Speedrunning is a growing hobby in the gaming sphere, both for competitors and spectators, and that's mainly due to how impressive speedruns have become. Beating a 26-hour game like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time in just seven minutes is an incredible feat. But Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild prove speedrunning doesn't always have to be about getting to the end of a game.
Many years after their initial releases, players continue to speedrun classic titles, such as DOOM, Super Mario 64, and the original Super Mario Bros. The most popular games ran today are titles like Minecraft, ROBLOX, and the latest 3D Super Mario games. Most of these speedruns share the same end goal: beat the game in the least amount of time.
However, not every speedrun has that same completion criterion. In fact, some of the most entertaining speedruns are the ones in which players try to complete silly tasks as quickly as possible. Both BOTW and Super Mario Odyssey have speedrun categories that ignore the games' main objectives entirely.
BOTW & Mario Odyssey Prove You Can Speedrun Anything
Super Mario Odyssey is a massive game with hundreds of collectibles, and some players are racing to collect every Power Moon as fast as possible. Yet, other players have found one of the most ridiculous end goals in speedrunning: This category is called "Nipple%," and it's a competition to see who can purchase Mario's shirtless costume the fastest. The run requires players to collect 1,000 coins while traveling to the third kingdom, where the costume is sold. The current record is 7 minutes and 29 seconds, held by a runner named heythere.
However, Nipple% doesn't compare to a BOTW speedrun category titled "Butter Dog Dog Wit Da Butter On Him%" - an official speedrunning category listed on speedrun.com. The goal for this run is for players to obtain and throw a stick of butter onto a dog as quickly as possible. The record is held by TheRealNoman, who was able to butter a dog in 18 minutes and 10 seconds. TheRealNorman is one of seven people who have spent time on this run, and the category is still active.
There are plenty of ludicrous speedrun categories, including more for both Super Mario Odyssey and BOTW, that prove anything can be a speedrun. There were more than 400 people racing to see Mario shirtless, and there are still plenty of people racing to complete meaningless tasks in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. If a player has an idea for a speedrun, it can be turned into one. It may not be as technically impressive as collecting every Power Star in Super Mario 64, but that doesn't make it any less of a speedrun.