Kerr is attempting to take down the 27-year-old mile world record on SaturdayPaul Eddison08:07, 18 Jul 2026In a sporting world where ambition and boldness are easy to aspire to but harder to put into practice, Josh Kerr is ready to walk the walk after talking the talk.‌Never shy of setting lofty goals, the former 1500m world champion and double Olympic medallist has his sights on one of athletics’ most iconic records – Hicham El Gerrouj’s 27-year-old mile world record.‌The mark of 3:43.13 was set in Rome back in 1999, with Kerr hoping to complete Project 222 – the number of seconds required to take down the Moroccan legend at the Wanda Diamond League in London today.‌He has been meticulous in his preparation - ice baths lasting exactly 3min42, an altitude room in his Albuquerque home where he has also flown out his parents for the final stretch before the record attempt.And while not everyone in Kerr’s team was necessarily onboard with announcing the world record attempt in March, so far out from this race, the 28-year-old was desperate to get as many people as possible invested in the journey.He explained: “For me, this wasn’t an idea to hopefully save athletics but it is definitely a situation where ‘why not?’. Why not go after something like this in front of as many people as possible?‌“I’ve been told (I didn’t need to put myself out there) a lot. Mostly from my team. But we are here now and we’ve had a very smooth camp. I’m glad I did it now. I like goals that are lofty and I think this sport needs moments.“I'm not a bettor myself but it’s in my favour.“My body is capable of the mark so my job is to have my mind be available to let my body do the job.”‌Kerr’s preparation has gone as well as he could have possibly hoped, having not missed a single day of training since he was crowned world indoor champion over 3000m in March.That is one reason for his confidence heading into the race, while the fact he is up against the clock as much as his opponents means that there are fewer variables than usual.With that said, American Yared Nuguse is the fourth fastest man in history over the mile, and Kerr believes that he is not the only person capable of taking down El Gerrouj at the Olympic Stadium.‌But should he fall short in a bid that has been his singular focus this season, or even see someone else beat him to the punch, Kerr will have no regrets about aiming high and putting his head above the parapet.He added: “There's different breeds of people. As an athlete, I'm not scared of failing. It's not something that I was born with. I'm on the attack at all times, and I'm bold with what I talk about.“But when the figures and the stats behind me are backing up my claims, I don't see why I can't go out there and do what my job is. And I think it's important to tell people what your goals are.Article continues below“I'm trying to do something that no one's ever done. There's definitely a risk of failure, but it's not something that's on my mind particularly often.“I'm going out there, I've had the best camp I've ever had in my life, I've been able to live a life that I've always wanted to live over the last six months in pursuit of this. It's been focused. It's been surrounded by amazing people, and I've already won that fight.”Novuna is the Official Finance Partner of British Athletics and proud sponsor of the GB & NI Athletics. Find out more at www.novuna.co.uk