Fifteen-year-old Sam Ruthe has made history as the youngest runner to complete a mile in under four minutes.
The Tauranga athlete achieved this incredible feat on Wednesday night at the Herb Towers Track in Auckland, finishing with a time of 3 minutes and 58.35 seconds. Despite his record-breaking success, Ruthe admitted he was nervous about returning to Tauranga Boys’ College on Friday, calling it a “pretty scary” experience.
Ruthe’s rise to fame has been rapid, and his achievements have drawn national attention. However, the young runner remains humble, saying he feels “embarrassed” by all the media attention. He even appeared on TVNZ’s Breakfast show but insists that his friends and family support him no matter what.
Earlier this summer, Ruthe won national titles in the 1500m and 3000m races, sharing the 1500m victory with Olympian Sam Tanner. His performances have been so remarkable that he now holds New Zealand records in multiple age groups and has set world-best times for a 15-year-old in both the 1500m and 3000m.
Even more impressively, Ruthe’s time in the 1500m was faster than a record once held by Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who later became an Olympic gold medalist. Could Ruthe follow the same path? Only time will tell, but for now, he is focused on school—and handling the attention that comes with being a rising star in the running world.
