When Sir Roger Bannister shattered the four-minute barrier in 1954, it changed athletics forever. Nearly half a century later, Hicham El Guerrouj took that legacy airborne, rewriting the mile record in 1999 with a time so fast it has defied generations of challengers. Now, a two-time Olympic medalist, backed by a major sponsor and a multimillion-dollar project, is setting his sights on doing what no one has managed in over two decades.

Josh Kerr and Brooks Running have announced in Project 222, which is their attempt to break the mile world record at the London Diamond League meet. The meet will kick off on July 18, 2026, and while Kerr respects the record, he intends to chase after it at the meet.

“This is one of the most important track world records and the oldest [outdoor track-specific record],” Kerr told Citrus Mag. “To give it the respect it deserves, you need to come out and say it. This is not a record that should be stolen in the night. It should have a full season built around it. I’m not going to be shy about my goals.

“I’m not afraid to fail, and I have incredible people backing me. Project 222 seconds, which works out to a 3:42 mile. We’ll be going after it at the London Diamond League on July 18th. We needed a date. We needed the biggest and best venue in the Diamond League circuit, and it needed to be at home.”

While it may be the toughest thing Josh Kerr has attempted, the 28-year-old is going into the race in fine form, having stormed to the 3000m gold at the World Indoor Championships. That is despite enduring a tough 2025, where his calf popped during the 1500m final in the 2025 World Athletics Championships.

It left the Scottish runner heartbroken and without a medal for the first time since 2022, as he’d won medals every year since then. That includes an Olympics bronze in 2020 and a silver in 2024, alongside a silver at the London Athletics Meet in 2025, a gold at the 2023 World Championships, and a gold at the 2024 Glasgow World Indoor Championships.

This record carries a different weight for Josh Kerr. Sitting sixth on the all-time list and 2.21 seconds behind Hicham El Guerrouj, he knows he’ll need to improve his personal best, but he’s eager for the challenge, viewing it as one of the sport’s toughest pursuits.

“We’re in this middle distance era with some of the most exciting racing the sport has ever seen—I think some of the best middle distance runners will be remembered for generations,” Kerr added.

“But I just think the mile world record is one of the most difficult to go after. The 1500 and mile records together just weren’t touched for so long. A couple of years after I was born, that’s when it was set.”

Now, with support from his sponsor, Brooks Running, Kerr and the brand are going all in on the chase.

How Brooks’ Run Research Lab is powering Josh Kerr’s world record chase

Project 222 will be a joint effort between Josh Kerr and his long-time sponsor, Brooks Running. The company is not just sponsoring the Scottish athlete but developing everything he needs. That ranges from marketing, training, and more to a fully custom race-day kit which includes a custom-made speed suit, as Kerr attested to in the interview with Citrus Mag.

So far, Brooks has developed three prototype spikes for Josh Kerr, which will be refined further ahead of their next meeting. The brand is also designing a custom mile-specific shoe to give Kerr an edge in his record pursuit. The 28-year-old hopes the innovation will shave at least a tenth of a second off his time, and believes it could deliver even more.

Garrett Heath, Head of Sports Marketing at Brooks, echoed his confidence and revealed that the company is going all out to help Kerr break the record.

“This pursuit represents everything Brooks stands for — supporting bold ambition, building world-class performance gear, and showing up for athletes when the stakes are highest,” Heath said as per FloTrack.org. “When an athlete like Josh dares to chase history and test the limits of what is possible, it inspires everyone pursuing excellence.”

That comes as no surprise, given that Josh Kerr holds the British 1500m record (3:27.79) and the world best for the indoor two-mile (8:00.67). But this record poses an even greater challenge, and only time will tell if Kerr can achieve what no British runner has done since 1985.