{"id":255928,"date":"2026-08-03T07:00:44","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T07:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/03\/josh-kerr-there-are-some-fantastic-1500m-guys-but-i-feel-im-on-a-different-level\/"},"modified":"2026-08-03T07:00:44","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T07:00:44","slug":"josh-kerr-there-are-some-fantastic-1500m-guys-but-i-feel-im-on-a-different-level","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/03\/josh-kerr-there-are-some-fantastic-1500m-guys-but-i-feel-im-on-a-different-level\/","title":{"rendered":"Josh Kerr: \u2018There are some fantastic 1500m guys. But I feel I\u2019m on a different level\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n

I<\/span>t was late on a crisp Glasgow night when Josh Kerr unlocked his hidden human side. Most of those who had roared themselves hoarse as he powered to Commonwealth gold<\/a> had long gone. But after a few tears on the podium, Kerr spent more than half an hour posing for every selfie and signing every autograph.<\/p>\n

It took quite some time, as the terminator on the track turned out to be a chatterbox off it. Although sometimes when he was asked for advice, Kerr couldn\u2019t resist a flash of droll humour. \u201cI was telling the kids to go to bed and telling the parents off,\u201d he says, smiling.<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n

Suddenly Kerr is even deeper in the moment, sharing how children kept showing him signs they had made for him, or telling him about their love of sport. The only request he turned down was for his Oakley sunglasses. Sorry, he replied, explaining that he wore them when he broke the mile world record<\/a> last month. \u201cI wanted to be there until everyone went home,\u201d Kerr says. \u201cAnd, to be honest, if you drink coffee at 6pm, you\u2019re up all night anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kerr can attest to that. When we meet the following morning, he confides that he has only had 15 minutes\u2019 sleep. Not that it stops him giving all sorts of insights on his training, his use of red-light therapy, and why the 1500m world record will probably have to wait. So how much of the real Josh Kerr does the public see, I ask. \u201cProbably not a crazy amount,\u201d he says. \u201cAs athletes, we get a lot of criticism, and I\u2019m OK with it. But it\u2019s not something I want to drag my family into. That\u2019s why I have a hard time pulling all of the information from my life and sharing everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

And while Kerr does put training videos on social media, he concedes that he doesn\u2019t want his rivals to know him too well. \u201cThere\u2019s a persona that comes on the track,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd if you were in that call room on Saturday you would have seen everyone\u2019s personality come out. A lot of athletes were chatting and joking and doing their thing. All power to them, if that\u2019s what makes them comfortable. It\u2019s just not how I roll.\u201d<\/p>\n

Track and field\u2019s iron man proved just as inscrutable when the mile race got under way on Saturday. With 500m to go he was boxed in and a fair way back. But then came a trademark display of muscular determination. There was a push, a surge, then an irresistible charge to victory.<\/p>\n

Was Kerr ever worried? \u201cNo, I ran 3:42, man,\u201d he says. \u201cThere\u2019s not much you can do in a mile race that\u2019s going to beat me. I\u2019ve got great speed and I\u2019m running in front of a home crowd. Jake Wightman was the only wild card. He\u2019s an incredible athlete and can close very well. But I just couldn\u2019t wrap my head around any other problem. There\u2019s some fantastic 1500m guys right now, and Timothy Cheruiyot and Cam Myers are both fantastic. But I feel like I\u2019m on a different level at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kerr is so monastic that when he finally got to his hotel at midnight, he celebrated with physiotherapy from his mum, Jill, and a meal from his personal chef, Jameel Austin: and a grand total of two chips. \u201cWe just hung out for about an hour chatting,\u201d says Kerr. \u201cMy buddy and videographer Joey Youden got a chippy for everyone. I ate Jameel\u2019s food, but I did have a couple of chips.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>Josh Kerr stormed to victory in the men\u2019s one mile final at the Commonwealth Games on Saturday night.<\/span> Photograph: Tom Jenkins\/The Guardian<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sometimes you suspect that even a Trappist might flinch at Kerr\u2019s austere approach. He lives with his wife, Larimar, and their dog, Presidente, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he trains at 1,626m (5,335ft) above sea level and is usually in bed by 8.30pm. \u201cWe don\u2019t do a lot,\u201d he admits. \u201cWe live in the mountains in Albuquerque. I get up, work hard and go to bed. I have a pretty hard stop at 5pm and my wife gets home around 5.30pm. And between then and when we go to bed, which is ridiculously early, we just try and switch off.\u201d<\/p>\n

So what else does he like doing apart from walking the dog? \u201cI\u2019m a little bit of an audiobook podcast guy,\u201d he says. \u201cI like the For The Love of Rugby podcast and some American sports ones. But we don\u2019t go out all that often. And there\u2019s not much of a nightlife scene.\u201d Might breaking the world record make him more recognisable when he returns? \u201cIt\u2019ll be interesting when we go home,\u201d he says. \u201cBut it\u2019s Albuquerque. They\u2019re not really super into their track and field. But it\u2019s nice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kerr is more expansive, though, when asked how the best season of his career came about. Much of it is down to his team, led by his highly respected coach, Danny Mackey, which also includes a personal chef, nutritionist, physiotherapist, chiropractor, strength and conditioning experts, massage therapists and pacers. But Kerr also emphasises the changes he has made in 2026, including lying down from 2-4pm every day and using red-light therapy.<\/p>\n

