27 Year Old Mile World Record Broken

I wasn't a fan of Josh Kerr before I read up on him while researching for this post. He always seemed too confident which many others (and I) interpreted as cocky. I realized what it really is, is a deep conviction that's founded in the work he and his coach Danny Mackey have done.

In front of 60,000 fans in the London Diamond League meet, Kerr ran 3:42.66 min to beat Hichan El Guerrouj's record set 27 years ago in 1999. 

Earlier in March this year, Kerr announced Project 222, an attempt to beat one of track's hardest and most hallowed record, El Guerrouj's 3:43.13 min mile world record. In typical Kerr fashion, he said: "It's time for that record to have a real go at it, and I'm going to be the guy to do it."

And he did it on 18th July! He etched his name into track and field history, joining previous UK legends like Bannister, Ibottsen, Coe, Ovett and Cram.

Both Kerr and his coach Danny Mackey are always methodical in their preparation, one of the reasons why Kerr always performs in the big meets where the lights are the brightest. Kerr won the 1500m world athletics championship gold medal in 2023, and was 3rd at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and 2nd at the Paris 2024 Olympics in the 1500m. 

So difficult to do, but both Kerr and Mackey almost always get it right. A big part of that comes from how they approach training and performance. They know that consistency is what matters most.

They know that being consistent compounds. It is not having one super workout now and then. It is putting in the necessary work that prepares Kerr. 

While preparing for this, Kerr ran 2:42 min for a 1200m time trial at altitude, 5,355 feet in Albuquerque, New Mexico while being paced by Brannon Kidder, who also paced him in London. The last 400m done in 51.88 seconds. During El Guerrouj's world record run, he reached the bell lap in 2:47.9 with a lap to go (1209m).

Kerr says he "don't do crazy workouts or crazy mlileage. I just don't miss days. Consistency is my biggest weapon. I'll break any athlete down with how consistent I'm going to be training and just getting the work done." 

"The way that I get fast is stacking. I'm stacking years, I'm stacking days, I'm stacking months." "If you show up and put in the same level of effort regardless of how you feel, you're winning every day."

Sure he had 2 rabbits pacing him til 1000m. But he had to run the last 600m on his own. In those last 600m his 100m splits only varied between 13.7 and 13.9 seconds! Super consistent. One of the most impressive performances I've seen. 

Have a look at his official splits.

400m: 55.3 seconds

800m: 1:51.1 (56.8)

1200m: 2:46.5 (54.9)

1600m: 3:41.4 (54.9)

Finish (mile): 3:42.66 min. WR!!

It's even more amazing if you look at his splits by 100m.

100m: 13.8 seconds

200m: 27.5 (13.7)

300m: 41.0 (13.5)

400m: 55.3 (14.3)

500m: 1:09.3 (14.0)

600m: 1:23.2 (13.9)

700m: 1:37.0 (13.8)

800m: 1:51.1 (14.1)

900m: 2:05.1 (14.0)

1000m: 2:18.8 (13.7)

1100m: 2:32.6 (13.8)

1200m: 2: 46.5 (13.9)

1300m: 3:00.3 (13.8)

1400m: 3:14.0 (13.7)

1500m: 3:27.7 (13.7)

1600m: 3:41.4 (13.7)

Mile (1609.34m) : 3:42.66 min (1.2 sec for final 9.34m)

https://x.com/_OwenM_/status/2078491974399574210 - watch the video

Picture from Letsrun.com

Day 2 Of Kinesio Foundations Course

Most of the participants left some of the Kinesio taping done on Day 1 on them throughout the weekend. We went through how that felt so they can better understand how patients feel with tapes on after they leave to go home. Everyone felt that the taping had good results.

We then started Day 2 with the Kinesio Corrective Techniques. The occupational therapists in the class requested for a few scenarios for the upper arm and shoulder after a patient has a stroke and we covered that too, even though that was not in the syllabus.

We left more time at the end to do the Jelly fish and the epidermis, dermis and fascia (or EDF) techniques. The participants took their time as those techniques needed lots of focus and handling skills.

