The Almond Blossom Cross Country ()Cross Challenge back with a bang in Vilamoura . IAAF (5 February 1999). Retrieved on 10 March 2010. is an annual international cross country running competition which takes place in Albufeira, in the Algarve region of Portugal, in early March. It is one of the IAAF permit meetings which serve as qualifying events for the IAAF World Cross Country Championships.IAAF Cross Country Permits . IAAF (2010). Retrieved on 12 February 2010. It is held in co-operation with the Associação de Atletismo do Algarve (Algarve Athletics Association).Calendário Regional . Associação de Atletismo do Algarve (2009). Retrieved on 10 March 2010. The race gets its name from the white blossom which appears on the almond trees native to the Algarve region during the spring.(visitalgarve.pt/visitalgarve/vEN/NaoPerca/Detail/?EventoId=3619 33rd Almond Blossom International Cross-Country Race) [Blacklisted link]. VisitAlgarve. Retrieved on 11 March 2010.
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.Cardoso, Carlos (16 March 2000). Vilamoura's dream comes true as Carla waits in the wings. IAAF. Retrieved on 10 March 2010. The race relocated to Vilamoura in Loulé, 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.Costa, Paulo (31 January 2005). Kenyans Moses and Kiprop win in Algarve. IAAF. Retrieved on 10 March 2010.
The race takes place at the Açoteias Cross Country course; a looping track which is in length and comprises sections of both grass and sand.Welcome Message from the President . 2008 ECCC Cup. Retrieved on 10 March 2010.Albufeira plays host to European Champion Clubs Cup Cross Country. European Athletics (1 February 2008). Retrieved on 10 March 2010. The race distances have traditionally been for men and for women, but this was extended in the 2010 edition to and .Civai, Franco (9 March 2009). Amendoeiras em Flor (Almond Blossom) 10 km and 6 km. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 10 March 2010.
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.Fernandes, António Manuel (5 March 2010). Focus on the locals as Portugal to select World XC squad at the Almond Blossom Cross Country. IAAF. Retrieved on 10 March 2010. 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.
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.European Clubs Cross Country Cup. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 10 March 2010. 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.Wallace-Jones, Sean (6 February 2000). Wami and Kamathi repeat Seville victories on World Championship course . IAAF. Retrieved on 10 March 2010. The competition itself was selected in 2010 to host the Portuguese Cross Country Championships, in which Yousef El Kalai and Ana Dulce Félix took the honours in the men's and women's races, respectively.Fernandes, António Manuel (8 March 2010). Bett and Felix take Almond Blossom XC titles. IAAF. Retrieved on 10 March 2010. The national competition returned to the race in 2012 and Manuel Damião was the men's Portuguese victor, while Félix again won the women's title. A year later Damião became the first Portuguese man to win the Almond Blossom race itself since 1995 – the invited African contingent (including four-time winner Josphat Kiprono Menjo) did not arrive due to travel issues.Fernandes, António Manuel (2013-02-24). Damião surprises as Chepkoech defends in Albufeira. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-03-02. The 2014 race again hosted the European Clubs event and Morocco's Mohamed Moustaoui continued to break the Kenya dominance of the men's race.Fernandes, António Manuel (2014-02-02). Moustaoui and Ayalew take the honours at Almond Blossom Cross Country. IAAF. Retrieved on 2014-02-23.
Past senior race winners
Key:
Distances:
(10 km for men and 6 km for women where not stated) EditionYearMen's winnerTime (m:s)Women's winnerTime (m:s)1st1977?——2nd197829:44?3rd197930:0913:194th198028:4413:025th198131:04?6th198230:0313:207th1983??8th1984??9th1985??10th1986??11th1987??12th198830:0220:0113th198923:4216:4614th199029:3920:0615th199130:0520:0416th199229:0619:3717th199329:0019:4818th199429:1019:3419th199529:2119:3120th199629:5819:4521st199728:4119:3122nd199829:3019:2523rd199929:3919:3124th200029:3419:4625th200120:3419:4826th200229:4819:4927th200329:3320:12—2004Not held—Not held—28th200527:4919:3529th200628:0119:3230th200729:1519:2731st200829:0819:0332nd200931:0119:3033rd201035:2226:0934th201130:2119:3835th201235:4026:0536th201329:1919:1637th201429:1320:1538th201524:1814:5139th201630:4334:0940th201730:0420:1841st201828:1320:4442nd201929:0020:1543rd202027:11 20:2044th202125:22 22:4245th202224:21 21:0946th202325:1721:3547th202427:1830:4548th202527:0231:4449th202627:1931:36
Statistics
Winners by country CountryMen's raceWomen's raceTotal 18 9 27 11 10 21 1 7 8 4 1 5 0 5 5 3 0 3 2 1 3 0 3 3 1 1 2 0 2 2 0 2 2 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1
Multiple winners AthleteCountryWinsYearsThomas Nyariki41997, 1998, 1999, 2002Josphat Kiprono Menjo42008, 2009, 2011, 2012Fernando Mamede31980, 1981, 1983Aurora Cunha31982, 1983, 1984Rodrigue Kwizera32022, 2025, 2026Wendy Smith-Sly21980, 1981Frank Zimmermann21979, 1984Rosa Mota21978, 1985António Leitão21985, 1986José Regalo21988, 1989Ondoro Osoro21993, 1994Catherina McKiernan21991, 1994Gabriela Szabo21995, 1996Patrick Ivuti22001, 2003Jeļena Prokopčuka22006, 2009Gorreti Chepkoech22012, 2013Likina Amebaw22021, 2023Thierry Ndikumwenayo22021, 2024
References
External links Algarve Athletics Association website 2014 results