Untouched for 27 years and out of British hands for six more, the mile world record is one of the most coveted prizes in sport.
But on Saturday, in front of a crowd of 60,000 ecstatic fans in the former Olympic Stadium in London, Josh Kerr delivered the performance of his lifetime to bring it home.
Securing his place in the athletics history books, the 28-year-old stormed across the finish line in three minutes 42.66 seconds, slicing almost half a second off Hicham El Guerrouj’s previous mark of three minutes 43.13 seconds.
That record was set in July 1999, when Kerr was just one year old – and for more than a quarter of a century no one had beaten it – with only a couple of athletes even coming close.
But after unveiling ‘Project 222′ in March – his audacious quest to run the mile in 222 seconds – Kerr made it his mission to bring one of athletics’ most treasured records back to Britain.
Today, he delivered.
The remarkable achievement etches his name into the history books alongside a pantheon of British middle-distance running greats that includes Sir Roger Bannister, Steve Ovett, Sebastian Coe and Steve Cram.
Josh Kerr celebrates after he shattered the 27-year-old world mile record in Stratford Saturday
Kerr is married to his dermatologist wife Larimar – to whom he attributes much of his success
Former world record holder Sebastian Coe presents Kerr with a cheque for around £38,000
Astonishingly, Kerr’s time was almost 17 seconds faster than Sir Roger’s historic first sub-four-minute mile record in 1954.
Kerr publicly set out the intense regime that would see him break the world record earlier this year.
Months of meticulous preparations have included taking ice baths lasting exactly three minutes and 42 seconds, and going to bed at 8.30pm in an oxygen-boosting altitude chamber at his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Living at high altitude results in the body naturally producing more oxygen-rich red blood cells and, while Albuquerque is around 5,250ft above sea level, Kerr’s altitude chamber gives him another 3,000ft.
The Scottish athlete – a former 1500m world champion and double Olympic medallist – eats spinach with almost every meal and does a 16 to 18-hour food ‘fast’ from about 6.30pm on a Tuesday until around 12.30pm the next day.
He also takes sodium bicarbonate – essentially baking soda – before every race, which experts say delays muscle fatigue.
Kerr is married to his dermatologist wife Larimar, to whom he has attributed much of his success.
The pair met on Kerr’s first day at the University of New Mexico after he won a scholarship and moved to the United States to study and train at the age of 17.
Larimar was also on the track team, running the 400m. They became friends before starting dating a few years later.
They tied the knot in December 2025, having spent periods of time more than 3,000 miles apart to accommodate both their careers in different US states.
Kerr said Larimar keeps him ‘grounded’ and they spend quality time together, walking their dog Perez on Saturdays, when he takes a break from training.
He said she has dedicated her life to her job, which he describes as ‘extraordinary’.
Kerr comes from a strong athletic background. His father John is a former professional rugby player and his mother Jill a physiotherapist.
His brother Jake Kerr also represented Scotland at rugby and has played for the Bristol Bears.
Kerr is pictured with his family – mother Jill, father John and rugby player brother Jake
Kerr hugs his wife after breaking the mile world record on Saturday
They tied the knot in December last year, having spent periods of time more than 3,000 miles apart to accommodate both their careers in different US states
Sir Roger Bannister was a track amateur who ran himself into the sport’s history books
Kerr is seen after he won gold in the men’s 1500m at the 2023 World Athletics Championships
Kerr first showed real sporting promise when he won gold in the 1500m at the 2015 European Athletics Junior Championship.
He began running at the age of eight when he joined a local sports club in his hometown of Edinburgh.
Remarkably, Kerr said attempting to beat the mile world record was not the most intense training he has done – and in fact the hardest he worked was when he was 13 or 14.
He insists, however, that when it comes to performance less can mean more.
‘I do not believe in single “hero” workouts. I do not think more is simply more,’ Kerr wrote in a piece for The Telegraph in June.
‘I have found a weekly mileage and intensity that I can hit week in, week out. Consistency is king. Recovery is critical.’
As part of his ‘balanced’ training regime, Kerr focuses on recovery runs of seven to ten miles, three days a week – on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Kerr and Larimar were engaged for several years before they tied the knot last December
Kerr is pictured with his Granny Jean in a post shared on Instagram
But, he ramps up the intensity on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays – when he spends a significant proportion of his time running at a ‘tempo’ pace.
Kerr said he did not want to step foot in a gym until five years ago but now sees these sessions as an ‘enjoyable’ part of his preparation as well as vital to avoid injury.
He now strength-trains for up to 90 minutes every Tuesday and Friday within a few hours of his two ‘hardest running sessions’.
However, while ‘great training’ is key, for Kerr recovery is equally proactive and necessary.
He keeps a full day of rest – Saturdays – in his schedule which he usually spends walking his dog with his wife Larimar, who works at a nearby hospital.
And while Kerr’s regime has been transformed by modern technology and training techniques, his inspiration for brilliance lies firmly in the past.
Part of the Scot’s daily routine involves studying five races to gain tactical insights from what has gone before.
One of those he has drawn inspiration from is the video of amateur athlete Bannister running the first sub-four-minute mile in Oxford in 1954.
The lanky 25-year-old medical student crossed the line at Iffley Road, in three minutes 59.4 seconds.
And although he only held the record for 46 days, the black and white image of him crossing the finish line defined Bannister for all time.
In preparation for the record, Bannister simply squeezed in his training four or five times a week, in 30 or 45-minute stretches during lunchtime.
And before he broke the four-minute barrier, he took five days completely off.
Kerr sets off on his bid to break the record for the one mile in London on Saturday
The Scotsman had the crowd on their feet as he pulled off the daring world record challenge
Kerr seen victorious after winning the one mile men’s final and setting a new world record
Kerr has also studied other legends of his sport, notably previous British record holders Steve Ovett, Steve Cram and Sebastian Coe.
Both Coe and Cram were inside the London Stadium at the Olympic Park to witness Kerr join them in the history books.
During his run on Saturday, Kerr followed his plan to run the race in 222 seconds to the tee.
He began by following his Brooks teammate Brannon Kidder, completing the first lap in 54.75 seconds and reaching the 800m mark in exactly one minute 51 seconds.
Kerr has previously spoken about the importance of remaining patient and storing up energy before the ‘moment of ultimate release’.
Unable to keep up with Kerr’s untapped speed, Kidder moved off the track just after the second lap.
This left just Zan Rudolf to complete the pacing job, but he fell marginally behind at 1100m.
It was then, during the final lap, that Kerr surged ahead – and just like Bannister he managed to retain his running form to dip below the world record.
He roared with delight as he crossed the finish line, as the magnitude of what he had achieved hit him.
Kerr, who shaved nearly three seconds off his own personal best, was presented with a cheque for £38,000 for breaking the record.
‘It’s very overwhelming with the amount of hype [I created],’ he told BBC Sport.
‘It’s silly to call [the attempt] that early because there’s a lot of things which can go wrong, but I am surrounded by amazing people and was able to stay consistent and put the work in.
‘If I am to leave my mark on this sport as a British legend, following in the footsteps of the legends behind me, I have to put in those performances.
‘Those performances take every single part of you, every single part of your team.
‘The amount of work behind the scenes is incredible. Today, it was a performance I was able to bring out – I just hoped it would be a little bit faster!’
