Ruthe rocks Mile record
"It feels incredible. That was my goal coming into this race. I was trying to beat Tanner as well, but as soon as the gun started, I just wanted to run as fast as possible."
WHANGANUI - New Zealand teen phemon Sam Ruthe became the fastest 16-year-old to ever run the Mile, achieving the feat at the Cooks Gardens Classic on Saturday night.
The Tauranga teenager clocked 3 minutes, 53.83 seconds, shattering the previous single age world record mark of 3:55.44 held by Australian Cam Myers (2023).
Ruthe was narrowly beaten to the finish line by two-time Olympian and training partner Sam Tanner, who helped push the youngster on, as he has done in other races on the domestic scene.
"It feels incredible. That was my goal coming into this race. I was trying to beat Tanner as well, but as soon as the gun started, I just wanted to run as fast as possible," Ruthe told TVNZ.
"To lead out some of this race was something I felt I just had to do. I'll hopefully get my time down faster."
Tanner, 25, defended his national men's senior Mile title, surging past Ruthe in the home straight to win in 3:53.36, just off the stadium record.
Both will leave for the United States next week, with Ruthe eyeing four indoor Mile races on successive weekends, in a campaign he believes will be important for his development.
Ruthe is now #7 on the list of all-time New Zealand Milers, having overtaken the legendary Sir Peter Snell.
