Athletics: Record-breaker Sam Ruthe shares rehab journey after leg stress fracture
Record-breaking New Zealand runner Sam Ruthe has updated fans on his comeback from a leg injury that has left his selection for the Commonwealth Games in doubt.
The 17-year-old picked up a stress fracture in his fibula in April. His father, Ben Ruthe, revealed his son would gradually return to jogging after using exercises like swimming and cycling in his recovery.
Sam Ruthe has set up a YouTube channel to show his followers his recovery progression from the injury, something he said he couldn’t comprehend.
“When the doctor told me there was a possibility I could have a stress fracture or even a stress reaction, I just couldn’t really understand it,“ he said.
“I couldn’t really comprehend what had happened because thinking back, I was like, I’d genuinely just come out of a rest week and I hadn’t been running much at all.
“I really didn’t know what to expect, I just really didn’t have time to comprehend it in the moment and then later that night, I really, it really sunk in that I might be missing some, some major up-and-coming races and as my first big season that’s coming up, it just felt a bit sad that I couldn’t be racing the races that I wanted to race.”
Sam Ruthe said he’s pinned the injury on playing football because he wasn’t used to the lateral movement in the sport and he had been doing it in bare feet.
The runner was confident he could make a full recovery with the rehabilitation he’s taken on, but has stopped himself from going to the track in the meantime.
“It’s been really interesting because obviously running’s a thing which I look forward to most ... of my day and it’s been hard to go to the track and watch people train, so sounds really selfish of me but I really spend no time at the track because I feel like I just get really eager to train.”
He shared footage of himself swimming and has now moved into cycling, after being given the green light to walk around on his injured leg.
Ben Ruthe was confident about his son’s prospects if he were to switch to the bike.
“I’ve seen a lot of very good cyclists and Sam could be a cyclist,” Ben Ruthe said.
“Sam definitely could have a cycling career.”
Sam Ruthe broke the Under-16 and Under-17 world records over 1000m when he ran 2m 17.82s at the Tauranga Twilight event in January, while also beating John Walker’s New Zealand mile record and running a world U18 best of 3m 48.88s at the John Thomas Terrier Classic indoor meet at Boston University.
New Zealand nominations for the Commonwealth Games close on May 20 and the full athletics team will be announced on June 15.
The games start in Glasgow on July 23.