Sam Ruthe guided visually impaired young runner Tamahau Hicks at the Colgate Games in Tauranga. Photo / Athletics NZWhen the urgent call went out for a guide to run alongside a young athlete in Tauranga this morning, rising Kiwi track star Sam Ruthe answered. The 16-year-old, who holds almost every national record for distances between 800-5000m in under-16s through to U20s, was a surprise starter in the Colgate Games on Saturday morning, lining up to guide visually impaired athlete Tamahau Hicks in his 1500m race. Ruthe had already been planning to attend the event, where athletes between 7-14 years compete, to help with medal presentations and meet some of the athletes. But when Hicks’ original guide had to pull out due to illness, Athletics Tauranga secretary Andrea Neal reached out to see if Ruthe was available.

Source: New Zealand Herald January 10, 2026 04:10 UTC