(Ph. Colombo/FIDAL)

J medical La Mandria Cross: the test event

It will be an important day on Sunday 20 November, on the way to the cross-country European Championships, for more than one reason. Three weeks before “Piemonte 2022”, at the La Mandria Park in Venaria Reale, the J medical International Cross La Mandria event is scheduled to have a dual function. In fact, on an organizational level, it will represent the “test event” of the European championship. A run-through of 11 December, on the same route set up for the occasion. The goal is to better prepare the staff and to fine tune the logistical details based on the indications that can only be provided by a direct verification in the field, considering that the running-in phase is essential for the success of any major event.

The other aspect, no less relevant, will be the technical one because the cross on 20 November will become a crucial moment for the Italian team line up that will then present itself to the European Championships. In fact, the participation criteria specify that the composition of the italian teams of all categories (senior, under 23, under 20, relay) will take place by technical choice through the evaluation of the results obtained in the "test event" of Venaria Reale, considered highly indicative for the Technical Direction, and in another cross-country race in that month. It is therefore likely that many of the best Italian athletes will be at the start on November 20, to earn the call-up to the European Championships and to test themselves on the track that will host the continental challenges.

20^th  November 2022
Provisional timetable:

08:00   Competition Venue opening
09:35   U20 Men Race (6000m – 4x long lap)
10:05   U20 Women Race (4000m – 1x short lap + 2x long lap)
10:30   Short Race Men/Women (1500m – 1x short lap)
10:50   Mandriadi (promotional races for schoolgirls and schoolboys)
11:00   VC U20 Men individual
11:05   VC U20 Women Individual
11:10   VC Short Race Men 
11:15   VC Short Race Women
11:30   U23/Senior Women race (8000m – 2x short lap + 4x long lap)
12:10   U23/Senior Men race (10’000m – 1x short lap + 6x long lap)
12:55   VC U23 Men individual
13:00   VC U23 Women individual
13:05   VC Senior Women individual 
13:10   VC Senior Men individual

Member Federations interested in registering athletes for this meeting shall contact the organisers via email (competition@piemonte2022-lamandriapark.com) as soon as possible, but latest by 15 November 2022.