Teenage middle-distance star Sam Ruthe is still coming to terms with his potential, after running the fastest-ever mile by a New Zealander.
Ruthe ran 3m 48.88s to smash the New Zealand indoor men’s record at the Boston University John Thomas Terrier Classic yesterday, previously set by Nick Willis, while also beating his own Under-20 mile record.
Ruthe’s time was also faster than Sir John Walker’s New Zealand outdoor record of 3m 49.08s, which was set back in 1982.
The 16-year-old’s coach now believes the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow have become a realistic proposition for the teenage phenomenon, while he also has the World Athletics Under-20 Championships in Oregon as a target.
Ruthe told Ryan Bridge TODAY that he needs to rethink his goals after his latest accomplishment.
“I’d love to be the best in the world and I’d like to win the Olympics and everything like that, but I feel like just saying that, it sounds so unreal ... I’ve only just started running fast enough for that to be a reasonable goal. I feel like I need to get more comfortable saying that,” he said.
It was Ruthe’s first major race on an indoor track and he said he wasn’t so sure about the move from the outdoor tracks that he has grown up running on – but it ended up suiting him.
“I got a bit worried first time running on an indoor track, it was two days before my race.”
He headed over to Harvard University to do some 200m trials to “get a feel before the race and it’s so much different because of the curve. It just completely throws you off”.
“I was a bit scared and thought, is this actually going to make me slower, when I went to BU [Boston University]. It’s just known for its bounce in the track, it’s meant to be a real fast track. The bends also flow so much better so running on that track felt really smooth through there, I really enjoyed it.”
The Tauranga Boys’ College student said schoolwork has had to be put on hold for now.
“That’s probably one of the hardest tasks in my life right now because everyone is starting school now and I’m over here just trying to run as fast as possible. And to do that, I have to prioritise running over school. It’s one of the trade-offs I have to make. I’m not doing too much schoolwork over here, which is fine with me, but as soon as I get to school, there will be a lot of catching up.”
World media outlets have also started to take notice, with both CNN and the UK’s Telegraph newspaper reporting on his latest record. Talking to the Mike Hosking Breakfast this morning, Ruthe said he would need to step up his training to reach the world’s best.
“My coach has left me a lot of volume to get better from,” he said, adding that he was only doing about 70km a week right now, which might sound like quite a bit, “but all the top guys” are doing 130-140km.
“So I’ve got like 50,60 more left in the bank to just to gain some more strength and some more endurance, just so I can feel a bit more comfortable at that pace and get a bit fitter,” Ruthe said.
There was a special moment for the teen before his appearance on Ryan Bridge TODAY, getting a special message of congratulations from Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, who was on the show before him.
“We’re really proud of you. I’ve watched a number of your videos over the past few months and it’s absolutely brilliant what you’ve achieved and what you’re doing at such a young age. You just keep going and keep chasing excellence. I know what’s involved is just so much hard work and so much time but if you want to achieve great things, you’ve got to put the effort in,” Luxon told Ruthe.