British runner Josh Kerr has broken a 27-year-old world record for the fastest mile run. On Saturday, July 18, 2026, Kerr completed the race in London with a time of 3 minutes and 42.66 seconds. He beat the previous record by nearly half a second.
The old record of 3 minutes and 43.13 seconds was set by Moroccan runner Hicham El Guerrouj in Rome in 1999.
Kerr, a 28-year-old athlete from Edinburgh, Scotland, had announced his plan to break the record in March. He worked with his sponsor, Brooks Running, on a special plan called "Project 222." The name referred to the 222 seconds (3 minutes and 42 seconds) he needed to run to break the record.
To prepare, Kerr trained at a high altitude in Albuquerque, New Mexico. On the day of the race, two training partners ran with him to help him keep the right speed. In the end, Kerr won the race, beating second-place finisher Yared Nuguse of the United States by about three seconds.
Breaking the record in London was very special for Kerr. He is the seventh British runner in history to hold the mile world record. Other famous British record holders include Roger Bannister, who became the first person to run a mile in under four minutes in 1954.
"It is very overwhelming," Kerr said after the race. "It is silly to call your shot that early, obviously a lot of things can go wrong. But I was able to just stay consistent and put the work in."