Sam Ruthe Rewrites History – Youngest Ever to Run Sub 4 Mile

New Zealand’s teenage sensation Sam Ruthe has etched his name into the history books, becoming the youngest athlete ever to break the legendary four-minute mile. The 15-year-old Tauranga runner stunned the running world at Go Media Stadium on March 19, clocking an incredible 3 minutes 58.35 seconds to achieve what only a handful of runners have ever done, let alone at his age.

In doing so, Ruthe surpasses the previous youngest sub-four-minute milers: Olympic Champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen (who ran 3:58.07 at 16) and Cam Myers (who clocked 3:55.44 at 16). He also knocked down the New Zealand U19 and U20 mile records of 3:58.41, previously held by his training partner and pacemaker, Sam Tanner. Ruthe crosses the line at 15 years, 11 months, and 6 days old, and his birthday is the 12th of April 2009. 

“This was probably my favourite goal that I’ve reached” a thrilled Ruthe said. “Especially with all these people here… I’m really really happy.”

The conditions looked to dampen affairs as the rain fell throughout the afternoon in Auckland. As 8 PM crept closer, the rain broke and the gathered crowd were treated to a stunning sunset as the runners lined up on the track.

Tanner, a two-time Olympian and 3:49 miler, expertly paced Ruthe through the race before pulling out to lane two down the finishing straight, leaving Ruthe a clear run to the line. Ethan Smolej provided the early pace, taking the race through 800m bang at the scheduled time of 2.00 before stepping aside to let Tanner take up the mantle. Tanner and Ruthe ran side by side for the last 80m of the race. Tanner grinned over at his young training partner as he made history.

The Auckland crowd was right behind Ruthe from the starting gun. With over 800 people cheering in the stadium and over 44 thousand people tuning in to the livestream on YouTube, the evening will certainly live on in the memories of those in attendance.

March at Mt Smart also has some history behind it. Kiwi, Anne Audain broke the 5000m world record on the 17th of March 1982. Her 15 minutes and 13.2 seconds still stand her at 4th all-time in New Zealand. 

Ruthe wasn’t the only one chasing history. A top contingent of New Zealand’s best middle-distance runners participated in the sub-four-minute mile attempt. Sam Ruthe became the 49th Kiwi to break the barrier, and Ben Wall of Manuwatu-Whanganui became the 50th to break the barrier with a 3:59.00 run. 

New Zealand has long been a powerhouse in the mile, from Sir John Walker, the first man to break 3:50, to legendary record-breakers like Peter Snell and Jack Lovelock. Now, Sam Ruthe is the latest Kiwi to carry that legacy forward, proving that the future of New Zealand middle-distance running is brighter than ever.