His 10-mile run on a Thursday, which used to be at 6:40\/mile pace, is now at 5:50 to six-minute pace, he says. While on Sundays his easy 17-mile long run has been tweaked, so sometimes he does a three-mile tempo at the end or puts in six minutes of harder effort on three separate occasions. \u201cWe know what my body is capable of before it breaks, which is around 73 miles a week,\u201d he says. \u201cSo there\u2019s no more volume, just more quality. It doesn\u2019t sound like a huge change, but we put in two strength runs in there which has just allowed for a little bit more longevity in the season.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, if you\u2019re going to add training and load, then the recovery needs to be pulled from somewhere else. So that\u2019s why we committed to lying down every day from 2-4pm and then using the red light. And those two things have kept us in one piece.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kerr likes to be in control, but when it comes to his training he defers to Mackey. \u201cDanny is definitely the evil genius behind it all,\u201d he says. \u201cWe plan everything out and I just need to give him honest feedback. And if you can pull the ego out of your comments and concerns, and just go with the complete raw data, then it\u2019s going to help him 100%.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kerr plays down talk that he could break Hicham El Guerrouj\u2019s world 1500m record of 3:26.00 in the coming weeks, suggesting instead that it will probably have to wait until 2027 as his body might not be able to go again after winning the world indoor title over 3,000m in March, and then breaking the world mile record<\/a> and winning Commonwealth gold in the space of a fortnight.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not scared of losing this form,\u201d he says. \u201cI will hold the 1500m world record in my career. I can say that with a full chest. But I\u2019m not in a rush to do that. I think we are flying a little close to the sun at the moment, and so we need to make good decisions over the next few weeks. I can\u2019t imagine it\u2019ll be on the cards for this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

I ask Kerr what running has taught him about life? After all, he was not a teenage prodigy, but has relentlessly pursued his dream until he became a world beater. \u201cThat is a good question,\u201d he says, pausing to think. \u201cI\u2019m just a normal guy. Look at my results from an early age. Look at my progression year on year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe big thing we always said while going through the age groups was no one remembers the Under-13 or Under-15 Scottish champion. Of course on race day we always wanted to win, but I always had a long-sighted goal for my whole career. But if you are determined enough, can stack enough training together, and stay away from injuries and stay smart, you can 100% do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>Josh Kerr outpaced Cameron Myers and Timothy Cheruiyot on the way to another major championship medal in Glasgow.<\/span> Photograph: Joel Carrett\/EPA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Guardian report of Kerr\u2019s gold medal race was the most read article on the entire website on Sunday morning. But, as I tell Kerr, while the majority of comments praise his victory, there were some arguing it should have been free-to-air on BBC One rather than on TNT. \u201cI\u2019m not someone that\u2019s going to sit here and complain about what we don\u2019t get and whatever,\u201d he says. \u201cIf we put performances together and the numbers are good, then we\u2019ll get our spot.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to continue to show up and battle for our sport. But I think the sports that deserve to be on BBC One are on BBC One. It\u2019s just how it is. And we\u2019ve got some work to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

However Kerr does believe track and field is heading in the right direction and points to the $150,000 for each winner at the Ultimate Championships as a big step in the right direction. \u201cHow long has the cash prize been $70,000 to win the world championships?\u201d he asks. \u201cHow long has the cash prize for the world record been $50,000? Thirty years? Forty years?<\/p>\n

\u201cWorld Athletics<\/a> is doing a good job. But we need to keep pushing to get athletes racing each other more. However the biggest problem with the Diamond League is that you can\u2019t pay all the best sprinters \u2013 and the best middle-distance runners \u2013 to be in the same start line.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kerr did his bit by signing up for Michael Johnson\u2019s Grand Slam Track. But he was left with a gaping hole in his pocket after it collapsed<\/a> after only three events. \u201cI don\u2019t care about me. I\u2019m in a very lucky position,\u201d he says. \u201cBut there are athletes that didn\u2019t have sponsorships, or were working jobs, who won a hundred grand and it never came through the door.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before I go, I ask Kerr about those tears on the podium. \u201cThere was a couple, yeah,\u201d he says, reluctantly. So what was he thinking? \u201cWhen I spoke to the media, they were like: \u2018what\u2019s next: the 1500m world record?\u2019 But I just wanted to enjoy seeing the Scotland flag up there.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn sport we just continually rush through. In 2023, when I had my first proper win in the world championships, life was just moving a hundred miles an hour. So I was telling myself: \u2018slow down, enjoy it, because we\u2019re not guaranteed tomorrow.\u2019\u201d It\u2019s that attitude that helps keep Kerr at the top of his sport. Even though, as he knows better than anyone, he has plenty of life left in the fast lane.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It was late on a crisp Glasgow night when Josh Kerr unlocked his hidden human side. Most of those who had roared themselves hoarse as he powered to Commonwealth gold had long gone. But after a few tears on the podium, Kerr spent more than half an hour posing for every selfie and signing every […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":255929,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6802],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-255928","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-athetics"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255928","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=255928"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255928\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/255929"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=255928"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=255928"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=255928"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}