Sam Ruthe Just Became the Youngest Person to Break 4 in the Mile—And His 3K and 1500 Are Even Scarier

THE RUNNING EFFECT PODCAST

Dominic Schlueter

Running, Sports

4.8 • 686 Ratings

🗓️ 24 July 2025

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

At 15, Sam Ruthe is breaking records and shattering expectations.

With a jaw-dropping 3:58.35 mile, he became the youngest human ever to break four minutes, vaulting himself into the global spotlight.

But if you know his story, none of this feels like a fluke.

Running is in Sam’s blood.

His grandfather was a Commonwealth Games steeplechaser.

His parents? Both competitive runners.

You can’t fake that kind of DNA.

The stuff he has accomplished outside of just the mile already are dumbfounding:

In November of 2024 he broke the New Zealand U17/U18 3000m record (with a time of 8:09.68).

On February 1 of this year he won the senior national 3000m title in 7:56.18, becoming the youngest ever to do so.

On February 9 of this year he ran 3:41.25 in the 1500m, which was faster than Jakob Ingebrigtsen did at the same age.

On March 9 of this year he went toe-to-toe with Sam Tanner at the NZ Senior Champs, tying in 3:44.31 in the 1500m.

And then on March 19 he blew past the four-minute mile barrier with a 3:58.35.

And those are just the headlines.

In 2025 alone, he clocked 1:50.57 in the 800m, 3:39.17 in the 1500m and 7:56.18 in the 3,000m.

These aren’t “great for his age.”

They’re just great.

Full stop.

Sam is humble, calculated, and deeply thoughtful—the kind of athlete who makes you rethink what’s possible at any age.

If you coach, compete, or love seeing the future before it’s fully arrived — don’t miss this one.

In today's conversation, Sam takes me through his training, mindset, and ambitions.

We go into him being the youngest person to ever break 4 minutes in the mile, training with professional runners, and so much more.

Remember the name.

Tap into the Sam Ruthe Special.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Ladies and gentlemen, before we hop into today's episode of the podcast, I want to tell you that
0:04.6	today's episode is brought to by my good friends over at David Protein. I'm just going to speak
0:09.4	from the heart here. David Protein, I have consumed their bars almost daily since I was first
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0:45.1	These have been a massive game changer in my ability to up my protein, recover better, and then
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0:56.0	i'm raving about this product currently and without further ado enjoy today's episode of the podcast
1:04.9	long term i definitely want to be the best in the world, I'd say, when I'm thinking long term.
1:11.3	So I'm not going to aim too much for, obviously I want to aim for goals, but I don't want to, like, put my whole career main goal being in the next race, if you know what I mean.
1:22.7	Because I don't want to peak at 16.
1:30.3	That was Sam Rowe, the youngest man to ever break four minutes in a mile.
1:33.3	And so it is an absolute privilege and pleasure to speak with one of the greats.
1:38.3	I mean, his times aren't just great for his age.
1:40.3	They're great full stop, period.
1:42.3	He is insanely talented and gifted in a hard worker.
1:46.9	In 2025 alone, guys, he clocked 150 in the 800, 339, and the 1,500756 in the 3K. This man
1:54.7	is not the next Yaquah Bingabritzen. He's not the next Neil Zleros. He's not the next Cameron
	...

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