Kerr Drawn To Millrose Because Of 'The Energy In The Stadium'

Story and Photos by David Woods for DyeStat

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NEW YORK – Yared Nuguse nearly broke a world indoor record in each of the past two years at the Millrose Games, and Josh Kerr did break one a year ago.

So it would not be astonishing if one of them Saturday runs to a world record in the Wanamaker Mile at the New York Armory.

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At the same time, the time is not everything.

Nuguse, for one, said he does not want to jinx it.

“I’ve always been very close to this record,” he said Thursday at a premeet news conference. “So this year I’m hoping to focus more on winning, especially given the competition in the race. Hoping that the record just kind of happens."

In 2019, Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha broke a 22-year-old world record with a time of 3:47.01. Next two fastest times ever are 3:47.38 in 2023 and 3:47.83 in 2024, both by Nuguse at the Millrose Games.

Kerr moved to the 2-mile in 2024 to break a world record. In his Scottish homeland, he then beat Nuguse to win gold in the 3,000 meters at the World Indoor Championships. They were on the podium at the Paris Olympics, too, taking silver and bronze in the 1,500 meters, respectively.

In their careers, Kerr and Nuguse are 3-3 in six races at 1,500 meters or a mile.

Five different Americans broke the world indoor mile record between 1962 (by Jim Beatty) and 1978 (by Dick Buerkle), but none since.

No runner has broken the world record in this race since Denmark’s Gunnar Nielsen did so at Madison Square Garden with a time of 4:03.6 in 1955. Most recent American to break the world record in the Wanamaker Mile was Gilbert Dodds with 4:05.3 in 1948.

Nuguse could become the first miler to win three straight since Bernard Lagat’s six in a row (2005-10). The 25-year-old Notre Dame graduate from Louisville, Ky., has not raced since finishing sixth in the 1,500 in the Diamond League final last Sept. 13.

He said recent workouts supplied evidence he is “pretty sharp,” considering the calendar. It is a seven and a half month season, and he wants to peak for September’s World Championships.

“Coming into this race, I really do want to repeat, and really do just want to have a good start to my indoor season and my 2025 season as a whole,” he said.

Kerr conceded he races sparingly, and only in meets that excite him. Millrose is among them.

“We get blessed with a lot of amazing tracks. But it think it’s the atmosphere that is the reason this meet is so good every year,” he said. “I don’t think it’s the track. It’s the energy in the stadium. And it was the same in Paris.

“I would expect some pretty big results across the board.”

Also in the mile will be 21-year-old Hobbs Kessler, fifth at the Paris 1,500, and Australia’s Cameron Myers, 18, who broke the under-20 world record of 3:53.12 on Jan. 25 at the Armory.

Men’s 3K: Fisher, Hocker eye each other . . . and 5Ks

Cole Hocker, Olympic champion at 1,500 meters, and 5K/10K bronze medalist Grant Fisher meet in the middle at 3,000.

Fisher is 3-0 against Hocker, beating him in the Millrose 2-mile last year (behind Kerr’s world record).

“Racing the Olympic gold medalist is different than racing Cole two years ago,” Fisher said.

Fisher is fit, having run a PB of 3:33.99 for 1,500 Sunday at the New Balance Grand Prix in Boston. Hocker said if he has a weakness, it is at distances longer than a 1,500.

“My long runs have been looking a lot better than last year,” Hocker said. “Some of the best ones of my career.”

Coincidentally, both are aiming for indoor 5,000s at Boston University later in February. Fisher called the track there “a trampoline.”

He is targeting Woody Kincaid’s American record of 12:51.61 on Feb. 15. Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele has held the world record of 12:49.60 since 2004.

Hocker and training partner Cooper Teare are to race in a last chance meet Feb. 15, aiming for the World Championships standard of 13:01. Hocker failed in a bid to make the Olympic team at 5,000 last year.

“Not many people in the world have my 5K/1,500 double,” Hocker said. “I want to continue to build on my 5K side.”

Anyone going to nationals/worlds?

Americans such as Noah Lyles, Hocker, Nuguse and Fisher have already announced they would skip the upcoming U.S. and World Championships indoors. Nationals are Feb. 22-23 at Staten Island, N.Y., and worlds are March 20-22 at Nanjing, China.

It is doubtful Team USA can approach its 2024 haul of 20 world indoor medals.

Masai Russell, Olympic champion in the 100-meter hurdles, said she would run the 60 hurdles at nationals but not worlds.

Elsewhere, Australia’s Jessica Hull and Bahamian hurdler Devynne Charlton are aiming for Nanjing. Hull is racing 3,000 at Millrose to achieve the necessary 8:33 standard. Charlton last year lowered the world record in the 60 hurdles at both Millrose and worlds.

Contact David Woods at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.