Josh Kerr breaks 27-year-old men's mile world record in London

Josh Kerr breaks 27-year-old men's mile world record in London

Scottish runner Josh Kerr has broken the 27-year-old men's mile world record during a Diamond League meet in London on Saturday. Running before 60,000 fans at London Stadium, the 28-year-old athlete posted a time of 3:42.66.

The performance surpasses the previous record of 3:43.13 set by Hicham El Guerrouj in Rome in 1999. One source reported the finish time as 3:42.77, though other reports list it as 3:42.66.

Kerr, a native of Edinburgh, finished more than three seconds ahead of American Yared Nuguse, who took second place with a time of 3:45.69. The achievement makes Kerr the seventh Brit to hold the record for the distance, a feat not achieved by a British runner since Steve Cram in 1985.

The record-breaking run followed a period of intense preparation. Kerr had publicly aimed to break the mark in March. His sponsor, Brooks, supported the effort under the name Project 222, a reference to the number of seconds in 3 minutes and 42 seconds. Earlier in the week, Kerr demonstrated his form by running 2:42.45 in a 1,200-meter time trial.

Kerr described the experience of the final stretch as overwhelming.

"It was just me, my shoes and the track,"

Josh Kerr, athlete, via BBC

He told the BBC that he felt absolutely deaf in the final 110 meters and that while he felt himself slowing down, he did not take my foot off the gas.

The decision to target the mile record came after a year devoid of Olympics or World Championships. Kerr, who specializes in the 1,500m, viewed the distance as a way to avoid treating the year as an off year.

Kerr is already a decorated middle-distance runner. He won a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics and a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Additionally, he won the world championship in the 1,500m in 2023. Before his professional career, he competed at the University of New Mexico, where he earned multiple NCAA titles and set an NCAA indoor mile record of 3:35.01 in 2018.

His ascent to the top of the sport has been characterized by a rivalry with Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the 2021 Olympic champion. The two athletes engaged in public disputes online and on the track regarding the use of pacesetters in the 1,500-meter race. During the Paris Games, Kerr secured second place while Ingebrigtsen finished fourth.

Kerr reflected on the effort required to reach this milestone and the pressure of the public expectation he generated.

"It’s very overwhelming with the amount of hype [I created],"

Josh Kerr, athlete, via BBC Sport

He compared the process of preparing the record attempt to a culinary project, stating he felt he had a kitchen full of amazing incredible chefs and decided on the specific dish he wanted to make. Speaking to The New York Times, Kerr noted that he knew he had a 3:42 in him, although he admitted he nearly lost it there at the end.

While Kerr’s feat was achieved within the sanctioned Diamond League circuit, other recent distance attempts have lacked official record status. In 2019, Eliud Kipchoge ran a marathon in under 2 hours, but the mark was not recognized as a world record because it was not conducted under standard race conditions. Similarly, Faith Kipyegon ran a 4:06.42 mile that would have broken the women's world record if it had occurred in official competition.

Kerr's previous personal best in the mile was 3:45.34, recorded in 2024.