Josh Kerr has announced the most audacious goal of his career. The Scottish world 1500m champion and Brooks Running have launched Project 222, a dedicated campaign to break Hicham El Guerrouj's mile world record of 3:43.13 at the London Diamond League on July 18. The target: 222 seconds, or 3:42 flat — a time that would make Kerr the fastest miler in history.
El Guerrouj's record, set in Rome in 1999, has stood for 27 years and is widely considered one of the most durable marks in athletics. No runner has come within two seconds of it since it was set, and it has survived eras of carbon-plated spikes, supercritical foam tracks, and a generation of middle-distance talent that includes multiple Olympic champions. Kerr's willingness to publicly declare his intention to break it signals both supreme confidence and a carefully considered plan.
The preparation involves a support team of 16 people, including head coach Danny Mackey, assistant coach Julian Florez, a performance psychologist, a full-time nutritionist and chef, and two strength and conditioning coaches. Brooks is developing custom race-day spikes refined through continuous biomechanical testing, with every element of the shoe engineered around Kerr's specific gait pattern and racing mechanics. The attention to detail mirrors the approach that Nike took with the original Breaking2 project, but applied to a distance that demands raw speed rather than endurance.
Kerr's credentials make the attempt credible. He won the 1500m world title in Budapest in 2023, claimed Olympic silver in Paris in 2024, and holds a mile personal best of 3:45.34 — a British record that places him sixth on the all-time list. The gap between 3:45 and 3:42 is substantial at this level, but Kerr has shown a consistent upward trajectory that his team believes will peak in the London summer. The Emsley Carr Mile at the London Diamond League provides a purpose-built stage for the attempt, and the British crowd will add an atmosphere that few venues can match.