A 16-year-old runner from New Zealand has set a world record. On January 31, Sam Ruthe ran a mile in 3:48.88 (three minutes and just under 49 seconds) in a race in Boston, Massachusetts. It’s the fastest mile ever by an under-18 runner.
The race was a nail-biter. Sam was in second place as he approached the final lap. He pulled ahead during the final 100 meters (about 328 feet). Ruthe finished 1.43 seconds faster than Pieter Sisk, from Belgium, who finished second.
“I didn’t feel like I was going that fast, to be honest,” Sam told sports news outlet FloTrack after the race. He added that he felt “completely stoked” about his performance.
Sam’s time also set a new New Zealand national record for runners of any age, according to Athletics New Zealand. The organization called him the “fastest all-time New Zealander,” noting that he broke Olympian John Walker’s record mile time of 3:49.08, set more than 40 years ago.
All eyes have been on Sam since March 2025, when he became the youngest athlete on record to run a mile in under four minutes. He finished that race, which took place in New Zealand, in 3:58.35.
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