Scotland’s Josh Kerr recently made world headlines when he broke the world record in the mile, one that had stood for 27 years. Kerr’s time of 3:42.66 took down the mark of 3:43.13 set by Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrouj on July 7, 1999. It was the longest-standing mile record in history by more than double — until 1999, the record fell about every three years.
Thus, another giant stride for mankind. Finally.
Breaking the four-minute barrier was once considered physically impossible after repeated attempts fell short. For nine years, the record was 4:01.4, and attempts on the four-minute barrier had begun long before that. When Roger Bannister finally did it — running 3:59.4 in 1954 — it was treated like the Lindbergh crossing and the first moon landing.
In the 72 years since then, human beings have shaved 16.74 seconds off Bannister’s mark. Bannister would have trailed Kerr by about 112 meters (more than one straightaway of a track).
On the other hand, there is no comparison between their eras, as you’ll see below. The arrival of synthetic tracks, advanced training methods on the track and the weight room, and the revolutionary carbon fiber-plated shoes have all redefined what is considered fast. Not long ago, the four-minute mile was considered the hallmark of a middle-distance runner’s career. Now there are men who have run four-minute miles back-to-back, running well under eight minutes for 2 miles.
The circumstances of the era in which Bannister raced was dramatically different than that of Kerr. It’s the same in every sport, which makes comparisons so difficult (and GOAT talk fun but futile). Bart Starr was a wildly successful quarterback for the Green Bay Packers in the 1960s, but he threw just 16.7 passes per game; Tom Brady averaged 36.
Jim Ryun, the great American miler of the ’60s, produced marks that were sensational in his day but not so much by today’s standards. And yet, he might be the greatest of them all when you take a closer look.
In 1966, at the age of 19, Ryun set a world record of 3:51.3. A year later, he ran 3:51.1.
In 2026, Kerr, age 28, set the world record of 3:42.66.
Kerr ran on a synthetic track — a Mondotrack FTX, with a 13.5-millimeter-thick surface of vulcanized rubber that consists of two bonded layers that feature a lower layer with elongated diamond-shaped cells that flex in multiple directions to return energy to the runner.
Ryun ran on a loose cinder and clay/dirt track. It is estimated it cost runners at least one second per lap compared with today’s tracks.
Kerr was aided by two (human) pacers — one to lead him through the first 800 meters, the other through 1,000 meters. He also had electronic pacing lights flashing around the perimeter of the track.
Ryun had no pacers when he ran 3:51.1 in 1967 and led from start to finish, running virtually alone. He beat the runner-up by five seconds — or about 40 yards.
Kerr wore a custom-made Brooks speed suit with a high neck, minimal seams and a front zipper, all tailored to Kerr through body scans. It featured laser-cut perforations to release heat and aerodynamic-textured fabrics placed on the shoulders and sleeves to facilitate air flow and minimize drag.
Ryan wore a pair of baggy cotton shorts and a loose-fitting tank top.
Kerr wore custom-made shoes — the Brooks Hyperion 222 spikes (222 seconds equals 3 minutes, 42 seconds) custom fit to wrap around his foot in a way that it remained perfectly placed at top speeds. The shoes feature a specialized thermoplastic polyurethane wrap and a sculpted upper.
They have a carbon-fiber plate embedded into the sole to maximize propulsion without adding bulk, plus nitrogen-infused foam in the midsole set exactly for Kerr’s biomechanics. The shoes gained extra traction via custom, ultra-light, high-strength titanium spikes. Like most world-class runners, Kerr strikes the ground aggressively with his forefoot, so Brooks stripped unnecessary cushioning from the heel to drop weight. The shoes weigh 6 ounces. It is estimated that today’s shoes cut one to two seconds per lap in the mile — or four to eight seconds for the mile.
Ryun wore Adidas kangaroo-leather track spikes straight off the rack with thin rubber soles.
Kerr’s training regimen emphasized quality over quantity, a modest 65-70 miles per week (and no two-a-days), including intense speed workouts on the track such as 2 x (4 x 400) at race pace (under 55 seconds) with 90 seconds recovery between reps and 4 minutes between sets.
Another favorite workout: 4 x (200-600-200) with 90 seconds between reps and 4½ minutes between sets. It’s brutal. He also did a variety of strength-training exercises — pushups with spine rotation, calf raises, cat cows, kettlebell swings, jamball slams, side planks with hip drop, RDLs, dumbbell bench press, pullups and so forth.
Ryun trained like a marathoner, with 90-110 miles per week, including mind-boggling high-volume track workouts such as 40-50 x 400 meters in 69 seconds every three minutes, or 18 x 800 meters. Ryun lifted weights in a time when he had to improvise some of it — for example, lifting oil cans filled with concrete and inserted with an iron bar.
How fast would Ryun run in this era of carbon-fiber shoes and high-tech body suits and tracks that provide energy return to every foot strike? It’s fun to think about, but we’ll never know.
