New mile world record after 27 years
Scottish middle-distance athlete Josh Kerr broke the world record for the mile on July 18, running the distance (just over 1,600 metres) in 3 minutes, 42.6 seconds. He broke the previous record, which had stood for 27 years, by half a second.
He said afterwards that breaking the mile record had been his main goal for this year and planned meticulously for his record-breaking run, which came at a wider athletics event at the London Stadium.
This preparation included developing with footwear brand Brooks Running a pair of custom, race-day spikes. The Seattle-based company called the new shoe the Hyperion 222.
Originally from Edinburgh, Josh Kerr became a Brooks athlete in 2018 after completing a highly successful college athletics career while studying at the University of New Mexico.
The Hyperion 222 shoe is the result of what the company has called “rigorous testing”, which took into account the athlete’s individual biomechanics and racing rhythm. From the outset, the partners referred to this work as Project 222 because 3 minutes, 42 seconds (222 seconds in total) was always the target time.
Features in the finished shoe include a precisely-tuned carbon plate system and a one-of-a-kind upper. Brooks also supplied a race-day speed suit featuring aerodynamic and temperature-regulating functionality. Josh Kerr was the sole tester of the suit, which Brooks said contained “our lightest materials ever” to allow the athlete to focus solely on his record-attempt.
With the new record in the bag, Brooks said: “When preparation meets belief, history can be re-written.”
