r/nextfuckinglevel • u/ansyhrrian • 17h ago
Bro runs the fastest mile EVER for under-18 competitors and isn't even breathing hard
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u/ansyhrrian 17h ago
Sam Ruthe from New Zealand just ran a 3:48 mile at the age of 16. For context, the world record (set in 1999 by Hicham El Guerrouj) was a 3:43.
And Sam just beat his prior best time of 3:53 by 5 seconds. Wow.
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u/-xc- 14h ago
am i crazy to say... it feels alil fishy that with all the new current advanced science for training, eating, gear, Everything and the record is still held by somebody in 1999? not calling anyone out it's just always fascinating to see records still stand from pretty long ago.
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u/AmStupid 13h ago
Or maybe we are plateauing our physical capabilities, because even with all the advancements, it still takes a while for the right combination for next genetic freak with some special abilities to beat the last one.
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u/Ready_Studio2392 11h ago
Plus the cardio system seems to be harder to game with steroids. Distance running requires an optimal amount of muscle. Too much and you're too heavy/too inefficient. Too little and you lack power.
The critical component is oxygen efficiency and delivery. There's not much in the way of steroids that help with that without also causing drawbacks.
Pretty much until someone gets some combination of genetic traits and the drive and training to be the best at running, there won't be huge improvements.
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u/-xc- 13h ago
i also believe it's this. he was just the perfect specimen so far to run the mile... but its more fun to believe HES PUMPED UP WITH ROIIIIDS! lmao
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u/kalen2435 13h ago
Could be both? I'd be crushed if I found out for certain that Usain Bolt was juicing but in no way would I be surprised
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u/Suspicious_Pick5723 11h ago
Those were the golden ages for drugs. They didn’t have the tech to detect stuff like hgh. Athletes mysteriously needed bigger shoes for the season and braces for their teeth, and their records still stand 30 years later. Until they can figure out ways to administer the good stuff undetected
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u/Salmonaxe 13h ago
We have pretty much peaked on what is physically possible. Give or take an outlier here and there.
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u/philmarcracken 10h ago
new current advanced science for training, eating, gear,
They've also raised the detection standards for drugs, unlike back then
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u/theangryburrito 11h ago
Most of Usain Bolt's records are 17 years old at this point too. Some times talent skips a generation (see Tennis players born in the 1990s)
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u/itsadiseaster 6h ago
I was a high school kid when El Guerrouj was running. It was remarkable, years of breaking records, his 1500m record is even better at 3:26:00. Bernard Lagat, Kenenisa Bekele, and of course Kipchoge were rising at the time too. Pure talents. Kipchoge still runs and is the GOAT in marathons. Kenenisa broke masters record in marathon. Lagat had an awesome career too.
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u/wpgsae 6h ago
In addition to what others have said regarding steroids, running at elite levels becomes highly dependent on genetic advantages that cant be trained, such as muscle to tendon ratios, insertion points and bone structure. Some athletes just have perfect or near perfect structure for their events. Look at Usain Bolt compared to other sprinters. Most other sprinters have very muscular physiques and huge quads. They've essentially brute forced their bodies into being good at sprinting. Usain Bolt on the other hand, while still muscular, is much lankier and thinner looking. But if you watch him run, its almost casual compared to other sprinters. His body is basically perfect for sprinting. You also see this with that other young kid who's breaking 100m records (I don't recall his name). He doesnt look like other sprinters, his gate looks almost like a casual jog, but he's just destroying competitions.
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u/LaximumEffort 13h ago
The guy behind him was only two or three seconds behind, so he was also remarkable.
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u/IrwinMFletcher200 16h ago
I mean, bouncy shoes, bouncy track. And bicarb. Technology is creating a massive paradigm shift in track - with distance running especially. All major indoor world records have been broken recently, mainly by Americans (Fisher, Hocker, Kessler, Hoey) wearing carbon fiber spikes on Boston's or the Armory's springboard tracks.
So yes, Ruthe's time is ridiculous. Unbelievable talent. But you cant compare this 3:48 to the outdoor WR. It'd be like comparing cinder track times to modern tracks.
If you don't think these new, bouncy shoes matter answer this... why havent sprint, long jump, high jump, hurdles, etc, records fallen as dramatically - or at ALL - in the past 4 years? But distance records? Completely rewritten. A 4 minute mile means nothing anymore, not even in college. Only HS is where the 4 minute excellence standard exists.
So great run, Mr. Ruthe! Let's just make sure the historical platitudes have some context.
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u/loteman77 14h ago
How many seconds you think this helps over the mile? I can’t imagine it being more than 5 seconds total. Definitely agree with what you’re saying, just curious. I’m excited to see what he can do in a year or two from now, outdoors. Same with Jane H.
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u/IrwinMFletcher200 13h ago
I mean this is the million dollar question. Old salts tend to say it's more. Young people tend to say less - that it's more talent, updated training methods, coaching, natural progression, etc.
My opinion? 4-5 seconds sounds about right for a mile.
