Gabriele De Nard is assured of plenty of home support at the 2006 SPAR European Cross Country Championships in San Giorgio su Legnano, which return to being staged in Italy on December 10 after a gap of eight years.

However, De Nard has a double reason, a double-digit reason in fact, to be happy regardless of where he finishes.

He will become the third man to notch up 10 appearances or more, after champions Paulo Guerra and Sergiy Lebid, at the Championships.

Having started running in an Italian vest at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in 1996, De Nard has been ever present since for the Azzuri with the exception of 1999.

"Is it 10 coming up? I thought I'd only run in eight," joked De Nard, when presented with the facts.

"I'm certainly looking forward to it though, whatever number it is. The Championships are always my big goal of the winter and even more so this year as it is in Italy. I enjoy running in the SPAR European Cross Country Championships as it's a great way to kick off the winter," added the 32 year-old from Belluno.

"If you are in shape, the SPAR European Cross Country Championships are a great way to make a name for yourself. It's a wonderful competition, and what's more, it's one of the few major competitions where Europeans can still show their worth and not have to be overshadowed by hordes of Africans.

"Personally I love cross country. I'm not sure whether I love it because I'm good at it or have become good at it because I love it but, one way or another, I like doing it."

De Nard has never won an individual medal but came very close five years ago when he finished fourth at the 2001 SPAR European Cross Country Championships, which was held in the Swiss town of Thun.

"I think that has to be my fondest memory of the Championships. I was very happy to have run so well. Am I unhappy not to have got a medal? Well, it would have been nice but I also new I ran as well as I could have done on that day.

"After that come the team successes and medals. They were sweet, especially when we won the team gold medals in front of a home crowd (in Ferrara, venue of the 2007 European 10,000m Cup) in 1998.

The course in San Giorgio su Legnano is famed for being the venue of the historic Campaccio cross country race and it is one that De Nard knows almost backwards, having competed in the race on many occasions.

"It's what I would call a real cross country course and one of my favourite places to run. It's got some sweeping curves, which are among the aspects I like the best, and it has stretches which go up and down and require a change of rhythm. If the weather is good, the course is likely to be hard and fast as well.

De Nard runs cross country all through the winter, right the way through to March and while his personal best times on the track are nothing special compared to many of his rivals, with 13:34.19 and 28:58.51 to his name over 5,000m and 10,000m respectively, he seems to find another gear on cross country courses.

Earlier this year he won the Italian cross country title and such is his love for the discipline that he ran in both the short and long races at the World Cross Country Championships.

He has no firm plans for the future after the cross country season comes to an end next March but he is considering extending his range in 2007.

"I'm thinking of doing a marathon almost immediately after the end of the cross country season, perhaps the Rome Marathon. I've never done a marathon before and I wouldn't train specifically for it, I'd just like to have the experience and see how my body reacts to the training and the race itself," added De Nard.