11 hours ago
Inside Josh Kerr's training camp, a running mecca 5,000 miles from home
T he sun has yet to rise over the Sandia Mountains that provide a spectacular backdrop to his New Mexico home but Josh Kerr has already sent a video message to one of his training partners. 'Hope you're enjoying your lie-in,' he says to Brandon Miller, which is Kerr's way of letting the American know that today, like every other day, he means business.
It is 5.30am and within four minutes Miller has fired back a message to his friend and tormentor. He too is up and preparing for a track session that will leave Britain's 1,500m world champion and double Olympic medal-winner seeking the shade of a tree while trying not to vomit.
The exchange between Kerr and Miller is good-humoured but there is method to this early-morning madness. Kerr wants every workout to count and he endeavours to do this by creating a sense of competition among the professional runners who form the Brooks Beasts Track Club. 'We're not f***ing around here,' he says.