Josh Kerr just broke an old record for the fastest mile. Just under 3 minutes and 43 seconds. He averaged over 16 MPH.
If you are wondering whether that is fast, jump on a treadmill at the gym and give it a whirl. I set mine at 12 once years ago when I ran frequently. It was humbling and I don’t think I managed more than 20 seconds at that pace.
British runner Josh Kerr ran 3 minutes, 42.66 seconds to break the longstanding men’s mile world record at a Diamond League meet in London on Saturday.
apnews.com
Josh Kerr of Britain breaks the men’s mile world record that stood since 1999
Josh Kerr, the British runner who helped stoke a revival in middle-distance drama on the track, added a new chapter Saturday by running the mile in 3 minutes, 42.66 seconds to break the 27-year-old world record for the distance.
At a Diamond League meet in London, Kerr broke Moroccan great Hicham El Guerrouj’s mark of 3 minutes, 43.13 seconds, set in Rome in 1999. The 28-year-old native of Edinburgh celebrated with a lap of honor at London Stadium.
“It was just me, my shoes and the track,” he said. “I was absolutely deaf in that last 110 meters.”
Kerr finished more than three seconds clear of American Yared Nuguse’s second-place time of 3:45.69.
In an interview with the BBC, Kerr said the crowd support as he closed in on the record was “just incredible.”
“I didn’t take my foot off the gas,” he continued, “but ... I started to glide and I was like ‘oh wow this feels incredible.’ It’s incredible because I’m slowing down. So, I was like ‘I better get to the line.’ So, crossing the finish line, seeing 42-something — anything — was my goal, so it was great.”
The 28-year-old Kerr’s previous best time was 3:45.34 in 2024.
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This year, with no worlds or Olympics on the schedule, Kerr made the mile his key target. It’s a distance that isn’t run as much in big events but that still has major historical significance, most of it surrounding Roger Bannister’s breaking of the once-intimidating four-minute barrier in 1954.
Just sayin': He beat the old record by .47 seconds.
