British runner Josh Kerr broke the mile world record on Saturday, clocking 3 minutes and 42.66 seconds at the Novuna London Athletics Meet to surpass Hicham El Guerrouj’s 27-year-old mark of 3:43.13.
Kerr, 28, had publicly declared his ambition in late March to break the record during a track season without major championships. After the race, he called the hype “overwhelming” but credited his team’s consistency for the achievement.
How Kerr Broke the Mile World Record
Kerr’s “Project 222” — a reference to the 222-second target — involved high-altitude training in Albuquerque, N.M., custom gear from sponsor Brooks Running, and a meticulously planned race. Two pacemakers kept him on track as he outpaced American Yared Nuguse by nearly 3 seconds. Britain’s Jake Heyward finished third.
A Historic Lineage for British Runners
Kerr becomes the seventh British athlete to hold the mile world record, joining legends like Roger Bannister, the first to break four minutes in 1954, and rivals Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett, who traded the record three times in 1981. He called breaking the mark on British soil “special.”
Kerr, a University of New Mexico alumnus, previously held the NCAA 1500m record from 2018 until Nuguse surpassed it in 2021. He also won Olympic silver in the 1500m at the 2024 Paris Games and is the 2023 world champion in the same event.
