Ahmad Hassan Abdullah is a long-distance and cross country runner, now representing Qatar after his switch from Kenya in 2003. Other runners who have made the same switch include Saif Saeed Shaheen.
Eyerusalem Kuma is an Ethiopian long-distance runner, who competes in marathons. She has a personal best of 2:24:55 hours for the distance and was the 2009 winner of the Amsterdam Marathon.
José Carlos Adán Arias is a retired Spanish long-distance runner who specialized in cross-country running. He was twice a team bronze medallist at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships and his highest individual placing was 18th, achieved in 1995. In total, he made twelve appearances at the competition, from 1986 to 2002. He also represented his country at the 1993 World Championships in Athletics, placing 16th in the 10,000 metres, and at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, being eliminated in the 10,000 m heats. He twice competed at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships.
Angela Rosemary Tooby-Smith is a British former long-distance runner. She won a silver medal behind Ingrid Kristiansen at the 1988 IAAF World Cross Country Championships and a bronze medal in the 10,000 metres at the 1986 Commonwealth Games. She also finished ninth in the 10,000 metres final at the 1987 World Championships and competed at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. She is the twin sister of fellow athlete Susan Tooby.
Some Muge (1959–1997) was a Kenyan long-distance runner.
Annette Sergent is a French former long-distance runner. She represented her country three times at the Summer Olympics, but it was in cross country running that she had her greatest success. She became the first Frenchwoman to win a world title in the sport at the 1987 IAAF World Cross Country Championships and won for a second time in 1989. In addition to these victories, she made eleven appearances at the competition and placed third in both 1986 and 1988.
Bekele Debele is an Ethiopian former long-distance runner who specialised in cross country running. His greatest achievement was winning the gold medal at the 1983 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, becoming only the second African man to do so.
Alice Aprot Nawowuna is a Kenyan long-distance runner. She was the gold medallist in the 10,000 metres at the 2015 African Games, where she also won the bronze medal in the 5000 metres. Aprot claimed gold and silver in the 10,000 m at the 2016 and 2018 African Championships in Athletics respectively. She earned the silver medal for the senior women's race at the 2017 World Cross Country Championships.
Ivan Uvizl is a Czech former long-distance runner. He was a bronze medallist at the 1985 IAAF World Indoor Games and was a three-time Czechoslovak champion. He participated three times at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships.
Agnetha Chelimo is a Kenyan former racewalker. She was a four-time African champion in the discipline.
Kipsubai Koskei is a Kenyan former long-distance runner. His greatest success was a 10,000 metres gold medal at the African Championships in Athletics in 1985, which he won in a championship record time of 28:11.70 minutes. He was bronze medallist in the 5000 metres that same year and returned the following year to win a silver medal in the 10,000 m.
Hans-Jürgen Orthmann is a German former long-distance runner who competed for West Germany. He made thirteen consecutive appearances at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships from 1975 to 1987. His highest honour was a silver medal in 1980. He was a seven-time national champion, taking three titles in cross country running, two in road running and two in track.
Thomas Osano is a Kenyan former long-distance runner who competed across track, road, and cross country running disciplines. His greatest individual honour was a 10,000 metres gold medal at the 1991 All-Africa Games. He also shared in a team gold medal with Kenya at the 1993 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships.
Andrew Masai is a Kenyan former long-distance runner who competed in road running and cross country running events. He was one of Kenya's best cross country runners in the late 1980s, taking six team gold medals at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships. His best individual finish at that competition was sixth in 1987. He was key to the rise of Kenya in cross country, helping the nation to its first team title and scoring points which helped establish an unbeaten streak in the team race which lasted from 1986 to 2003.
Leonard Kiplimo Barsoton is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes mainly in cross country running and track events. He has represented his country twice at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships and was a silver medallist over 10,000 metres at the African Games.
Natalya Sorokivskaya is a Kazakhstani female former long-distance runner who competed for the Soviet Union and later Kazakhstan. She competed in track, road and cross country running disciplines. She holds the Kazakhstani national records from 3000 metres to the 10K run and also the half marathon record.
James Songok is a Kenyan male long-distance runner who competed in cross country, track and road running.
Iris Biba-Pöschl is a German female former long-distance runner competed over distances from 3000 metres to the marathon. She won the 1989 Frankfurt Marathon and represented her country at the World Championships in Athletics in 1991 and 1997, finishing in the top ten each time. She also competed at the IAAF World Women's Road Race Championships (twice), IAAF World Cross Country Championships and the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships. She was banned for doping in 1993.
Mariana Chirilă is a Romanian female distance runner who competed in events ranging from 800 metres to the marathon. Individually she won gold medals in the 3000 metres at the 1986 Goodwill Games and the 1992 Balkan Athletics Championships, and won the senior race at the Balkan Cross Country Championships in 1985. She represented her country at the European Athletics Championships in 1986, twice at the Universiade, and twice at the IAAF World Women's Road Race Championships. Her highest global ranking was eighth in the 3000 m for the 1986 season.
Bogusław Psujek was a Polish long-distance runner who specialised in the marathon. His most prominent victory was at the 1986 Berlin Marathon, which he won in a course record of 2:11:03 hours. He also won the Beppu-Ōita Marathon in 1990. He achieved his highest global ranking of ninth in the 1990 season, with a then Polish national record run of 2:10:26 hours in a seventh-place finish at the 1987 London Marathon.
Kenya 
