Scottish middle-distance star Josh Kerr has achieved what many believed was nearly impossible. At the 2026 London Diamond League, Kerr ran the men’s mile in 3:42.66, breaking the 27-year-old world record of 3:43.13 set by Moroccan legend Hicham El Guerrouj in 1999. In doing so, Kerr became the first athlete in history to run the mile in under 3 minutes and 43 seconds, ending one of track and field’s longest-standing and most respected records.

The performance was the culmination of Kerr’s ambitious “Project 222”—named after his goal of covering the mile in fewer than 222 seconds. Assisted by two pacemakers and the Wavelight pacing system, he executed an almost perfectly even race. Kerr passed 400 meters in 55.3 seconds, 800 meters in 1:51.1, and 1,500 meters in 3:27.62—faster than his own British 1,500-meter record—before finishing with a blistering final lap to rewrite athletics history. He later revealed that he temporarily lost his hearing during the final 110 meters as his body pushed to its absolute limit.

The previous record had been set by El Guerrouj in Rome in 1999 and had long been regarded as one of the sport’s most untouchable marks. Over nearly three decades, generations of elite runners had come close but failed to surpass it. Kerr’s achievement was the result of meticulous preparation, including altitude training, customized racing equipment, and months of planning focused entirely on a single race.