Josh Kerr Training: 1500m World Champion’s Weekly Schedule, Key Sessions & Altitude Camps

Josh Kerr won gold in the 1500m at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene and silver at the Tokyo Olympics — yet his training approach is anything but complex.

His philosophy can be summed up in one phrase: “Nothing special.”

No lactate testing, no double sessions, six days a week at 65–70 miles (104–112 km) — a simple, consistent structure built with coach Danny Mackey of Brooks Beasts.

In this article, we break down Kerr’s weekly training structure, key sessions, philosophy, and altitude camps based on publicly available interviews and primary sources. We also look at the research that explains why his approach works.

Who Is Josh Kerr?

Profile & Personal Bests

Josh Kerr was born on October 8, 1997 in Edinburgh, Scotland. He specializes in the 1500m and mile and is widely recognized for his championship-level performance on the global stage.

His major titles include gold in the 1500m at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene and silver at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

He attended the University of New Mexico in the United States, where he built his long-distance foundation under coach Joe Franklin.

Event	Time	Notes
1500m	3:29.10	Personal best (2024)
Mile (outdoor)	3:47.42	Personal best (2023)

Brooks Beasts and Coach Danny Mackey

After graduation, Kerr turned down an offer from Nike and chose to join Brooks Beasts.

Brooks Beasts is a professional running team sponsored by the shoe brand Brooks, based in Seattle. His coach is Danny Mackey.

Kerr has extended his contract with Brooks through 2034 — a long-term partnership that reflects the depth of trust he has built with Coach Mackey over the years.

Looking ahead to 2026, Kerr has announced “Project 222” — a bid to break Hicham El Guerrouj’s mile world record of 3:43.13 (set in 2001) at the London Diamond League on July 18, 2026.

It’s a bold statement of intent as he enters the next phase of his career as a middle-distance runner.

Josh Kerr’s Weekly Training Structure

Six Days, 65–70 Miles: The Big Picture

Kerr’s weekly mileage is 65–70 miles (approximately 104–112 km), a figure he shared in an interview with World Athletics ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. This represents his standard training volume during a regular season.

In addition to six days of running per week, he incorporates weight training twice a week. Unlike the Norwegian model, he does not use double sessions (twice-a-day training) and does not perform lactate testing.

As Kerr himself has said repeatedly: “What I do is simple — there’s nothing special about it.”

Day	Session
Monday	Recovery run (easy)
Tuesday	Structured workout + weight training
Wednesday	Easy run
Thursday	Easy run
Friday	Structured workout + weight training
Saturday	Long run
Sunday	Rest or light recovery run

Key Sessions: Tuesday & Friday Structured Workouts

Structured workouts are scheduled twice a week — Tuesday and Friday — and weight training is combined on those same days.

The key session revealed from Kerr’s pre-championship camp before the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest was 8 × 400m (90-second rest). His average split was 54.8 seconds, with a 4-minute extended rest inserted between reps 4 and 5.

At 54–55 seconds per rep, the pace corresponds to roughly 5:22/mile (3:20/km) — the speed of a competitive 1500m race at Kerr’s level at the time. It’s a session designed to develop both speed and endurance simultaneously.

He also ran a half marathon in 1:01:51 at a San Diego meet in 2021 as a check on his aerobic fitness heading into the Tokyo Olympics — an exceptionally high level of endurance for a 1500m specialist.

Why Strength Training Is Kerr’s “Game Changer”

The element of Kerr’s training that he credits most is his twice-weekly weight training. “It’s not just about building strength and power — it’s changed the game in terms of keeping me away from injury,” Kerr has said.

Weight training is scheduled on structured workout days (Tuesday and Friday), keeping easy run days as full recovery days. While the specific exercises haven’t been made public, the focus is likely on lower-body power and core stability — both essential qualities for a middle-distance runner.

“Train Like a 5K Runner”: Kerr’s Training Philosophy

The 1500m Is 84% Aerobic — Here’s What That Means

When Kerr says “1500m runners need to train like 5K runners,” he’s drawing on an understanding that the 1500m demands far more aerobic capacity than it might appear.

Research published in a peer-reviewed journal (Spencer & Gastin 2001) found that approximately 84% of the energy used in a 1500m race comes from the aerobic system — the mechanism that continuously produces energy using oxygen — while only 16% comes from anaerobic metabolism (※1).

