Josh Kerr has broken the one-mile world record at the London Diamond League, clocking three minutes 42.66 seconds to shatter Hicham El Guerrouj's long-standing mark. The 28-year-old Scottish runner improved the previous record by 0.47 seconds, a record that had stood since 1999.
Record-Breaking Performance
Kerr crossed the finish line in front of a 60,000-strong crowd at the London Stadium, wearing a custom Brooks speed suit and spikes. He had announced his intention to break the record in March, and delivered on his promise. The time of 3:42.66 took nearly half a second off El Guerrouj's 3:43.13, which had stood for 27 years.
Kerr, the 2023 world 1500 metres champion, knew early in the race that he was on track. "I knew I was going to make it happen within the first 400m," he said.
Inspired by Roger Bannister
Kerr said his inspiration came from Sir Roger Bannister, who broke the four-minute mile in 1954. "Everyone is asking, 'Who was it? Was it you chasing the current world record? Is it that world record holder? Is it some of the previous British world record holders?' But it wasn't. To be honest, it was Roger Bannister," Kerr explained.
He added: "Being able to wrap your mind around a number that hasn't ever been broken. It's something that is very difficult to do. The mantra in the first two months of this project was, 'We're not chasing world records, we're creating the conditions where world records become inevitable'."
Joining British Legends
Kerr joins a select group of British men who have broken the mile record, including Sebastian Coe, Steve Cram, and Steve Ovett, who did it six times between them in the late 1970s and 1980s. "I talk constantly and I know I annoy people with that," said Kerr. "And I really apologise to be honest, but to be able to be remembered alongside the legends that we have in the sport, especially in the UK, I have to run records to even be up against those guys."
He added: "I'm following in the footsteps of the giants and to be able to bring that back here and back home in London, with the likes of Lord Coe in here and the likes of Crammy [Steve Cram] in here, that's all I can do for the sport and hopefully that brings pride back to them as well."
Race Strategy and Pacemakers
Kerr credited pacemakers Brannon Kidder and Zan Rudolf, the latter a last-minute replacement, for "setting the tone". He described his approach: "It was easy today, not to say that the record was easy to run, but when you put yourself in the river and you don't fight it, you're just flowing down. But it wasn't a war. If you watch any experienced fighters, they're not looking, they're not swinging. All they're doing is they're waiting for their moment and they're going to pounce at it. My moment was 400 to go and I'm going to start squeezing, I'm going to start putting the pace to a place that no one else can withstand. I'm butter within a hot pan. I'm just going to start sizzling away and start staying loose and it was a fun time out there."
Kerr, who trains in Albuquerque, United States, was sixth on the all-time list heading into the meeting with a previous personal best of 3:45.34, the British record he set at the Prefontaine Classic in 2024.
