At 16, Sam Ruthe Just Ran One of the Fastest Miles in History

Sam Ruthe crossed the finish line at Boston University on Saturday night, glanced at the clock, and looked almost confused.

The time read 3:48.88.

At 16 years old, Ruthe had just run the fastest mile ever recorded by an under-18 athlete. He had also beaten every other runner in the race, a field made up largely of seasoned professionals, and broken a New Zealand national record that had stood since 1982.

“I didn’t feel like I was going that fast,” Ruthe said afterward on the FloTrack broadcast. “I still don’t believe it. I’m completely stoked.”

The race took place at the John Thomas Terrier Classic, an early-season indoor meet that has developed a reputation as one of the fastest stops on the global track circuit. The Boston University Track and Tennis Center, with its tight turns and springy surface, has been the site of dozens of national and world records.

For Ruthe, it was his first race ever on an indoor track.

New Zealand does not have any.

Ruthe arrived in Boston just three days earlier, after a journey that took roughly 50 hours from his home country. He has described the race as little more than a tune-up, a way to shake out his legs after travel.

Instead, it turned into one of the most startling performances in recent middle-distance history.

With one lap to go, Ruthe sat in second place behind Belgian runner Pieter Sisk. Over the final 100 meters, he shifted gears, surged past Sisk, and opened a gap that left little doubt. He won by 1.43 seconds.

“There’s definitely more in the tank,” Ruthe said. “I’ve got three more races and could probably go a bit faster.”

The time carried extra weight back home. Ruthe’s 3:48.88 also eclipsed the New Zealand men’s mile record of 3:49.08, set more than four decades ago by Sir John Walker, the Olympic champion who became the first man to break 3:50 for the mile.

“I really didn’t expect to get Walker’s national record today,” Ruthe told CNN Sports. “I hoped to get it one day, but I thought it might be three or four years away.”

Athletics New Zealand confirmed the mark as the fastest mile ever run by a New Zealander, regardless of age.

Ruthe’s rise has been fast, even by prodigy standards. Last March, he became the youngest runner in history to break four minutes in the mile, running 3:58.35 in Auckland. Just last week, he ran 3:53.83 outdoors at the Cooks Classic in Whanganui, setting a world outdoor best for a 16-year-old.

He now holds a long list of national age-group records, including New Zealand under-20 marks in the 800m and 5,000m.

Running is not new to the Ruthe family. His parents, Ben and Jessica Ruthe, were both national-level athletes, and his grandmother, Rosemary Stirling, competed for New Zealand at the 1972 Olympic Games.

“To see him achieve this so early is wonderful,” Ben Ruthe said. “But it also comes with challenges. To keep developing, he has to travel a long way to find the right competition. This trip alone took 50 hours.”

The indoor setting posed its own challenges. The 200-meter track requires runners to take sharper turns than outdoor ovals, and races can quickly become tactical.

“I was a bit worried about the tight turns,” Ruthe said. “But I got into a really good spot early and it all just felt good.”

He also noticed something missing.

“Nice not to worry about the wind,” he said, referring to the conditions he regularly faces racing outdoors in New Zealand.

Ruthe’s time now ranks as the 11th-fastest indoor mile ever run, across all ages. The indoor world record, 3:45.14, was set last year by Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway. Indoor and outdoor records are kept separate by World Athletics because of differences in track size and conditions.

Ruthe plans to race three more miles this month before returning home for New Zealand’s national championships in March. He has also said he would “love to try and qualify” for the 2028 Olympic Games.

For now, the track world is still catching up to what happened in Boston.

A teenager ran one of the fastest miles in history, looked barely winded, and walked away sounding like he was just getting started.