Running Isn't One Skill. Josh Kerr's World Record Proves It. (Part 1)
In July 2026, Josh Kerr ran a mile in 3 minutes and 42.66 seconds and broke a world record that had stood since 1999, back when most of the people reading this weren't even training yet.
Watch that race and you'll notice something strange: for the first three minutes, it barely looks fast. Controlled, patient, almost boring. Then the last 300 meters happen and it turns into a full sprint. Same runner, same race, two completely different gears.
That's not a coincidence, and it's not just elite-level talent. It's your muscles doing exactly what we talked about last time: recruiting different fiber types for different jobs, in real time, mid-race.
Quick Recap: Your Muscles Aren't One Thing
We've covered this before, but here's the short version. Your muscles are made of different fiber types built for different demands: slow-twitch fibers that are built to go long without tiring, and fast-twitch fibers built for short bursts of serious power. Most movements you do lean on a blend of both, and how you train shapes how well each type performs.
Running is one of the clearest places you can actually see this play out. Sprinting, distance running, and everything in between aren't just "running, but faster or slower." They're different skills, pulling on different systems, producing different results.
Most people never train that way. They lace up, go until they're tired, and call it running. That's like saying lifting is lifting, whether you're doing a max deadlift or curling five-pound dumbbells. Different stimulus, different result. Running responds to how you train it, just like everything else.
Why Running Still Matters
The benefits haven't expired just because we buy our food at the store now. Physically, running strengthens your heart and lungs, builds bone density, improves how your body uses fuel, and increases mitochondrial density in your cells. Mentally, it reduces stress hormones, sharpens focus, and builds the kind of earned confidence that comes from doing something hard on purpose. None of that is new information, but it's still true, and it's still worth showing up for.
Not All Running Is Created Equal
At Eureka CrossFit, we treat running the same way we treat every other movement: with intention. Here's how the different flavors of running each build something different.
Sprinting is short, explosive, and all-out. Think 10 to 30 seconds of maximum effort. This is where you build raw power, fast-twitch muscle recruitment, and explosive strength. Sprinting also triggers a strong hormonal response, which is part of why short, hard efforts pay off well beyond just your running speed. If you want to get more athletic, not just more tired, sprinting belongs in your training.
Running for distance builds your aerobic engine. This is the slow, steady stuff, the kind where you could hold a conversation the whole time. It trains your body to become a better fat-burning, oxygen-using machine, and it builds the kind of patience and mental toughness that doesn't come from a five-minute workout. Distance running is where the "boring but effective" saying earns its keep.
Running for time, like tempo runs, intervals, or an all-out mile, sits right in the middle, and it's exactly what makes Kerr's world record so impressive to actually understand. The mile is long enough to expose a weak aerobic engine and short enough to demand a real finishing kick, so it forces both fiber systems to work together instead of letting you lean on just one. Kerr didn't stumble into that record either. He and his coach built an entire training block, nicknamed "Project 222" after the exact time he needed to beat, specifically around that demand. That's the whole case for training with intention instead of just logging miles: you decide what you're training for, and the training follows from there.
Running for fun might be the most underrated of all. Tag, pickup soccer, obstacle courses, chasing your kids around the yard, all of it counts. This kind of running builds agility, coordination, and reactive speed, and it does something the others can't: it makes movement feel joyful instead of obligatory. A body that associates running with play, not punishment, is a body that keeps showing up.
None of these replace the others. They complement each other. A well-rounded runner, or honestly, a well-rounded human, needs all four in the mix at different times for different reasons.
You Don't Have to Run to Get Better at Running
Here's the part most people miss: you don't need a dedicated running block to build these qualities. Our programming already trains all four, most days you're not even lacing up.
Heavy squats and deadlifts build posterior chain strength and power, the same hip drive that determines stride length and top-end speed. Stronger hips don't just move more weight, they move you faster.
High-intensity metcons put your body through the same aerobic and lactate-threshold demands as a tempo run, just with a barbell or gymnastics movement standing in for pavement.
Short, max-effort pieces, sprints, sled pushes, and heavy singles, train the same fast-twitch, explosive system a 100-meter sprint does.
Community workouts and competition days bring in the same playful, competitive drive that makes running fun instead of a chore.
You're already training like a runner. You just might not have realized it. And when running does show up in the programming, all of that strength and conditioning work doesn't sit off to the side, it carries directly into the miles.
One Thing We Didn't Cover Here
We didn't get into technique, and that's on purpose. How you actually run, your mechanics, your form, is a big enough topic that it deserves its own space instead of a rushed paragraph at the bottom of this one. It's also where a lot of "running injuries" actually come from, and that's worth a real answer, not a footnote. That's coming in Part 2.
The Bottom Line
Kerr didn't break a 27-year-old record by running more. He broke it by training for exactly what the mile demanded, and nothing else. That's the whole lesson, whether you're chasing a world record or just trying to get through a 5K without wanting to quit at mile two.
At Eureka CrossFit, we program running the same way: varied, purposeful, and scaled to where you are right now. Whether that's your first 400-meter jog or your fifth marathon, there's a place for you to start.
References
World Athletics. "Kerr breaks world mile record with 3:42.66 in London." July 2026. worldathletics.org
NPR. "Josh Kerr of Britain breaks 27-year-old world record in the mile." July 2026. npr.org