Proud Josh Kerr returns to scene of formative years with wind in his sails

Josh Kerr celebrated breaking the world mile record on Saturday with a solitary beer and rose the next day at 5am to go for a run.

He has, after all, got the Commonwealth Games to think about. He doesn’t have the opportunity to run in Scotland often these days, so these are occasions to be cherished.

There is also unfinished business to take care of. Kerr’s last appearance at the Commonwealth Games, in Birmingham four years ago, was, in his words. “not a representative performance for me”. He finished last in the 1500 metres final as Ollie Hoare of Australia triumphed, Timothy Cheruiyot of Kenya took silver and his old friend and rival Jake Wightman won bronze.

Josh Kerr celebrates after setting a new world record during the Novuna London Athletics Meet, part of the 2026 Wanda Diamond League, at London Stadium on July 18, 2026. | Getty Images

It’s all change for Glasgow 2026, with the 1500m being replaced by the ‘Commonwealth Mile’ which is being promoted as the blue riband event of the athletics programme.

The men’s and women’s races are scheduled for the final session so those with evening tickets for Scotstoun Stadium a week on Saturday are in for a treat. Kerr, Wightman, Neil Gourley, Jemma Reekie, Sarah Calvert and Erin Wallace will be flying the flag for Scotland, a really strong cast list with designs on podium places.

Revival of the mile adds lustre

The revival of the mile adds some lustre to these Games which have had to work hard to be noticed in a busy sporting summer. It’s a classic distance and a race which has a rich history, particularly for runners from these shores.

Kerr’s run of three minutes 42.66 seconds at the Diamond League meeting in London on Saturday took down a record that had been held by Hicham El Guerrouj for 27 years. It also saw him join Roger Bannister, Sebastian Coe, Steve Ovett and Steve Cram as British one-mile world-record holders.

Kerr’s time was 0.47 of a second faster than El Guerrouj’s. So could he do the unthinkable and break his own record at Scotstoun, one of the tracks on which he honed his racing smarts and which has a reputation for being a bit gusty, particularly down the home straight?

“I don't know, maybe sometimes Scotstoun gives you what you need to have, not what you want to have and so, you never know, we might get tailwinds.”

Josh Kerr celebrates his world record run at London Stadium. | Getty Images

Competing at Scotstoun will rekindle some fond memories for Kerr who ran there in his formative years.

“I learned how to race there,” said the Edinburgh athlete. “I think some of my biggest performances and learning curves were there. I wouldn't say that I've had a breakthrough performance from a time standpoint but a lot of things, for me, in the 1500 really stood out against some of the Kilbarchan guys and some of the Glaswegian boys. I've just kind of seen the level that they were able to bring.

“You know, I was battling the likes of Euan Gillham and Gavin McArdle and Jonny Glen for years and years over there and it'll be nice to go over there and be the one that knows the wind and the rain and all that much better than anyone else but, yeah, it's just going to be a really fun memory. And I used it as a warm-up track for World Indoors a couple of years ago as well so that was really nice too.”

Clash of the middle-distance titans

“I wouldn't say it's the most ideal conditions to run a fast time week in, week out but it's been able to [help] make some of the most successful athletes in British history and so that's a really important part of that process and long may it continue,” added Kerr.

Kerr was a teenage spectator when Glasgow hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2014, watching the likes of Wightman and Chris O’Hare at Hampden. He will now go head-to-head with his old Edinburgh AC buddy Wightman at Scotstoun, a rare clash of Scotland’s two middle-distance titans, both of whom have world titles on their CVs.

“I think both of us just want us to be fit and healthy and ready to go at it, to be honest,” said Kerr

“You know, he led the way back in 2022 and I know he was disappointed with his performance at the Commonwealth Games but coming off a first world championship win, I couldn't even imagine having to go into another camp, set up and go again. So, yeah, having a bit more of a free run at it this year, I think will help him.

“We're looking to get multiple people on that podium for Scotland and I think it's not a far-fetched dream. Neil's [Gourley] obviously been struggling with some stuff [injuries] but, as a three-ball, I think we're all looking to be in that final and go after the big medals. So, yeah, I think we'll be dangerous from a lot of angles.”

Kerr has been based in the US for some years now so returning home is always special and the chance to pull on a Scotland vest at a home Games even more so.

Josh Kerr competing for Team Scotland at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. | Getty Images

“When I'm home I like go down to the club, go and do something if I've got the time,” he said. “Family comes first but I have a responsibility to come back and tell the younger generation what it's like out there to be a professional runner and to try and do this on the biggest stage.

“I'm just so proud to represent the Scottish vest again and hopefully in a much better way than I did in 2022. That was not a representative performance for me. Obviously everyone gets thrown some curveballs along the way but when there's a competition that happens every four years, you want to be on your game and so it's a big comeback moment for me and to do it in Scotland rather than another Commonwealth country is very exciting.”

The chance to build on his already staggering legacy in the mile is another hugely intoxicating factor. Kerr announced way back in March his intention to try to beat El Guerrouj’s 1999 world record. It was dubbed Project 222 - the number of seconds it would take to eclipse the Moroccan - and he duly delivered. Now the story continues in Glasgow, a fresh take on a classic race.

“I think what appeals to me is it being a very accessible distance for people to understand,” he said. “I think it's important that we can get as many people in the stadium and say, ‘you know, this is what they're doing and this is how fast I would run a mile, oh my goodness this is really quick’ and hopefully here's enough kids in that stadium to go, ‘I want to wear a Scotland vest one day and I want to be standing on that start line’.

“And I think the mile can bring that in a little bit more than the 1500 can and so I think the decision to make it a mile is really smart and because, we all know that the Commonwealth Games is not in the strongest position it's ever been in but to make those changes shows that they're willing to do the work and they're willing to bring that next generation in and to keep boosting up what we're doing.

“I mean, I love it. You’ve got the Olympics, then the Commonwealth Games. I think that's the way I've always viewed it from my career and if ever I get a call up for the Commonwealth Games I'd be the first one there.”