This week on The Runna Podcast, Izzy sat down with Josh just two days after the incredible race, to talk about what actually happened. The mindset, the training, and the story behind one of the biggest moments in British athletics history.
How Did Josh Kerr Break the World Record?
Josh had been telling people what shape he was in for weeks. As he puts it, race morning felt "almost like Christmas morning". He already knew exactly what was coming.
"I knew exactly what was wrapped under the tree. I just had to go downstairs and open it."
The hard part wasn't the fitness. It was making sure his mind and body were ready to deliver on a goal he'd already spoken about publicly, with everyone watching.
The Mindset Behind the Mile World Record
Ask any runner about race-day nerves, and Josh's answer might surprise you: the goal isn't to get rid of doubt. It's to let it in. Working with a performance coach, Josh trained himself to treat every emotion that came up mid-race – including doubt – as something to welcome, not fight.
"When doubt came in, I was like, I understand why you're doubting yourself right now. However, these are the reasons why we are not doubting ourselves at the moment."
It's a mindset shift that applies just as much to a first-time 5K as it does to a world record mile: don't suppress the doubt, answer it.
What Do the Wave Lights Actually Do?
If you watched the race, you'll have seen a line of lights moving around the inside of the track. Josh explains that the wave lights show pacing in real time, both for the pacemakers and for the runner chasing the record. The lights even had to be deliberately slowed in the final stretch so the crowd could see him "pulling away" from the record pace, rather than just matching it stride for stride.
It's one of the most-asked questions since the race, and Josh breaks down exactly how the technology works.
Why He Chose the Mile Over the 1500m
Josh has raced the 1500m at world-class level for years, so why go after the mile record instead? The answer comes down to accessibility. The 1500m is a distance most casual fans don't intuitively understand. The mile, on the other hand, is something almost everyone has run at some point, at school, on a treadmill, on a watch.
"If I told you to go and run a mile, your watch will go out and do that for you. If I tell you to run 1500, you'd be like, how far is that?"
Josh wanted people to genuinely understand the scale of what he was attempting, not just track fans, but anyone watching.
Why He Announced the Goal Before He'd Achieved It
Back in March, Josh publicly stated he was going after the world record, months before he'd actually done it.
It was a deliberate decision. Athletics, he says, often lacks the kind of built-in media attention other sports get, because athletes rarely commit to a goal out loud in advance. Josh wanted to change that - both for the sport, and for his own accountability.
"I know that I can get into world record shape. And I know if I circled a date on the calendar... why not try?"
The Comeback: Coming Back From Injury in Tokyo
Behind the record is a setback most people don't know about. At the World Championships in Tokyo, Josh strained his calf in the semi-final and went into the final carrying the injury. The result, in his own words, "ended in a disaster."
Rather than let that define him, Josh set two new goals: win the World Indoor title in March, then break the mile world record on home soil in July.
"Your setback is only going to be defined with your comeback."
Advice for Anyone Chasing a Big Goal
Asked what he'd say to someone chasing their own "impossible" goal, Josh's answer wasn't about training plans, it was about mindset.
"If you have a goal that is difficult for people to wrap their head around... sometimes you just gotta be out of the brain a little bit and stay in the body." His advice: be honest with yourself, put the work in, and don't let anyone else define what you're capable of.
"Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do it."
Watch or Listen to the Full Episode