Before the teenage New Zealand runner, Sam Ruthe, took to Boston University’s famous indoor track in January, he told his father he was aiming to run a 3.48-minute mile.
The 16-year-old had already stunned the athletics world in 2025, when he became the youngest person ever to break the four-minute mile barrier – aged 15 – but his father, Ben Ruthe, raised his eyebrows over his son’s aspirations for his next race, which if achieved could mean he will be considered for New Zealand Commonwealth Games selection.
“I thought, for him to qualify for the Commonwealth Games, he would have to run faster than anybody his age in the history of the world by five seconds,” Ben said. “And then he did.”
Sam had intended to fall in behind his training partner, the New Zealand Olympian Sam Tanner, at the John Thomas Terrier Classic – a prestigious annual indoor meet at Boston University– on 31 January. But shortly into the race Tanner injured his leg and pulled out. Ruthe appeared unfazed, overtaking the Belgian Olympian Pieter Sisk in the final lap to cross the finish line in first place, with a time of 3.48.88.
It was the fastest mile ever run by an athlete under 18, and was the 11th fastest time ever recorded for an indoor mile. Sam eclipsed the New Zealand mile record of 3.49.08, set by John Walker in 1982.
After the race, Sam told a television crew that he had just travelled 50 hours from New Zealand to attend the race, and was “feeling a bit heavy”.
“I think I could run even faster but I’m super stoked with that,” he said, with a degree of humility that has become typical of Sam’s reactions to his accomplishments.
He has been billed as a “phenomenon”, a “sensation” and a “prodigy” by media and the athletics world but he is “not aiming for records”, he told the Guardian in February at the end of his US trip.
“I’m just lucky to be in fast races. If I can race people in a race that goes fast then my time ends up being quick. Running a fast time doesn’t mean a lot to me as there are always a lot of people faster, even if they are a bit older.”
Sam continues to shatter records. Alongside his international feats, he holds every under-20 middle-distance record in New Zealand.
“He’s put himself in the top 20 or so men in the world for the mile distance, which is unheard of for someone so young,” Craig Kirkwood, Sam’s trainer, said.
“It’s hard to wrap your head around just how fast he ran, and how well he is going for a kid his age – it’s remarkable.”
When asked what makes Sam so good, Kirkwood said there were “just so many things” that needed to stack up.
In Sam’s case, those “things” stack up neatly – not only does he come from an incredible line of talented runners, he is dedicated to the sport and has a supportive home life. Ruthe also lives in Tauranga, the same city as Kirkwood – who is one of the country’s foremost athletics coaches.
Sam’s mother, Jess Ruthe, has taken out national titles in middle-distance running, competed at world cross-country championships and won the Auckland marathon six months after he was born. She was running up to 100km a week while seven months pregnant.
Jess herself comes from stellar running stock. Her mother, Rosemary, won gold for Scotland in the 1970 Commonwealth games, while her father, Trevor, was a top marathon runner.
Meanwhile, Ben has also won the Auckland marathon and represented New Zealand at world cross-country championships. Ruthe’s sister Daisy, 14, recently won her first under-20 3,000m New Zealand championship.
‘Humble and incredibly disciplined’
Much is made of Sam’s extraordinary genetics, but Ben also credits his sons’ talent to an active childhood spent playing tag at the beach and hiking, a good diet and healthy sleep habits.
Sam showed promise as a runner early, bounding ahead of his peers at primary school cross-country races. His parents delayed his training until he was almost 14 to ensure he could handle the pressure of becoming an athlete – a move that Ben believes has paid off.
“He’s really humble and incredibly disciplined … he’s just comfortable and he enjoys it.”
Moreover, Kirkwood’s coaching has been transformative. He “takes the raw ingredients and launches it on to the international stage”, Ben said.
Kirkwood started training junior squads roughly 10 years ago. He takes a “cautious” approach to training: three sessions a week to slowly build up skills. While Sam “shines pretty bright” in the squad, his coach says the group environment is a big part of his success.
Sam is a “quick study”, with an intuitive sense of the race and an ability to react to minute changes “almost perfectly every time”, Kirkwood said.
With the US event now behind him, Ruthe is looking towards selection for the Commonwealth Games and competing in the World Junior champs in Oregon in August – but he is already tempering expectations, suggesting his school demands may slow down his running pace.
Whether he continues his extraordinary streak or not at those events, the world will be watching and they can sure of one thing: Sam will be thoroughly enjoying himself.
“When I’m racing I go into a space where my mind goes blank and I feel my body takes over … those brief moments are ones that I really enjoy as it feels like I’m outside my own body,” he said.
“I just love it.”