Kerr Set to Race Wanamaker Mile at Millrose Games
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NYRR Millrose Games
He’s one of the best milers in the NCAA, and this week, he’ll take his show to the Big Apple.
University of New Mexico track & field athlete Josh Kerr is set to race among the world’s elite as he competes Saturday in the Wanamaker Mile at the 2018 NYRR Millrose Games at The New Balance Track & Field Center at The Armory in New York City.
The reigning NCAA champion in the mile run, Kerr is one of two collegians entered in the Wanamaker Mile, arguably one of the most prominent races in track & field that has taken place every year since 1926.
Kerr will run the race live on NBC at 3:50 p.m. MT on Saturday.
“It’s historically the most prestigious mile race in the world every year,” UNM head coach Joe Franklin said. “For Josh to get invited and compete in turquoise for the University of New Mexico is an unprecedented honor.”
With an eye on defending his national title in the mile, Kerr, a redshirt sophomore from Edinburgh, Scotland, will look for a fast time on Saturday as he vies with a stacked field.
Kerr has run an altitude-converted time of 3 minutes, 58.04 seconds in the mile, and he would need a similar performance to qualify for the 2018 NCAA Indoor Championships in March.
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His competition at the Millrose Games has the potential to produce such a mark, with a number of professional athletes converging on The Armory.
“First and foremost, the goal is to get the NCAA qualifying mark to get into the NCAA Championships in March,” Franklin said. “Secondly, to compete with some of the best in the world.
“Josh has run very well at the collegiate level, and now this is a slow transition to the international level.”
Among the men competing in the race are four-time Olympian and three-time Wanamaker Mile runner-up Nick Willis, 2017 US 1500-meter champion Robby Andrews, 2016 Olympian Ben Blankenship, 2016 British 1500-meter champion Charlie Grice and two-time European championships bronze medalist Chris O’Hare.
The only other collegian entered in the race is Ole Miss’s Robert Domanic, who has run 3:55.71 in the mile and helped the Rebels to an NCAA title in the distance medley relay last winter.
But for Kerr, who is the first New Mexico student-athlete to compete at the Millrose Games, the goal is to just compete on one of the biggest stages in track & field.
“It’s the epicenter of indoor track & field in the United States,” Franklin said. “Every major indoor race in the world is there. And the history going back through the mile winners is incredible.”
To follow Kerr in the Wanamaker Mile, tune into NBC or NBC Sports Gold or follow the live results linked here at 3:50 p.m. MT.
Fans can follow @UNMLoboXCTF on Twitter and Instagram to keep track of the Lobos!