February 23, 2022
“I think if I can be in 3:27 shape again and just be stronger to maybe be able to run 3:28.5 in the final, that’s the best I can do. If they keep getting better and run 3:25 or 3:26 in the final of a major championship, I’ve got to be honest with myself and say, ‘Well I’m not there yet.’ Because I’m not. I can run 3:27-high in a major championship this year. I know I can. If that wins, it wins. But it was the same conversation back in 2020: We can run 3:29 in the Olympic final and we just have to be happy with what that comes out with. We’re chasing to be the best in the world. I want to be world champion this year. Everything that I can do to make that happen, I’m going to try. At the end of the day, if I cross the line running my best race as I did in 2021, I’ll shake everyone’s hand and be happy with my performance and how I represented myself and my brand at that major championships.”
My guest for today’s episode is Brooks Beasts star and 2021 Olympic 1500m bronze medalist Josh Kerr. This man is entertaining to watch. Last summer with 5000 to 1 odds, he finished third in Tokyo with a 3:29.05 personal best. He was just shy of Mo Farah’s outdoor 1500m British record. Just a few weeks ago, he ran 3:52.27 for the mile at the Millrose Games and finished second to Olli Hoare, who many heard in the After The Final Lap episode. So we get a little bit of a response from Josh on Olli’s comments that he was outclassed by Olli in the final 100m of the race. It’s setting up to be a solid rivalry with some head-to-head matchups to come at the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon and also at the Commonwealth Games. Before all of that, Josh wants to be a British record holder so this weekend he’s heading to Boston University to try and break Peter Elliott’s indoor 1500m and mile British record. We talk a bit about his plans for that but also his plans and hopes to make this an entertaining season. Josh chooses his races wisely and he wants to make it appointment viewing. He’s a great showman for the sport.
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Photo by Justin Britton/@justinbritton
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SHOW NOTES AND NOTABLE QUOTES
“If I’m being honest, I thought he was going to run faster. I was fully prepared for him to run 3:28-3:29 indoors and I would’ve just been like, ‘Sick. That’s awesome news.’ But that’s the thing…That’s why track is just so crazy. If he’s in that shape now, it doesn’t guarantee him to be in that shape in July. As crazy as it sounds, a bad night’s sleep, food poisoning, shoelace untied, blister. Any of this stuff is a massive reason for someone not to get it right on that one day at that one time during that race. That’s why it’s so exciting. You can watch all these great performances throughout the year but there’s only really one performance that defines how you’re going to settle a whole year and that’s how you do at the major championships.”
“A lot of people are going after some records. A lot of people are going after chatting about British records and U.S. indoor records and I kind of wanted to get in on the fun..I thought I’d double down and try to run the 1500m and mile indoor British records in one race this weekend at BU. It’s going to be fast. It’s going to be hard and it’s definitely not going to be guaranteed so you should definitely come or tune in.”
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Chris Chavez
Chris Chavez launched CITIUS MAG in 2016 as a passion project while working full-time for Sports Illustrated. He covered the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and grew his humble blog into a multi-pronged media company. He completed all six World Marathon Majors and is an aspiring sub-five-minute miler.