{"id":282636,"date":"2026-02-13T19:01:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T19:01:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/282636\/"},"modified":"2026-02-13T19:01:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T19:01:07","slug":"the-baby-who-was-born-to-run-kiwi-teen-track-star-sam-ruthe-on-his-astonishing-achievements-and-fleet-footed-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/282636\/","title":{"rendered":"The baby who was born to run: Kiwi teen track star Sam Ruthe on his astonishing achievements and fleet-footed family"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sam Ruthe spends his days thinking about how he can run to a finish line faster than he has ever done. He currently averages 25km\/h over a mile. That\u2019s faster than many elite runners do over 800m.<\/p>\n

\n He may now compete in the mile at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games
\n in July after clocking an astonishing 3 min 48.88 sec in Boston on January 31, breaking John Walker\u2019s 1982 national record by 0.20 sec.\n <\/p>\n

He broke the under-18 world record for the mile and his time over 1500m during the race was also faster than the under-18 world mark. Even if he qualifies in other events, the mile will be his sole Glasgow focus, if selected.<\/p>\n

This kid is 16, a Year 12 student at Tauranga Boys\u2019 College. And only 10 people globally have clocked faster than him indoors over a mile.<\/p>\n

His talent may have catapulted him into the global elite after his first-ever indoor competition, but his parents understand the sport and keep him grounded. He says he benefits from both of them having been top athletes themselves. \u201cI\u2019m really lucky. I think the main thing is they really don\u2019t put any pressure on me or get carried away. I don\u2019t have to worry if I have a good or bad race, they are there for me no matter what. They just really help me by clearing a path, keeping things simple. Just knowing that I have their support means so much.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ruthe also holds world age records in 1000m and 3000m, and under-20 national records in all events from 800m to 5000m, bar the 3000m where he holds the under-19 record. Only three Kiwis have ever clocked quicker than him in the 1500m, six in the 800m.<\/p>\n

\"SamSam (centre) after setting the under-20 record in 1000m in\u00a0Tauranga. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n

His mind-blowing mile effort may change his entire year. Initially, the focus was to compete in four events at this year\u2019s under-20 world championships in Oregon. But competing in a strong Commonwealth Games field this year is no longer a long shot for Ruthe, it\u2019s a priority. His father Ben says, \u201cI think [Boston] has changed everything. \u201cWhat this means is that we are going all in on the Commonwealth Games.\u201d<\/p>\n

The moment of Ruthe: watch when he broke the NZ record for the mile in Boston. \u201cI didn\u2019t feel like I was running that fast to be honest.\u201d <\/p>\n

Ruthe will be entered in both competitions and could compete in Oregon even if he makes a Glasgow final. However, timing will be tight as the under-20 championships are just days after the final, and geographically they are 7400km apart.<\/p>\n

Ruthe also qualified for next month\u2019s world indoor championships in Poland, going 0.04 sec under the 800m standard at last month\u2019s Potts Classic, faster than his training partner, Olympian Sam Tanner, 25.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, that\u2019s the first time I\u2019ve actually beaten him in the 800m,\u201d Ruthe says. \u201cIt was a bit tricky, he ran the fastest time of his life, too, that day. I think he was a bit shocked, but he got over it pretty quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess it really snuck up on me, to be honest,\u201d says Tanner. \u201cI thought I could probably get him until he\u2019s about 18 or 19; two or three more years of getting him with ease \u2013 but nah, not any more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ruthe won\u2019t be going to Poland next month \u2013 school is the priority. He says Tauranga Boys\u2019 has been in regular contact and provided him with homework this month while competing in the US.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really lucky. The headmaster has contacted me to make sure they are doing all they can, which is really good of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nan shows the way<\/p>\n

The mile has not been contested at a pinnacle event since 1966. It was replaced by the 1500m at the 1970 Commonwealth Games as a step towards metrification. That year, Ruthe\u2019s maternal grandmother, Rosemary Wright (n\u00e9e Stirling), became Scotland\u2019s first woman to win a Commonwealth track gold when she won the 800m in Edinburgh.<\/p>\n

She went on to set an 800m Commonwealth record at the 1972 Munich Olympics, which stood as a Scottish record for 30 years. Born in Tauranga to a Scottish father, she was unable to compete for New Zealand, as she couldn\u2019t make it back from Europe for the selection event.<\/p>\n

Last year, just three Commonwealth athletes ran quicker in the mile than Ruthe recently did, so this prodigy could make a final at Glasgow.<\/p>\n

\u201cNan would have loved to have run for New Zealand, so I think to go there and get to run for New Zealand will be special for me and for her,\u201d Ruthe says. \u201cThis is the first time in decades that they have a mile instead of a 1500m, which is great, as I get to race the distance of my best time.\u201d (The mile race is 1609m, or four laps plus 9m of an athletics outdoor track. The 1500m race is 3.75 laps.)<\/p>\n

\"RosemaryRosemary Stirling, far left, wins the 800m race at the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh. Photo \/ NZME<\/p>\n

The event change was initiated by World Athletics president Sebastian Coe as a tribute to an iconic race at the 1954 Vancouver Games when two athletes, including British athlete Roger Bannister, went under four minutes in the mile, just weeks after Bannister became the first to run that quickly.<\/p>\n

Last year, Ruthe drew global attention when he became the world\u2019s youngest person to run a mile in under four minutes, doing so before he was even halfway through secondary school. At 3 minutes 58.35 seconds, he smashed the barrier, breaking his own world record for a 15-year-old by 3.5 seconds, set two months earlier.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was probably my favourite goal. Definitely enjoyed this one the most with all the people here supporting me,\u201d he said after the race in Auckland.<\/p>\n

Another moment of Ruthe: When, at age 15 he became the youngest person to run a sub-four minute mile.<\/p>\n

