Cross de l'Acier

The Cross de l'Acier (English: Cross of Steel) is an annual cross country running competition that is held in late November in Leffrinckoucke, France. First held in 1990, it is one of the foremost competitions of its type in France. Ten races are held at the event for athletes of varying abilities.[1] Around 2200 runners took part in the day's event in 2010.[2]

Cross de l'Acier
The Fort des Dunes, an old military fortification, is the race venue
Date	Late November
Location	Leffrinckoucke, France
Event type	Cross country
Distance	9.95 km for men 6.55 km for women
Established	1990
Official site	Cross de l'Acier
Participants	135 (2019)

The course of the competition is held around the Fort des Dunes – part of a set of military fortifications used in the First World War known as the Séré de Rivières system.[3] The men's international elite race covers 9.95 km while the women's race takes place over 6.55 km.[1] These races are used by French athletes to gain selection for the national team at the European Cross Country Championships, which is held a month after the event.[3] The elite competition currently holds permit status from European Athletics, alongside the Cross Internacional de Soria among others.[4]

It attracts elite runners of the highest calibre and former winners include multiple world record breaker Haile Gebrselassie, World Cross Country champions Zola Budd and Joseph Ebuya, and track world champions Fernanda Ribeiro and Linet Masai.[5] Although many of the competition's most successful runners hail from East Africa, the race also features prominent European runners: Paulo Guerra and Mo Farah both won the European Championships after winning in Leffrinckoucke a month previously.[6]