On the eve of the 28th edition of the European 10,000m Cup, athletes across the continent are entering their final preparations. Held in La Spezia on Saturday 23 May, it will be the fourth time Italy has hosted the event, which promises opportunities for continental glory and fast times.
What is the European 10,000m Cup?
The first edition of the Cup was held in 1997 in Barakaldo, Spain — and it was known as the European 10,000m Challenge until 2005 — to support the development of European distance running.
It is now firmly established as one of the continent’s most prestigious distance-running events.
Unlike other individual track races, the European 10,000m Cup also places a strong emphasis on team performance. While athletes compete for individual titles in both the men's and women's races, the pursuit of the national team title adds another layer to the competition.
Countries enter multiple athletes into each 25-lap race, with team scores calculated by adding together the total times of each nation’s top three athletes. The team with the lowest combined time wins the competition.
Last year’s race in Pacé, France saw history made as Ireland’s Efrem Gidey and Belgium’s Jana Van Lent won the men’s and women’s titles respectively, becoming the first athletes from their nations to win the event.
Van Lent had the additional satisfaction of helping Belgium secure the women’s team title with a combined time of 1:36:02.12, while France won the men’s team title in 1:24:51.35.
Where is it taking place?
There is a strong resurgence in Italian distance running, led by world and Olympic silver medallist and multiple European champion Nadia Battocletti, European half marathon and 10,000m gold medallist Yemaneberhan Crippa, and Iliass Aouani, who broke through by winning world bronze and European gold in the marathon.
All three were in the entries for the 2026 European 10,000m Cup.
Unfortunately, Battocletti and Crippa both withdrew from the event on Wednesday (20) due to illness and injury, leaving Aouani as the main home hope at the Montagna Sports Centre in the Italian port city of La Spezia, the host venue.
There are strong Italian hopes both in the individual and in the team competitions on the blue-surfaced track, so it has all the makings of another night of celebration for the Azzurri.
Throughout the field, athletes will also be searching for fast times in an effort to secure their places at the Birmingham 2026 European Athletics Championships on 10–16 August. The key targets are the Birmingham 2026 qualifying standards of:
- Men - 27:50:00
- Women - 32:00:00
Athletes to watch
- Alessia Zarbo (France)
Runner-up in last year's race, Zarbo will be eyeing another podium position this year. A talented youngster, who won 3000m bronze at the Győr 2018 European Athletics U18 Championships, she is now beginnning to make an increasing impact on the senior stage.
She is the current French champion over 10,000m and half marathon and holds the national record at the longer distance with 1:08:20 set in Valencia last October.
- Jess Martin (Great Britain)
Formerly known as Jess Andrews, she reached the 10,000m finals at the Rio Olympics and the Amsterdam 2016 European Athletics Championships before stepping away from the sport for eight years to start a family.
Having returned to competition last year, this marks her return to international action.
- Iliass Aouani (Italy)
An experienced runner on road, track and cross country, he made a significant breakthrough when winning gold in the marathon at the inaugural European Running Championships in Brussels-Leuven last year.
He went on to win bronze in the marathon at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo and has since set a new Italian record of 2:04:26 at the Tokyo Marathon in April.
He returns to the European 10,000m Cup for the first time since 2023 and will be looking for a significant improvement on the 17th place finish he recorded in Pacé.
- Valentin Gondouin (France)
In the absence of Jimmy Gressier and Yann Schrub, France still field a formidable line-up led by Gondouin, who is a proven medallist at European level.
He finished second in this event in Pacé last year and also won bronze in the half marathon at last year’s European Running Championships in Brussels-Leuven.
He will be keen to lead a strong French defence of the team title.
- Elżbieta Glinka (Poland)
The 32-year-old Glinka is a latecomer to the international scene and was still competing at recreational level as recently as 2023.
But she has made remarkable progress, setting a new Polish 10km record of 31:47 earlier this year.
She also leads the entries on season’s bests with 32:18.90 after winning the Polish 10,000m title in April.
Legends of the European 10,000m Cup
The European 10,000m Cup boasts an impressive roster of distance-running superstars, many of whom went on to win Olympic, world and European titles, including the following luminaries:
Jimmy Gressier (France)
With three successive men's U23 titles at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships from 2017-2019, the Frenchman was already identified as an athlete with huge potential. His victory at the European 10,000m Cup in Pacé was his first major triumph on the international senior stage.
He went on to win gold at the distance at last year's World Athletics Chmapionships in Tokyo.
Mo Farah (Great Britain)
Before becoming one of the most decorated distance runners in history, Mo Farah honed his craft at the European 10,000m Cup.
He claimed individual gold in Marseille 2010, clocking 27:28.86 — the first time a British athlete had won the men’s competition.
Just one year later, he claimed his first global title at the Daegu 2011 World Athletics Championships, followed by historic back-to-back Olympic doubles over 5000m and 10,000m at London 2012 and Rio 2016.
Paula Radcliffe (Great Britain)
A towering figure in women’s distance running, Paula Radcliffe stormed to victory in Barakaldo in 1999, clocking a dominant 30:40.70 to secure the title.
She returned to Barakaldo in 2001 and repeated the feat, winning her second crown in 30:55.80.
The two-time champion used the competition as a springboard to global acclaim. Radcliffe went on to win the European 10,000m title at Munich 2002 and famously rewrote the marathon record books with her legendary 2:15:25 in London 2003 — a world record that stood for more than 16 years.
Fernanda Ribeiro (Portugal)
The Portuguese athlete cemented her place as one of her nation’s greatest athletes by winning Olympic 10,000m gold in Atlanta, having already secured European and world 10,000m titles in the preceding two years.
She was also a prolific competitor at the European 10,000m Cup, winning in Lisbon 1998 and Athens 2003.
At the age of 40, she still had enough left to help Portugal win the team title in Marseille 2010, where she placed 10th.
Dieter Baumann (Germany)
The 1992 Olympic 5000m champion played a pivotal role in the early years of the European 10,000m Cup.
He secured victory in the inaugural edition in Barakaldo in 1997 with a time of 27:21.53.
Baumann continued to showcase his prowess by earning bronze in Lisbon 1998, clocking 27:32.31. He reclaimed the title in Camaiore 2002 in 27:38.51.
Baumann's illustrious career also includes a silver medal in the 5000m at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and gold in the same event at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. He also secured European silver medals in the 10,000m at Budapest 1998 and Munich 2002.
Where to watch La Spezia 2026
The event will be livestreamed via the European Athletics YouTube channel, where fans can expect full coverage of all races, live results and expert English-language commentary throughout the evening.
The livestream will begin at 5:05pm (CEST).
European Athletics will also post updates throughout the day on the European Athletics website and across its social media channels, including Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.