Compare this to the 800m, where the anaerobic contribution rises to 34%. It becomes clear that the 1500m is heavily dependent on aerobic capacity.

In other words, improving 1500m performance requires building the same high aerobic base as 5,000m and 10,000m runners — not just sprint speed. Kerr’s statement aligns directly with this physiological reality.

No Lactate Testing, No Double Sessions — Why Consistency Wins

Kerr’s approach stands in sharp contrast to the Norwegian method. While Jakob Ingebrigtsen and his training partners use twice-daily threshold runs (double threshold training) and lactate-guided intensity control, Kerr is explicit: “No lactate testing. No double sessions.”

What Kerr values most is consistency.

In an interview with World Athletics, he explained: “My training isn’t extraordinarily hard — what I do well is stay injury-free, so I can stack training days consistently. The result is a very high level of fitness.”

By avoiding double sessions, he ensures sufficient recovery between each session. It’s an approach built on trust in accumulated training, rather than relying on complex intensity-management tools.

Recovery Is Where the Difference Is Made

On his preparation before the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Kerr put it this way: “Anyone can do good training. The difference is made in between — sleep, nutrition, recovery.”

In the lead-up to Budapest, his camp included a dedicated chef, mental coach sessions, and an early-rising routine — optimizing every factor outside of training itself. The principle is simple: maximize recovery quality to maximize training quality.

Altitude Training: Seattle, Albuquerque & St. Moritz

Three Training Bases

Kerr trains out of multiple locations. His home base is Seattle, Washington — home of Brooks Beasts — where he trains with the team under Coach Danny Mackey throughout the regular season.

For pre-competition sharpening camps, he uses Albuquerque, New Mexico (elevation approximately 1,500m / 4,900 ft). Albuquerque is also the city where Kerr spent his college years at the University of New Mexico, making it a familiar environment for altitude acclimatization.

He used this location for an intensive pre-championships camp ahead of the 2023 World Athletics Championships.

In summer, he also trains in St. Moritz, Switzerland (elevation approximately 1,800m / 5,900 ft). His 2023 summer camp there has been confirmed, with the goal of altitude adaptation in preparation for the European track season.

What Altitude Training Actually Does to Your Body

When you spend time at altitude (roughly 2,000–2,500m / 6,500–8,200 ft), the body undergoes physiological adaptations in response to reduced oxygen pressure. The lower-oxygen environment signals the body to produce erythropoietin (EPO), which stimulates red blood cell production.

The result is enhanced oxygen-carrying capacity in the blood, which leads to improved VO2 max.

A study on elite runners using the Live High, Train Low (LHTL) approach — living at approximately 2,500m while training at lower elevation — found that 27 days of this protocol produced a 3% improvement in VO2 max and a statistically significant improvement in 3,000m performance (※2).

However, the benefits of altitude adaptation begin to diminish 2–3 weeks after returning to sea level. Timing is therefore critical — altitude camps are typically completed 3–4 weeks before the target race (※3). Kerr’s strategy of using an intensive altitude camp before major championships and returning to lower elevation at the right time aligns with this research.

The Science Behind Josh Kerr’s Training

Weekly Mileage and Training Intensity Distribution of World-Class Runners

Kerr’s weekly volume of 65–70 miles is sometimes described as high for a middle-distance runner.

In reality, a study analyzing 50 weeks of training data from seven world-class middle- and long-distance runners found an average weekly mileage of approximately 135 km (about 84 miles), with roughly 88% performed at low intensity (Zone 1 easy running) (※4).

A case study of a single runner who reached a World Championships final showed weekly mileage averaging 146 km (about 91 miles) across an entire year.

During the base phase, training intensity distribution (TID) follows a pyramidal structure (predominantly low intensity). In the six weeks before competition, it shifts toward a polarized pattern — high- and low-intensity work with minimal moderate-intensity running (※5).

Kerr’s mileage falls below these elite benchmarks, but the fundamental structure of his training — building a base with predominantly easy running and adding two high-intensity sessions per week — mirrors what world-class runners do.

VO2 Max and Running Economy: The Two Key Drivers of 1500m Performance

A study examining 1500m performance (Ingham 2008) involved 62 800m and 1500m runners at national and international level.

Variables measured included VO2 max and running economy (RE) — the oxygen cost of running at a given pace — and their relationship to performance outcomes.

