Cross de San Sebastián

The competition was first held in 1956 as a men's only race and attracted top level runners from the outset, with Olympic gold medallists Emil Zátopek, Alain Mimoun and Mamo Wolde being among the winners in the first decade of the event.

[1] A women's race was introduced in 1971 and two-time World Cross champion Carmen Valero took a record four back-to-back wins soon after.

From the 1970s to 1980s, a mix of Iberian and British athletes topped the podium, but since the 1990s the race has been dominated by runners of East African origin.

[5] The Cross de San Sebastián has featured many of the world's most prominent names in long-distance running, including marathon world record holder Haile Gebrselassie, Olympic champions Derartu Tulu, John Ngugi and Rosa Mota, as well as world cross country champions such as Zersenay Tadese, Gebre Gebremariam and Benita Johnson.

[2] The competition has also incorporated the regional Gipuzkoan cross country championships in previous editions.

Czech athlete Emil Zátopek won the third edition.
Rosa Mota of Portugal won three times consecutively in the 1980s.
Haile Gebrselassie won the 1994 men's race.
Many-time European champion Serhiy Lebid was the winner in 2005.
Hayley Yelling is one of four British women to win in San Sebastián.