On March 28th, 2026 one of the boldest predictions in sports history was made. It wasn’t who would win the World Cup or an NBA championship but to break a world record in one of the hardest and most prestigious events in Track & Field. Josh Kerr is not an obscure name in distance running by any stretch. He is the reigning Olympic Silver medalist in the 1500m and one of the most consistent middle distance racers today. The Scottish born athlete attended the University of New Mexico where he was an NCAA national champion Indoors and Out. Today he trains under coach Danny Mackey with the Brooks Beasts Track Club. 

So what insane prediction and goal did Kerr put on his shoulders? To break the 1 mile world record that had stood for 27 years, set by Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrouj with a time of 3 minutes and 43.13 seconds. It’s one thing to set a goal, it’s another to call out not just the date you plan to do it, but the time you’ll finish in. With nothing more than an Instagram post on March 28th, Kerr set in motion what he and his team called, Project 222. The end goal, run a mile in two hundred and twenty seconds, or plainly, a new world record of 3 minutes and 42 seconds. If this goal was not already monumental enough, Kerr would also call out the date of July 18th at the London Diamond League Meet to attempt the feat. 

There is something to be said for bold dreams and outlandish predictions. Perhaps in younger years we all thought of our own sporting endeavors as sure things. If you asked me 25 years ago what I planned to accomplish? I would have told you I was going to pitch a shutout inning in the bottom of the ninth to win game 7 of the world series one day. It seems somewhere in life we grow hesitant. Goal setting should be bold, while also real. Goals don’t need to be so far fetched but they still need to be. And everyone should set them. 

Our kids should learn to set goals to push out of their comfort zone and for the sake of learning failure. Additionally, goals shouldn’t just be to win games or championships but the personal accomplishments along the way. Can I push a particular part of my game or race? Then there is the part about voicing it. Put it out there. I am going to qualify for the state championship track meet, or hit .300 this season, or average 70 yards received per game. Social media comment section can be a daunting place, so start by telling Mom, Dad or Coach if needed. For those of us long past our ‘glory days’ we can still use this mentality too. Put that half marathon on the calendar 8 months from now. Put it in black and white, and force the consistency. On average, as we age, we tend to seek out those challenges less and less. Ultimately it’s about setting goals we can relate to as well. Lose some weight, ski again, enter a master’s competition, chase my grand kids. But more than anything, put it out there. 

So, how did Kerr fare? With undoubtedly one of the most perfectly planned races in track history, Kerr and his teammate rabbits ran within a few tenths of a second of record pace on nearly every single split. With 200 meters left, the next competitor was more than 15 meters behind. Running solo with the weight of Great Britain and in front of a sold out home crowd of 60,000 fans, Josh Kerr ran a time of 3 minutes and 42.66 seconds, smashing a record some thought was impossible. Further, the rest of the field of 10 men ran 1 national record (Germany) and 7 personal bests in Kerr’s wake. All because he put it out there.

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Henry Nicholls / AFP via Getty Images