Epic Debate: Josh Kerr vs All-Time Miler Greats

If every great miler in history — at their absolute peak — lined up on the same starting line, would Josh Kerr win?

See Rojo's article: "If All The Top Milers in the World Lined Up, Would Kerr Win?": letsrun.com/news/2026/08/if-every-great-miler-in-history-raced-would-josh-kerr-win

Full podcast here: podcast.letsrun.com/episode/36d5fb29/could-josh-kerr-beat-seb-coe-morceli-jim-ryun-el-guerrouj-

How should we fairly compare runners across radically different eras, you've got cinder tracks vs. carbon plates, the EPO-tainted '90s, and more. Jaw-dropping closing splits from Noureddine Morceli's three world titles, plus Jim Ryun's legendary 1967 kick in Düsseldorf, vs Kerr today.

Plus listener-inspired dive into the "Pareto Frontier" — a stats framework for measuring the fastest closing speed ever run off any given pace: jkpritchard.substack.com/p/greatest-1500m-races-fast-times-vs

Cole Hocker's 2024 Olympic kick, Fermin Cacho's 1992 upset, Abdi Bile's insane last 800, and why El Guerrouj may not be the king.

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Timestamps
0:00 – Setting the Stage: Would Kerr Beat History's Greatest Milers?
0:21 – Why Comparing Eras Is Nearly Impossible
2:52 – The Origin of the All-Time Miler Debate
4:25 – Comparing Eras: Ryun's Kick vs. the Doping-Era 90s
6:56 – The Pareto Frontier: Measuring History's Greatest Closes
7:25 – Standout Performances Across Eras