Josh Kerr shatters 27-year-old mile world record with time of 3:42.66

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Athlete Josh Kerr just broke the world record mile time

He did so while wearing an Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro smartwatch

Amazfit has published data from the record-breaking run

What does it take to run a mile in a world record time? After Scottish athlete Josh Kerr’s recent world record-shattering 3:42.66 achievement, Amazfit has published a wealth of data straight from the track — and there are some fascinating insights to be found within.

Perhaps the most impressive data point to emerge from Kerr’s race, logged on a Cheetah 2 Pro , is the remarkable consistency in his split times. His four laps clocked in at 55.3, 55.8, 55.4 and 54.9 seconds, with just 0.9 seconds separating the fastest lap from the slowest. His quickest lap, in fact, was the last one, helping to push him over the line and claim the world record, which had previously stood for 27 years.

Even more striking were Kerr’s 200-meter times, which ranged from 24.7 to 24.9 seconds — a difference of just 0.5 seconds from first to last. With an average speed of 26km/h, he was comfortably quicker than the 24.1km/h required to hit a four-minute mile.

Kerr averaged 194 steps per minute during the race, with his heart rate hitting a maximum of 188 beats per minute around 400 meters in. In both cases, the measurements rose sharply early in the run, settled in the middle, then jumped again as Kerr pushed for a fast finish.

Project 222

(Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton) The info comes from the Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro that Kerr wore during his winning race.

We were impressed with this device when we reviewed it, commending its accurate features and “outstanding battery,” both of which help make it one of the best running watches money can buy. And if it’s good enough for world record holders like Kerr, it could be worth a place on your wrist, too.

The previous one-mile record — set by Hicham El Guerrouj and standing at 3:43.13 — had stood for 27 years before Kerr broke it, making him the first person to ever log a mile in under three minutes and 43 seconds.

(Image credit: Amazfit) Amazfit has been sponsoring Kerr as part of his Project 222, which is a bid to run a mile in 222 seconds, or three minutes and 42 seconds. Kerr’s record time is just 0.66 seconds off that target, showing how close he was to his goal.

How long will it be before he speeds past that time? No one can know, but you’d be brave to bet against him doing it, and Amazfit will be hoping he's wearing one its running watches again when that happens.