Items20The creator’s order
  1. 1Paul TergatPaul TergatTergat spent the late 1990s finishing just behind Gebrselassie on the track, most painfully by nine hundredths of a second in the Sydney 2000 10,000m final, despite setting a 10,000m world record of his own in 1997. On the roads that strength-based, relentless rhythm, honed by five straight world…0i
  2. 2Haile GebrselassieHaile GebrselassieBorn 18 Apr 1973Gebrselassie is the template for the full journey. Two Olympic 10,000m golds and four world titles on the track came from a short, rapid stride and a devastating kick; when he moved up, that same economy let him hold record pace alone. He set world bests from 10km to the marathon, including the…0i
  3. 3Liz McColganLiz McColganBorn 24 May 1964McColgan won the 1991 world 10,000m title in Tokyo by running away from the field in stifling heat, a front-runner's victory built on an enormous training base. Within months she made her marathon debut in New York and won it, then added the 1992 world half-marathon title and London in 1996.…0
  4. 4Ingrid KristiansenIngrid KristiansenThe only athlete to hold the 5,000m, 10,000m and marathon world records at the same time, Kristiansen is the purest crossover case. She won the 1987 world 10,000m title and broke the 10,000m record by a vast margin in 1986, while her 2:21:06 marathon in London in 1985 lasted 13 years. Her strength…0i
  5. 5Kenenisa BekeleKenenisa BekeleBorn 13 Jun 1982Bekele's track record is close to untouchable: three Olympic golds, five world titles and 5,000m and 10,000m world records that lasted 16 years. On the roads his kick was less decisive, and injuries made his marathon years patchy, yet when fit he was astonishing, running 2:01:41 in Berlin in 2019.…0i
  6. 6Tirunesh DibabaTirunesh DibabaBorn 1 Jun 1985Dibaba's last-lap kick won three Olympic golds and five world track titles, including the Beijing 2008 5,000m and 10,000m double. Her move to the marathon showed how far that finishing speed could be stretched: she won Chicago in 2017 and ran 2:17:56 in London that year, then among the fastest…0i
  7. 7Samuel WanjiruSamuel WanjiruBorn 10 Nov 1986Wanjiru learned his racing in Japan, where as a teenager he set a world junior 10,000m record of 26:41.75 in 2005. He moved to the roads almost immediately, breaking the half-marathon world record, then won the Beijing 2008 Olympic marathon by running the hot early miles at a pace that broke…0i
  8. 8Eliud KipchogeEliud KipchogeKipchoge beat Bekele and El Guerrouj to win the 2003 world 5,000m title as an 18-year-old, then spent a decade as a fine but beatable track runner. The marathon unlocked him: his calm, metronomic rhythm and patience suited 42km far better than a last-lap sprint. Two Olympic marathon golds and two…0i
  9. 9Mo FarahMo FarahBorn 23 Mar 1983Farah's ten global track titles, including the 5,000m and 10,000m at both London 2012 and Rio 2016, came from controlling tactical races and closing with a sprint no one could answer. On the road he was a different, more workmanlike runner: six straight Great North Run wins and the 2018 Chicago…0i
  10. 10Vivian CheruiyotVivian CheruiyotBorn 11 Sept 1983Cheruiyot's small, quick-cadenced stride won four world track titles, including the 2011 5,000m and 10,000m double, and Olympic 5,000m gold in Rio at 32. Rather than retire, she turned to the marathon and within two years had won London in 2018, out-pacing a field that had gone off far too fast.…0i