Inside Josh Kerr’s audacious bid to smash the mile world record: Inspired by Sir Roger Bannister, how he achieved the remarkable feat and why he credits his wife for his success

The mile world record, untouched for 27 years and held by the British for six, is one of the most coveted prizes in sport.

But on Saturday, in front of a crowd of 60,000 enthusiastic fans at the old Olympic Stadium in London, Josh Kerr gave the performance of his life to bring it home.

Securing his place in the athletics history books, the 28-year-old crossed the finish line in three minutes 42.66 seconds, half a second shy of Hicham El Guerrouj’s previous record of three minutes 43.13 seconds.

This record was broken in July 1999, when Kerr was just one year old, and for more than a quarter of a century, no one had broken this record, and only a few athletes had even come close to it.

But after unveiling ‘Project 222′ – his audacious quest to run a kilometer in 222 seconds – in March, Kerr has made it his mission to bring one of athletics’ most valuable records back to Britain.

He delivered it today.

This remarkable achievement etched his name into the history books alongside the pantheon of British middle-distance runners including Sir Roger Bannister, Steve Ovett, Sebastian Coe and Steve Cram.

Kerr is married to her husband Larimar, a dermatologist to whom she attributes much of her success.

Former world record holder Sebastian Coe presented Kerr with a check for nearly £38,000

Amazingly, Kerr’s time was almost 17 seconds faster than Sir Roger’s first sub-four-minute mile record in 1954.

Earlier this year, Kerr made clear the intense regime that would see her break the world record.

Months of meticulous preparations include taking an ice bath that lasts exactly three minutes and 42 seconds and going to bed in an oxygen-enhancing altitude chamber at 8:30 p.m. at his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Living at high altitude causes the body to naturally produce more oxygen-rich red blood cells, and while Albuquerque is about 5,250 ft above sea level, Kerr’s altitude chamber gives him 3,000 ft more elevation.

The Scottish athlete, a former 1500 meters world champion and double Olympic medalist, eats spinach with almost every meal and goes on a 16 to 18 hour ‘fast’ from 6.30pm on Tuesday until 12.30pm the next day.

She also takes sodium bicarbonate (essentially baking soda) before every race, and experts say it delays muscle fatigue.

Kerr is married to her husband, dermatologist Larimar, to whom she attributes much of her success.

The two met on Kerr’s first day at the University of New Mexico after winning a scholarship, and at the age of 17, she moved to the United States to study and receive an education.

Larimar was also on the athletics team that ran 400 meters. They became friends before starting dating a few years later.

They married in December 2025, spending more than 3,000 miles apart from each other to host their careers in different states in the United States.

Kerr said Larimar keeps her ‘on her feet’ and they spend quality time together walking their dog Perez, when she takes a break from training on Saturdays.

He said he devoted his life to his work, which he described as ‘extraordinary’.

Kerr has a strong athletic background. His father, John, is a former professional rugby player and his mother, Jill, is a physiotherapist.

His brother Jake Kerr also represented Scotland in rugby and played for Bristol Bears.

Kerr was photographed with her family, which includes mother Jill, father John and rugby player brother Jake.

Kerr hugs his wife after breaking the world kilometer record on Saturday

They got married in December last year, having spent more than 3,000 miles apart from each other to both host their careers in different states in the US.

Sir Roger Bannister was an athletics amateur who entered the sport’s history books

Kerr seen after winning gold in the men’s 1500 meters at the 2023 World Athletics Championships

Kerr first showed her true sporting promise by winning gold in the 1500 meters at the 2015 European Athletics Junior Championships.

He started running at the age of eight, joining a local sports club in his hometown of Edinburgh.

Remarkably, Kerr said that trying to break the world record was not the most intense training he had ever done, and in fact his hardest training was when he was 13 or 14 years old.

But when it comes to performance, he insists, less can mean more.

‘I don’t believe in single ‘hero’ workouts. “I don’t think more is just more,” Kerr wrote. Telegram In June.

‘I found weekly mileage and an intensity I could reach every week. Consistency is king. ‘Healing is critical.’

As part of his ‘balanced’ training regime, Kerr focuses on seven- to ten-mile recovery runs three days a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Kerr and Larimar were engaged for several years before marrying last December

Kerr was photographed with her Granny Jeans in a post shared on Instagram

However, he increases his intensity on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, when he spends a significant part of his time running at a ‘tempo’ pace.

Kerr said that until five years ago he did not want to step foot in the gym, but now sees these sessions as a ‘fun’ part of his preparation and is vital to avoiding injury.

He now strength-trains for up to 90 minutes every Tuesday and Friday, a few hours after his ‘hardest running sessions’.

But while ‘excellent training’ is the keyword, for Kerr recovery is equally proactive and necessary.

In her schedule, she devotes the entire day (Saturdays) to rest, which she usually spends walking her dog with her husband, Larimar, who works at a nearby hospital.

And although Kerr’s regime has been transformed by modern technology and training techniques, his inspiration for genius certainly lies in the past.

Part of the Scot’s daily routine involves reviewing five races to gain tactical insight from what has gone before.

One of the videos that inspired him was amateur athlete Bannister’s first sub-four-minute run in Oxford in 1954.

The lanky 25-year-old medical student crossed the line at Iffley Road in three minutes 59.4 seconds.

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 squeezed his training into 30- or 45-minute intervals during lunch, four or five times a week.

And he took five full days off before breaking the four-minute mark.

Kerr sets out to break the mile record in London on Saturday

Scotsman brings crowd to its feet as he pulls off daring world record challenge

Kerr emerged victorious after winning the one-mile men’s final and setting a new world record

Kerr also studied other legends of his sport; particularly previous British record holders Steve Ovett, Steve Cram and Sebastian Coe.

Both Coe and Cram were at the London Stadium in the Olympic Park to witness Kerr joining them in the history books.

During his run on Saturday, Kerr followed his plan to run the race to the start in 222 seconds.

He started by trailing Brooks teammate Brannon Kidder, completing the first lap in 54.75 seconds and reaching the 800-meter mark in exactly one minute and 51 seconds.

Kerr has previously spoken about the importance of remaining patient and storing energy before the ‘moment of final release’.

Kidder, who could not keep up with Kerr’s speed, which he had not yet reached, left the track immediately after the second lap.

This left only Zan Rudolf to complete the pace, but he fell marginally behind at 1100 metres.

That’s when Kerr took the lead on the final lap and, like Bannister, he maintained his running form and managed to fall below the world record.

As he crossed the finish line, he roared with joy as the magnitude of what he had accomplished hit him.

Kerr, who shaved nearly three seconds off his personal best, was presented with a check for £38,000 for breaking the record.

‘The amount of exciting ads is overwhelming [I created]he told BBC Sport.

‘It’s stupid to call [the attempt] This early because there are so many things that can go wrong, but I’m surrounded by great people and I’ve been able to stay consistent and get to work.

‘If I want to leave my mark on this sport as a British legend, following in the footsteps of the legends behind me, I need to deliver these performances.

‘These performances take every part of you, every part of your team.

‘The amount of work that goes on behind the scenes is incredible. It was a performance that I was able to put forward today; I was just hoping it would be a little faster!’