature some of the most successful cross country athletes. Past winners include Paul Tergat, Kenenisa Bekele, Gelete Burka, Paula Radcliffe and Florence Kiplagat. Indeed, in six separate years (1994, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2004 and 2009) one of the winners of the Cross de Itálica has gone on to win at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships.