Sam Ruthe alongside friend and mentor Sam Tanner.
Sam Ruthe is an anomaly.
The 16-year-old recently broke Sir John Walker’s New Zealand record for the fastest mile, clocking 3m 48.88s in Boston.
Over the weekend, a quirk in the regulations saw Ruthe meet the qualifying standard for the Commonwealth Games after finishing seventh at the Sound Invite event in North Carolina.
While his mile time fell short of Athletics New Zealand’s B qualifying standard, his 1500m split was 3m 34.66s, clearing the performance standard of 3m 34.80s, which counts towards entry.
Such freakish talent has garnered widespread media attention, putting an intense spotlight on a boy who’s only freshly eligible for a learner’s driver’s licence.
So what about Ruthe makes him different? He certainly has genetics on his side. Both his parents are former competitive runners. Ruthe’s grandmother, Rosemary Wright, won 800m gold for Scotland at the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh. His grandad, Trevor, broke the world record for the fastest debut marathon in 1971, with a time of 2h 13m 27s.
However, there seems to be little else that gives him an edge.
Speaking with the Herald, Ruthe has revealed there is no fancy secret, no sports science-driven snack or Spotify playlist with the exact beats per minute required to produce the perfect pace.
In fact, Ruthe opts not to listen to music at all while training. He usually runs in a big group, the athletes using one another as motivation.
His diet is similarly simple. Race days are fuelled by eggs on toast. Why? Because you can get eggs on toast anywhere. Like most of Ruthe’s routine, his diet is exceedingly normal.
When not at the track or at school, Ruthe can be found cycling, playing golf, spending time at the beach and enjoying the company of friends.
He also has a vested interest in business, and could see himself developing his own in the future.
The teenager has risen to something of New Zealand-level stardom in the last year. Given his age, it would be natural to assume this attention would translate into some extra hallway credit at Tauranga Boys’ College.
However, Ruthe admits little has changed socially at school since he started breaking records.
“I don’t think my mates really care. Some of them have been messaging me, but they’re all good. I haven’t been back yet since being in the United States this time.”
He’s noticed no change in his public profile since running his record-breaking mile, and feels zero pressure from public expectation.
“Those expectations or worries are for them. I know what I want to do, and I’m lucky to be able to do it.”
Ruthe is currently absorbing a book on Vladimir Putin and Russia, but is honest about it being a relatively difficult read. Given his busy schedule, he’s struggling to get through it.
The young Kiwi is lucky enough to be sponsored by Nike, and his favourite racing spikes for events longer than 800m are the Dragonfly Elites.
Ruthe’s favourite piece of advice comes from his gold medal-winning grandmother.
Like the rest of what powers Ruthe, the counsel is simple: “It’s just running.”
“For me, it says what it means and that you don’t need to fear anything. There is so much to life, and I think when you have no fear, you can more easily achieve things.”
Ruthe genuinely enjoys the training and said it never feels monotonous.
“Everyone is always pushing new limits, and I think whenever you are growing or developing in an area, that means it’s hard to be bored. There are so many others training with me at the same time, and we are all trying to improve, which is pretty motivating.”
Newness is coming at Ruthe thick and fast. Trips to the US have become commonplace, and with them, memorable challenges for him and coach Craig Kirkwood. One that sticks out in particular to Ruthe is competing in the International Mile at last year’s Prefontaine Classic in Oregon.
“I was the youngest and slowest in the field, and then someone tripped and fell right in front of me in the first 100m. I had to hurdle him, which meant I went straight to the back. It was my first race after coming from winter at home. It changes the way Craig and I will prepare for races in the future, but it helps that I’m stronger now. I ran a much better race a week later, but all of that is learning for the future.”
While the media and fans are busy imagining the greatness Ruthe could potentially achieve, the 16-year-old is leaving his plans wide open.
“I don’t really have an ultimate goal. I know there is Olympic gold, and I think everyone would like to win one of those, but I want to try to win the races I’m in, and they are getting faster. If I can do that and enjoy it along the way, I should be able to look back one day and be happy with what I achieved.”
While Ruthe is now technically eligible for Commonwealth Games selection, he’ll want to hit the A qualifying standard of 3m 50.4s again before May 3 to give himself the best chance for one of the 18 quota spots. The New Zealand Olympic Committee has the final say.
Ruthe said he would love to run at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
“Scotland is where my Nan won her gold, and to race there would be special.
“So many of the best runners in the world are in the Commonwealth, with Kenya, England, Scotland and Australia all having great teams.
“There are a bunch that have run the mile a couple of seconds quicker than I have, but I think if I line up there, I know Craig will have me ready to race.”
Nathan Limm has been a journalist with Newstalk ZB and the NZ Herald since 2020. He covered the Netball World Cup in Cape Town in 2023, hosts The Big League Podcast and commentates rugby and netball for Gold Sport.