Josh Kerr Project 222: Mile World Record Attempt at London Diamond League
Josh Kerr will attack Hicham El Guerrouj's 3:43.13 mile world record at the Novuna London Athletics Meet on 18 July 2026. Here's Project 222, the target splits, and what to watch.
· 5 min read · Athletics News
Josh Kerr is not pretending this is a quiet Diamond League mile. He has called the shot in public.
On **Saturday 18 July 2026**, the Scot will attempt to break Hicham El Guerrouj's outdoor **mile world record of 3:43.13** at the Novuna London Athletics Meet - the Wanda Diamond League stop at London Stadium. Kerr and sponsor Brooks are branding the attempt **Project 222**: a target of **222 seconds**, or **3:42**.
What Project 222 actually means
El Guerrouj's mark has stood since Rome in July 1999 - 27 years. Kerr's British record and personal best is **3:45.34**, set at the Prefontaine Classic in May 2024. That puts him sixth on the world all-time list and about **2.2 seconds** off the world record.
Project 222 is not marketing fluff. It is a specific finish-time goal: knock the record under 3:43, ideally to **3:42**. That is a big ask for any miler - and Kerr wants the attempt on home soil in the Emsley Carr Mile, not "stolen in the night" at a quieter meet.
"This record deserves to be done at home," Kerr said when the plan was announced. "This is a British distance; it would be doing a disservice to the UK not to be doing it at home."
Why London, and why now
Britain has deep mile history - from Roger Bannister's first sub-4 in 1954 through multiple British record holders. Kerr wants to be the next Brit to rewrite the outdoor mark.
He arrives in form after winning World Indoor 3000m gold in 2026. The London Stadium sell-out crowd is the kind of environment that can carry a paced record attempt if the early laps land on schedule.
The attempt is public weeks in advance - unusual for a fragile event like a mile world record, where pacemaking, weather, and one bad 200m can end the night. Kerr has been clear he is not afraid to fail in the open.
Splits to watch
A 3:42-3:43 mile is roughly **55.5 seconds per lap** for four laps on a standard track (1609m). Rough guide for a 3:43.1 world-record pace:
| Checkpoint | Approx. time | | --- | --- | | 400m | ~55.5 | | 800m | ~1:51 | | 1200m | ~2:46.5 | | Finish (1609m) | 3:43.1 or faster |
If the field is through 800m materially slower than ~1:51, the record is probably gone unless Kerr produces a historic last lap. If they hit 800m on or under that schedule with Kerr still travelling, stay glued to the clock.
For context on where the record sits historically, see our [mile world record](/blog/mile-world-record) guide. Convert any goal mile time to training paces with the [pace calculator](/tools/pace-calculator) or [splits calculator](/tools/splits).
What else is on in London that night
London is also a stacked Diamond League meeting beyond Kerr. The same weekend sits next to Keely Hodgkinson's [800m world record watch](/blog/keely-hodgkinson-800m-world-record) on the British middle-distance calendar, and the Monaco meet the week before already produced [Emmanuel Wanyonyi's 1000m world record](/blog/emmanuel-wanyonyi-1000m-world-record) and [Julien Alfred's 21.51](/blog/julien-alfred-21-51-monaco-diamond-league-2026).
Whether the mile record falls or not, 18 July is appointment viewing for anyone who cares about middle-distance running.
Why this matters for everyday runners
Calling a hard goal in public is uncomfortable. Kerr is doing it at the hardest possible level. For recreational runners, the transferable piece is simpler: pick a concrete time target, map the splits, and race the plan - not the vibes.
If you are building speed for a road mile, 5K, or parkrun, a [5K training plan](/plans/5k) with one honest interval session per week is still the most reliable path. Use the [race predictor](/tools/race-predictor) to see what a recent result implies for your next goal race.
**Find races:** Browse [running events in London](/races/united-kingdom/london) on Your Run Guide, including road races around the capital if you want to race the same weekend energy on the streets rather than the track.