- Athlete Josh Kerr has just broken the world record in the mile time
- He did so while wearing an Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro smartwatch
- Amazfit has published data from the record-breaking race
What does it take to run a mile in a world record time? Following Scottish athlete Josh Kerr’s recent world record-sniffing performance of 3:42.66, 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 of 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 fastest lap was actually the last which helped 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. At an average speed of 16 mph (26 km/h), he was comfortably faster than the 15 mph (24.1 km/h) required to break a four-minute mile.
Kerr averaged 194 steps per minute during the race, and his heart rate peaked at 188 beats per minute around 400 meters in. In both cases, readings spiked sharply early in the race, leveled off in the middle, and then jumped again as Kerr pushed for a fast finish.
Project 222
The information comes from the Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro that Kerr wore during his winning run.
We were impressed with this device when we reviewed it, praising 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 might be worth a spot on your wrist, too.
The previous one-mile record – set by Hicham El Guerrouj 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.
Amazfit has sponsored 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 goal, 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 willing to bet he does, and Amazfit will hope he’s wearing one of its running watches again when that happens.
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