Doing the jellyfish taping

A big thank you to all the participants, my family and colleagues for helping out. Could not have done it without all of you. Stay tuned for the next course most likely in mid 2027.

Kinesio Foundations Course Day 1

Sports Solutions hosted Day 1 of the Kinesio Foundations Course today. We have occupational therapists, physiotherapists, a medical doctor, a yoga instructor in our class this time.

With Dr Sangita and Sarah

Stay tuned for Day 2 tomorrow where there is a bigger emphasis on the Kinesio Medical Taping section instead of just the Kinesio Taping Methods where muscles, joint and tendons were the main focus. 

Some of the techniques include the Space Correction and webcut applications for bruising and swelling. We will also do the EDF (epidermis, dermis and fascia) and jellyfish taping. 

None of the other brands of tape have any of those techniques mentioned above.

Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome

Picture from Orthopaedia.com

A patient came in to our clinic declaring she has plantar fascia pain in her right foot. She had seen another physiotherapist a few years ago for plantar fascia pain in her left foot and had gotten better. This time she tried orthotics, lots of stretching and even shockwave (or ESWT) with the same physiotherapist, but there was no improvement.

This is how she described her foot pain. She said there was a burning, aching pain at the bottom of her foot and on the inner heel. She said it almost feels like an electric shock. Her pain gets a lot worse after prolonged standing and sometimes wakes her up at night. She also gets numbness in her toes. 

None of those symptoms sound like plantar fascia pain to me. Patients with plantar fasciitis usually have pain during the first few steps when they get out of bed in the morning. There is rarely numbness, burning or electric shock sensations in the toes.

Upon assessment, there was no pain on the posterior calcaneal tubercle (where the PF inserts) nor along the plantar fascia itself. 

I elicited her pain when I did a modified Straight Leg Raise test by holding her foot in full dorsiflexion and eversion. However, there was no tingling or zinging in the foot when I tap on the medial malleolus (over the tarsal tunnel) - also known as Tinel's test. Online articles often describe a positive Tinel's test.

I explained my findings to her. My patient actually has Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome. This is when the posterior tibial nerve gets 'trapped' and irritated in the tarsal tunnel at the inner part of the foot (pictured below). 

Picture from Teachmeanatomy

The tarsal tunnel is a space just behind and below the medial malleolus and serves as a passageway for the posterior tibial artery, nerve and what we call Tom Dick and Harry muscles (tibialis posterior, flexor digitorum longus and flexor hallucis longus). The 'roof' of this tunnel is covered by the flexor retinaculum. It is a thick and strong fibrous band that holds Tom, Dick and Harry in place.

Tom, Dick and Harry- back of R leg

Entrapment of the posterior tibial nerve in the tarsal tunnel caused my patient's foot pain, not plantar fasciitis.

Online or AI* searches always say that flat feet or severe overpronation can cause tarsal tunnel pain as it can stretch the nerve although my patient does NOT have flat feet.

My patient did have a severe right ankle sprain a few months ago that caused swelling and perhaps thickening in the connective tissue in the tunnel that eventually caused this. It was also not treated properly, causing her to compensate and stand and walk differently possibly 'tractioning' her posterior tibial nerve.

A ganglion cyst in the canal may also cause this since it reduces the space in the tunnel. I have never come across this though in the 27 years of being a physiotherapist.

When a patient complains of bottom of foot pain, plantar fasciitis is usually the diagnosis one thinks of. The symptoms of tarsal tunnel syndrome pain can be similar to lumbar radiculopathy, diabetic and peripheral neuropathy or plantar fasciitis. Hopefully this article will correct that. 

 (*All the articles in this blog are written by me not by AI).

Reference

Boers N, Haverkamp M, Eligh AM et al (2026). Differences in Diagnosing Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome Across The Literature: A Systematic Review And A Call For Standardization. JBJS Rev. 14(2): e25.00222. DOI: 10.2106/JBJS.RVW.25.00222

L flexor retinaculum

Picture from https://drjustindean.com/retinaculaofthefoot/