Paul Tergat

Tergat won five world cross-country titles in a row from 1995 to 1999, on courses as different as wintry Durham, warm Stellenbosch in South Africa, Turin, Marrakech and Belfast. His strength-based running and high tolerance for sustained pace made him almost impossible to drop on varied terrain, even when Haile Gebrselassie had the better of him on the track. Few runners have been so complete over the country.