Sam Ruthe, a 16-year-old runner from Tauranga, has broken the world under-18 record for the mile at an indoor track event in Boston, USA. At the John Thomas Terrier Classic, Ruthe ran an incredible time of 3 minutes and 48.88 seconds, becoming the youngest person ever to run a mile in under 3 minutes 50 seconds.
His performance didn’t just beat the U18 record — it also broke New Zealand’s national mile record, which had stood since 1982. That previous record was set by Sir John Walker, a legendary athlete who ran 3 minutes 49.08 seconds outdoors.
Indoor and outdoor track records are usually kept separate because indoor tracks are shorter. Still, Ruthe’s time is now the 11th fastest ever run indoors by anyone, at any age. The overall indoor world record is 3 minutes 45.18 seconds, held by Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen.
Ruthe said he was surprised by how fast he ran, especially after a long 50-hour journey from New Zealand left his legs feeling heavy. This was also his very first indoor race, since New Zealand doesn’t have indoor tracks.
Originally, Ruthe planned to follow his training partner Sam Tanner during the race, but Tanner had to slow down after an injury mid-race. Ruthe took the lead on the last lap and finished strongly.
Just one week earlier, Ruthe had broken the world outdoor mile record for 16-year-olds at a meet in Whanganui, running 3 minutes 53.83 seconds.
Ruthe plans to race three more times this month before heading back to New Zealand for the national championships in March.
