By Kyle Merber
February 2, 2022
We as fans must protect legacy events! Brands aren’t going to save them! There are no marketing buzzwords that can encapsulate the history of some of the sport’s oldest, most unique events.
In cycling, the five “Monuments” and the Grand Tour are the most prestigious events an athlete can win. But imagine introducing a never before contested 260 kilometer Paris-Roubaix race onto an athlete’s calendar today! But it seems slightly less crazy to ride a $14,000 bike over muddy cobblestones when you read the who’s-who of previous winners — dating back to 1896! — that did it first.
The Cinque Mulini is the less appreciated cross country equivalent that more fans (especially Americans) need to learn about.
If you’re not familiar with the Cinque Mulini cross country course, wait for it…
Today was the historic Italian race’s 90th running 🇮🇹🏃♂️🚪🏡 pic.twitter.com/78o0b0FNQy
— The Lap Count (@TheLapCount) January 31, 2022
Some previous champions: Billy Mills, Frank Shorter, Grete Waitz, Lynn Jennings, Paul Tergat, Kenenisa Bekele, Faith Kipyegon, Selemon Barega, Letesenbet Gidey, Jacob Kiplimo
This past Sunday was the 90th running of the race, which is held in the small town of San Vittore Olona in Northern Italy. Its English translation of ‘the five mills’ reveals the unique feature of the foot race in that the course, well… runs through old mills. It started as a rebuttal to a rival village’s race around seven clock towers and the local community has been passionate about it ever since. Unfortunately, the race only loops through one mill, but it still features a whacky and windy course that more closely resembles a run through Olmec’s Temple than laps around soccer fields.
This year’s 11.5km men’s race was won again by Ethiopia’s Nibret Melak, who proved running 12:54 for 5000m translates to bounding up a flight of stairs. In the women’s 5.6km event, it was the World Athletics U20 3000m champion, Teresiah Muthoni Gateri of Kenya, who took home the W.
This race belongs on ESPN: The Ocho and even more importantly — your radar!
Watch the race below:
Kyle Merber
Kyle Merber is a former professional miler turned media multi-hyphenate. While he’s not above dropping a quick “back in my day,” he’s far more focused on the present. Since 2021, he has brought his signature analysis and commentary to track fans across the CITIUS MAG network. When he’s not writing The Lap Count or hopping on podcasts, Kyle manages partnerships and pitches a relentless stream of ideas for Chris to consider. He might not be running a 3:52 mile anymore, but he keeps himself in just good enough shape to ensure the athletes still respect him.