Ruthe has broken multiple national records with his 3:48 in the mile
Sam Ruthe, a 16 year old runner, has run a 3:48 mile. At age 15 he broke a 1500 meter record held by Jakob Ingebrigtsen with a time of 3:41.25. Ingebrigtsen held that record from 2016 until Ruthe broke it on Feb. 9, 2025. He took the world by storm with his record breaking 3:58.35 mile at the age of 15 making him the youngest person ever to run a mile in under four minutes. VHS teacher and cross country and track coach, Aaron Torres said, “At the end of the day it takes a certain type of person to run this fast. You have to have heart and guts to take this kind of chance.”
Only around 2,000 people have ever run under four minutes in the mile and less than 30 of those people have ever broken four minutes as a high schooler. The four minute mile was an achievement that was once thought to be impossible until May 6,1954 when Roger Bannister became the first person to ever do it. His achievement pushed runners over the barrier and other people started to run under it as well. Although the number of highschoolers who have broken it is less than 30, the number increases every year.
Ruthe kept on improving his times in the 1500 meter and the 800 meter with a final time in 2025 of 3:38.62 in the 1500 and a 1:46.81 in the 800. In Dec. 2025, the same month that he ran his two personal records in the 1500 and the 800, he made a debut in a 5000 meter race to set a New Zealand under-20 record of 13:40.48.
In Jan., Ruthe set a national under-20 record in the 1000 meter race and a world’s best for a 16 and 17-year-old with a 2:17.82. Later that same month he lowered his 800 meter time but this accomplishment was followed by the fastest time in the mile a 16-year-old has ever run with a 3:53.83. Seven days later, Ruthe ran his first indoor mile ever with a personal best of 3:48.88.This time also set a new outright world under-18 best. Zeke Torres ‘29 said, “I think [the race] was spectacular. It was pretty awesome to see a 16 year old almost run a world record.”
