JOIN USMo Farah's switch to the United States and a new training regime had already begun to pay dividends but it was back home in London that the Briton reaped his greatest rewards with two Olympic gold medals.
The 29-year-old's famous broad grin will live long in the memories of the millions who watched him race to glory in the 10,000 and 5,000 metres, becoming Britain's first winner of either and unquestionably the country's greatest long-distance runner.
Green shoots of Farah's newfound fortunes saw light in 2010 with European gold in the 5,000 and 10,000 but only began to flourish after he made big life changes seven months later.
He parted with coach Alan Storey and swapped runs through west London's leafy parks for a quieter, media-free environment in Oregon and a new trainer in three-times New York marathon winner Alberto Salazar.
A new regime included altitude camps, high-tech innovations such as an underwater treadmill and a freezing chamber aimed at quicker recovery times, and tackling his 120-miles-a-week at an average pace of 5.4 minutes, a minute quicker than he used to do.
Salazar has brought more confidence and steel to the softly-spoken Farah, reflected in a 5,000M world title and a world silver in the 10,000M in 2011 that cemented his place among the long-distance elite.
The despair Farah had shown at the world championships when Ethiopia's Ibrahim Jeilan overhauled him in the final strides of the 10,000M had been forgotten. "I'm thrilled for him, it really couldn't have happened to a better guy," Farah's American training partner Galen Rupp said.
"I owe a lot to him and I have definitely been the bigger beneficiary of our relationship because I am able to train with the best distance runner in the world. He has just been a great mentor and a great friend."