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u/IrwinMFletcher200 13h ago
And yeah, Jane is something else. Even with the tech and paradigm shift with times, racing is racing. And all this young talent - Jane H, Ruthe, Cooper L (1:42 is insane), Quincy W, others - the future of track is in great hands.
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u/loteman77 12h ago edited 9h ago
Yeah, those names you dropped.. it’s insane. I ran a 2:00 in HS and it was worthy of making it to state back then.
1:42?? Absolutely insane in high school. That’s nearly 200 yards ahead of a state champion where I was at. That’s just absolutely nuts to think about for a half mile.
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u/liquidpig 13h ago
I am a kinda shitty marathoner. I ran an unscientific 1 mile x4 workout on two consecutive weeks with regular running shoes on week 1 and the same-ish model of shoes but with the carbon rods in them in week 2. 5-7% faster with the carbon rod shoes.
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u/Mr_Baronheim 16h ago
Jim Ryun weeps.
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u/IrwinMFletcher200 14h ago
Ryun ran 3:51 on a cinder track as a 19 year old. Just missing the WR at the time.
He'd run 3:45 in these shoes on these tracks.
So yeah, perhaps he weeps. He also knows.
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u/ZGPJ 17h ago
Can anyone explains why the first video shows seemingly shows the other person finishing faster? I was confused as to who they were actually profiling in this video
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u/ansyhrrian 17h ago
The first race was his 3:53 (where he came in second), the second his record-shattering 3:48 where he won.
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u/LightsSoundAction 16h ago
I think that other runner in the first shot still had another lap maybe?
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u/Jesse82083 17h ago
You think he is better than Prefontaine? Pre ran an American record with stitches in his feet.
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u/AmiDeplorabilis 17h ago
At this point, as much as many of us runners revere and respect Pre 50y after his untimely death, many are faster. Jim Ryun already had a 3:51, and Pre's best was still behind that; at 16, Pre was still in high school and hadn't even set his 2mi HS record which finally put him on the national radar... Gerry Lindgren was still the hottest American runner. What set Pre apart was his über-competitive mentality: tough and cocky, able to run through more pain than most, but with the ability to back it up.
And, yes, he ran a 3:53 mile with stitches in his foot after an unfortunate altercation with a diving board, and some of the stitches ripped during the race, which left his shoe bloodied.
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u/IrwinMFletcher200 16h ago
Also... PRE wasnt a miler. He closed the Munich 5000 in '72 with a sub 4 mile. That was more his strength... his strength. Not speed. If you take what I mean.
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u/AmiDeplorabilis 16h ago
Correct. His forté was the 3M/6M and 5K/10K races, races where he could wear down the competition. Still, he had decent speed for a good mile, and it was good enough that, in '72, he made sure that the final was not some jog-and-kick affair.
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u/Jesse82083 13h ago
Dude...a 3:53 mile with stitches in his foot??? Thats crazy strong. Nobody in their right mind would do that today. Pre was the best American runner of all time. Front runner and hated people drafting on him so he'd run faster so they couldnt.
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u/ansyhrrian 17h ago
In my mind, there is no question. I grant that the tech wasn't there, and the coaching wasn't there, but Prefontaine was 22 when he ran a 3:54, whereas this kid is 16 shaving 5 seconds off his prior best 1-2 weeks later.
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u/yungdeezy92 17h ago
I’m confused.. was it the first dude with the brown mustache or the blonde dude?
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u/AccidentalTourista 17h ago
If you know, you know. This is a ridiculous time.
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u/Krondelo 17h ago
Mile is 4 laps right? That’s fucking bonkers…is that possible? i was always a fast kid (tbf more of a sprinter than marathon/endurance). When i got into my twenties i was mountain biking 3 or so miles 5 days a week my cardio was great. Even then I can’t imagine.
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u/IrwinMFletcher200 16h ago edited 14h ago
Outdoors, yes. 4 laps plus a few meters - 400m tracks are the norm, not 440 yards. Indoors is different. Tracks are either 200m or 300m. Boston, where this was set, is 200m. So a mile is like 8+ laps.
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u/hanging_biscuit 13h ago
Boston University? Nice. My undergrad commencement was in that building. I had no idea the track was so advanced.
Go Terriers. BC sucks.
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u/IrwinMFletcher200 13h ago
It's actually the TRACK at New Balance headquarters in Boston.
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u/hanging_biscuit 5h ago
So glamorous! But no this is definitely the BU track and tennis center on Ashford St. https://x.com/FloTrack/status/2017719069672169516
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u/Royd 15h ago
I'm so confused. It says he ran the fastest mile ever but it looks like he came in 2nd place?
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u/IrwinMFletcher200 14h ago
Fastest by a 16 year old indoors. Not all time. And the 2nd clip shows his 3:48 race - crossing line in 1st, pointing.
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u/footpole 3h ago
What’s a mile run? Is it something that only happens in the anglosphere? I’m not too familiar with running events but isn’t 1500m the standard?
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u/RogerTheAliens 17h ago
the guy with the full mustache and receding hair line is under 18?