{"id":261732,"date":"2026-09-09T15:00:04","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T15:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/09\/im-not-a-robot-josh-kerr-primed-to-peak-against-arch-rival-ingebrigtsen\/"},"modified":"2026-09-09T15:00:04","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T15:00:04","slug":"im-not-a-robot-josh-kerr-primed-to-peak-against-arch-rival-ingebrigtsen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/09\/im-not-a-robot-josh-kerr-primed-to-peak-against-arch-rival-ingebrigtsen\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I\u2019m not a robot\u2019: Josh Kerr primed to peak against arch rival Ingebrigtsen"},"content":{"rendered":"

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T<\/span>he richest event in track and field history launches in Budapest this weekend, and the prospect of walking away with $150,000 at the World Athletics<\/a> Ultimate Championship has got Josh Kerr ready to rumble again, on and off the track.<\/p>\n

Some critics have noted that the Scot has run only five times in 2026 \u2013 compared with Amy Hunt\u2019s 43 races \u2013 and has had to rely on a wild card from World Athletics to even compete in Budapest.<\/p>\n

Others, including the double Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen<\/a>, have questioned why Kerr swerved the chance to race in front of his home fans at the European championships in Birmingham last month.<\/p>\n

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Kerr\u2019s response? To insist that \u201cI\u2019m not a robot\u201d, before pointing out that in four of his five races this year he has broken the world mile record<\/a>, set a personal best over 800m, and won gold at the world indoor championships over 3,000m and the Commonwealth Games over 1500m.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m tired of just saying it,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m a human being at the end of the day. And to run a world indoor championships and come out with a gold medal there, go after a PB over 800m, which I was able to do for the first time in seven years, get a Commonwealth Games gold medal, and and also go get a a world record, and then go after an outdoor major championships, that\u2019s enough for me. I\u2019m not a robot.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first question I was asked after running the mile world record is: \u2018When are you going to go after the 1500m world record?\u2019 And it\u2019s just not that simple to peak like we did for London, and then to reset for the Commonwealth Games, and then reset again for a world record attempt, and then reset again for Europeans, and then reset again for Ultimates.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kerr has not been seen on a track since competing in Glasgow in early August, which has meant missing out on paydays and a chance to further promote his sport. But the 28-year-old athlete insists he deliberately targets \u201ctwo to four big dates a year\u201d and wants to race only when he is in prime shape.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not trying to avoid racing. I love racing. I just don\u2019t love racing when I\u2019m not ready to go. And the reason I can race so well is because I pick my races. These next three years are going to be some of the biggest in my career. So I\u2019m not going to get greedy.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you race a bunch, you\u2019re going to have long-term injury problems, if you want to have a career that\u2019s 10 or 12 years long, then you can\u2019t do that. I\u2019ve been caught chasing paydays early on in my career, and it doesn\u2019t end up with long-term success.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, Kerr is excited by the Ultimate Championship, a new three-day competition which effectively serves as a mini world championships. The event, which has a $10m prize fund, is also being used as a testing ground for innovations in the sport, including a black infield, athletes being allowed to make content, and a more party-style atmosphere, all designed to attract a younger audience.<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>Josh Kerr surges past Jakob Ingebrigtsen on the final bend on his way to world 1500m glory in 2023 in Budapest, where they will renew their rivalry on Sunday. <\/span> Photograph: Tim Clayton\/Corbis\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI think it would be a lot more of an off-year, or a dud year, without a championship that we can all attend in September,\u201d Kerr says. \u201cPacking out stadiums, putting on a championship that people enjoy, and pushing the marketing on it. There\u2019s only really one step left of how the sport gets bigger, and I think it\u2019s sports betting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kerr is in no doubt who his money will be on if he ends up racing his nemesis Ingebrigtsen, who is scheduled to compete in the 5,000m on Friday and then against the Scot in the 1500m final on Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very happy that he\u2019s back running and racing,\u201d Kerr says. \u201cI think it\u2019s great. He\u2019s one of the best 1500m and 5k runners of all time, and I\u2019m excited to go out and race him. I\u2019m not going to lose, but I\u2019m excited to go out there and race.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kerr is also excited about athletics being able to capitalise on the global running boom, and says the improved prize money is another sign that the sport is heading in the right direction. \u201cWe\u2019re seeing progress, I\u2019m not going to complain about progress,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n