How a 24-hour altitude strategy became part of his preparation

Josh Kerr’s preparation was not based on a traditional altitude camp where an athlete spends several weeks in the mountains and then returns home. Instead, altitude became part of his everyday training environment.

Kerr was based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he was already living and training at moderate natural altitude. This allowed him to complete his key running sessions without having to train at excessively high elevation.

At night, however, he went higher.

Kerr slept in a Box Altitude bedroom configured to simulate a higher altitude than Albuquerque itself. This created a modern “live medium, sleep high” model:

• Training at moderate altitude, where he could still maintain the speed and quality required of a world-class miler.
• Sleeping at higher simulated altitude, extending the altitude stimulus during recovery.
• Remaining at altitude around the clock, rather than receiving altitude exposure only during a short camp.

In practical terms, Kerr was living within an altitude environment throughout the day and then increasing that stimulus for approximately 12 hours each night while sleeping.

This did not replace the running, coaching, strength work or recovery behind his performances. It was one carefully managed component of a much broader preparation strategy. But it allowed him to receive a substantial and consistent altitude dose without continually travelling between training camps.

That consistency mattered. Altitude was no longer a temporary intervention. It became part of the daily structure supporting Project 222 and Kerr’s pursuit of mile-running history.

Then came the result: 3:42.66—a new mile world record.

Less than two weeks later, Kerr demonstrated another side of his ability by winning Commonwealth gold in a tactical championship race. One performance required sustained speed against the clock; the other required positioning, patience and a perfectly timed finish.

Together, they confirmed his new status:

Josh Kerr—the newly crowned King of the Mile.