The results showed that a combined measure of VO2 max and running economy explained approximately 96% of the variance in 1500m performance (※6).

The defining characteristics of faster runners are twofold: a high capacity to take in oxygen (VO2 max) and a high efficiency in converting that oxygen into speed (running economy).

Kerr’s approach of “training like a 5K runner” — maintaining high mileage and a strong aerobic base — simultaneously develops both VO2 max and running economy, which is directly consistent with these findings.

Endurance-First Middle-Distance Running

A study classifying elite middle-distance runners (Sandford 2019) analyzed 800–1500m athletes and categorized them into three types based on the combination of maximum sprint speed (MSS) and maximal aerobic speed (MAS) (※7).

The “800–1500m type” is characterized by a high aerobic speed relative to sprint speed.

Kerr’s training style — prioritizing an endurance base and being capable of a 1:01:51 half marathon — is consistent with this endurance-first approach to middle-distance running.

Why Pyramidal TID Works for Middle-Distance Runners

A systematic review synthesizing 16 studies on training intensity distribution (TID) in middle- and long-distance running (Kenneally 2018) found that low-intensity-dominant pyramidal and polarized TID approaches are more effective than threshold-focused training for performance development (※8).

Kerr’s training structure — the majority of the week at easy running pace, with two high-intensity sessions — aligns with this pyramidal-to-polarized TID framework.

How Recreational Runners Can Apply These Principles

Build Your Aerobic Base First

The most transferable lesson from Kerr’s approach is “prioritize aerobic capacity.” To improve your 1500m or 5K time, building a consistent aerobic base through sustained easy running matters more than adding speed work.

Running five to six days per week and keeping 80% or more of those sessions at conversational pace — easy enough to hold a conversation — gradually develops both VO2 max and running economy over time.

When increasing weekly mileage, avoid jumping up too fast. Keeping monthly increases within 10–15% is recommended for injury prevention.

Add Strength Training Twice a Week

The weight training Kerr calls his “game changer” is an approach recreational runners can readily adopt. Scheduling two strength sessions per week on your harder running days — after your structured workouts — lets you preserve recovery days while building strength.

Combining lower-body compound movements such as squats, lunges, and deadlifts with core training helps improve both resilience to impact forces and propulsive power.

Strength training is especially valuable once weekly mileage exceeds 25 miles (40 km), as injury risk tends to increase from this point.

Treat Recovery as Part of Your Training

The core of Kerr’s philosophy is that “the difference is made in between.” For recreational runners, this translates into a few practical habits.

Aim for 7–8 hours of sleep after training sessions, eat a meal containing protein and carbohydrates within 30–60 minutes of finishing a run, and make the day after a hard session either an easy run or a full rest day.

Treating good recovery with the same priority as good training is a principle that holds true from recreational runners all the way to the elite level.

References

※1 Spencer MR, Gastin PB. Energy system contribution during 200- to 1500-m running in highly trained athletes. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2001;33(1):157-162.

※2 Stray-Gundersen J, Chapman RF, Levine BD. “Living high-training low” altitude training improves sea level performance in male and female elite runners. J Appl Physiol. 2001;91(3):1113-1120.

※3 Mujika I. Altitude training for endurance athletes. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2019;14(7):943-953.

※4 Kenneally M, Casado A, Gomez-Ezeiza J, Santos-Concejero J. Training intensity distribution analysis by race pace vs. physiological approach in world-class middle- and long-distance runners. Eur J Sport Sci. 2021;21(6):819-826.

※5 Kenneally M, Casado A, Gomez-Ezeiza J, Santos-Concejero J. Training Characteristics of a World Championship 5000-m Finalist and Multiple Continental Record Holder. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2022;17(3):352-358.

※6 Ingham SA, Whyte GP, Pedlar C, Bailey ME, Jeffrey I, Nevill AM. Determinants of 800-m and 1500-m running performance using allometric models. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2008;40(2):345-350.

※7 Sandford GN, Allen SV, Kilding AE, Ross A, Laursen PB. Anaerobic Speed Reserve: A Key Component of Elite Male 800-m Running. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2019;14(6):823-829.

※8 Kenneally M, Casado A, Santos-Concejero J. The Effect of Periodization and Training Intensity Distribution on Middle- and Long-Distance Running Performance: A Systematic Review. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2018;13(9):1114-1121.