(ph. Damiano Benedetto)

One month to EuroCross: road to Piemonte 2022

Who has never participated to a cross country run as a child? The ups and downs that take your breath away, the air that stings, the rain as an opponent, the slippery grass, the mud, the shoes that sink, the necessary determination to challenge yourself and compete with others. At the highest levels it can only means: SPAR European Cross Country Championships. There is only one month left for the Venaria Reale show, the event on Sunday 11 December that crowns the champions of cross-country running, hosted for the fourth time by Italy in a fairytale setting, royal, in fact, like the La Mandria park next to the Royal Palace and Turin, between history, art and nature.

Piemonte 2022 is the European cross-country festival, not just a day of challenges among the strongest athletes on the continent, but a series of initiatives that promote running, the environment and the outdoor sports. On the competitive side, there will be thirteen European titles in all to be awarded in one of the largest fenced parks in Europe. It will therefore be an opportunity for the public to admire the greatest athletes closely, without paying any ticket: the access to the park is free. And for all the nations participating in the 28th edition, it will be the last major event of the European Athletics seasonal calendar, before projecting towards next year.

The course of the Europeans winds through the vast area of Prato Pascolo, very close to the main entrance of La Mandria Park. The peculiarities of the track are many: the wide starting line, the main ring with a climb that leads to the Castello della Mandria and the suggestive entrance into the Castle itself, with the first time crossing of the Carriage Gallery of the Royal Apartments, and then exit and present themselves to the public through the monumental door of the courtyard of honor.

The day of 11 December will be preceded by two appointments on the path of La Mandria Park. Sunday 20 November the J Medical International Cross La Mandria will be the run through for EuroCross, with a race that will be very indicative for the composition of the Italian team that will participate in the continental event. Then on Sunday 4th December everyone will be able to try their hand at cross-country running with Pedro's Cross, the “mass event” that involves athletes of all categories. The show is about to begin.