On YouTube athletics channel The Distance Network, founder Callum Elson noted, \u201cWhat Ruthe displayed wasn\u2019t just raw speed. It was durability, strength, recovery ability, and mental focus far beyond his age. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is why people are calling him a generational talent.\u201d<\/p>\n

That four-minute mile led to a name, image and likeness deal with Nike, providing products and rewards for using Nike\u2019s brand. Ruthe was just days short of his 16th birthday when he signed with Nike. His mile effort is up for a Halberg Award as New Zealand\u2019s favourite sporting moment. He is also a hot favourite to win the emerging sportsperson award and will find out on February 16 if he has.<\/p>\n

Less than a year after breaking that mile mark, his 10-second improvement is unprecedented at such a high level, surprising his coach Craig Kirkwood and his parents, given he runs only 70km a week.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s crazy. It\u2019s completely crazy,\u201d Ben Ruthe says. \u201cI think the thing people really wouldn\u2019t understand is that he probably does less training than anyone who has broken four minutes in the mile ever. The average person would train for about 10 years before they break the mile. We\u2019re up against guys who are running 130k a week.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ruthe\u2019s parents know there\u2019s little point in driving a 16-year-old to run 130km a week.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just his nan who has competed internationally. His mother Jessica (n\u00e9e Wright) was a multiple New Zealand champion across distances from 1500m to 10,000m. She won the 2009 Auckland Marathon and represented New Zealand four times at the cross-country world championships. Her sister Emma was a secondary schools national 800m bronze medallist. Jess Ruthe provides a healthy lifestyle balance, overseeing her son\u2019s wellbeing, and coaching when Kirkwood is away.<\/p>\n

\"Ben,Ben, Jessica, Sam and Daisy in earlier years; Right, Sam Ruthe with sister Daisy, Nan Rosemary and Poppa Trevor Wright. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n

Family video of Sam leading the field on a primary school cross coutry race at age 7.<\/p>\n

Ben Ruthe, an under-20 national record-holder over 800m and 1000m, also won the Auckland Marathon in 2008. He has represented New Zealand in cross country and in 2006 was 0.17 seconds off breaking four minutes in the mile on the same day his brother-in-law Gareth Hyett did.<\/p>\n

Ben now oversees management, travel arrangements and sponsorship for his son. He has been close friends with Kirkwood for nearly 30 years. They used to compete together and now work together to organise the best possible events for their prot\u00e9g\u00e9.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll give him a whole bunch of options, and he\u2019ll chose which ones are the right ones in terms of the programme and the structure,\u2019\u2019 Ben says. \u201cAll three of us [Kirkwood and Sam\u2019s parents] look after the different elements of wellbeing in our sectors. Life is not all running.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kirkwood has also competed at the top level. He competed at the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games in the marathon, and at world championships in mountain running, cross country, half marathon and iron man.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s in the genes<\/p>\n

Nan Rosemary and Poppa Trevor Wright met at the European champs in Helsinki in 1971, where they claimed medals. As well as winning Commonwealth Games gold, Rosemary Stirling won gold at the 1969 European championships in world record time as part of the 4 x 400m relay for Britain and won 800m bronze medals at the indoor European champs in 1971 and also at Helsinki. She was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Glasgow in 2014. After moving back to New Zealand in 1982, she managed cross-country teams.<\/p>\n

Wright won a silver medal in the marathon for Britain at Helsinki. Born in England, he competed in the marathon at the 1978 Commonwealth Games. He also won international world cross-country medals and in 1983 represented New Zealand in the marathon at the inaugural world championships at Helsinki.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t even know my nan and poppa were runners until I was about 10 or 11,\u201d Ruthe says. \u201cMum and Dad don\u2019t have medals or running photos in the house, either.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Ruthe,Ruthe, in March 2025, becoming the world\u2019s\u00a0youngest person to run a mile in under\u00a0four minutes. To his left is rival and close\u00a0mate Sam Tanner; Right, his epic run in Boston on January 31. Photos Getty Images; John Hemdengren<\/p>\n

Although it is no surprise that Ruthe is breaking national age records \u2013 he has 34 \u2013 what is unusual is that he\u2019s ranked so highly globally for the mile, with a national open record. <\/p>\n

He is the youngest to win a senior national title, winning both the 1500m and 3000m, the former as a dead heat with Tanner, the national indoor 1500m record holder. <\/p>\n

Ruthe was intentionally held back from seriously pursuing athletics until he turned 13. He was swimming competitively, instead, as was his sister Daisy, for their local Tauranga swimming club, run by 2002 Commonwealth Games swimming silver medallist Liz Van Welie.<\/p>\n

Tanner recalls when Ruthe switched to athletics and joined Kirkwood\u2019s squad aged 14. \u201cHe was a really talented junior with quite a big gap between us. I go to Europe for six months; he trains throughout the New Zealand winter, and I come back and all of a sudden he\u2019s doing workouts at the same level that I am.\u201d<\/p>\n

While close mates, Tanner and Ruthe are fierce rivals. \u201cHaving him turn up wanting to beat me, and getting closer has reignited my competitive edge \u2013 and now we can both benefit off each other; it\u2019s been great.\u201d<\/p>\n

Daisy, now 14, broke an under-16 1500m record at the 2025 NZ Secondary School championships in her first year of track competition. She also became the fastest Kiwi female under 16 in the 1000m, this year\u2019s fourth fastest under 18 in the 800m, and placed fifth in the open women\u2019s mile.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I can race faster people, whether they are older or not, is good. I just love running,\u201d she says. \u2018\u2019I\u2019m lucky I have a really good team to train with, and I just want to run faster times.\u201d<\/p>\n

So perhaps Daisy will join her brother at a future Games event. <\/p>\n

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