Family of teenager who died playing ‘run it straight' make heartbreaking revelation

News.com.au

30-05-2025

The family of Ryan Satterthwaite, who tragically died from injuries sustained in a backyard 'run it straight' game, has revealed the teenager and his friends got the idea to play the game after seeing it online.
For years the 'run it straight' trend has sporadically gone viral on social media platforms.
But in recent months it has transformed from a viral social media trend to a fully-fledged sport, with 'Run it Straight Official' and 'RUNIT Championship League' turning it into a business and holding competitions in Australia and New Zealand.
The sport involves four rounds of players charging at each other along a 10m grass runway, with each competitor taking turns carrying a rugby ball.
The objective is to either successfully tackle the opponent or run them over in a hard-hitting collision.
The contest ends when a player is knocked out or concussed. If both players remain standing at the end of four rounds, a judging panel decides the winner, with the key criteria judged being damage to your opponent.
But the 'sport' has been controversial due to the violent nature of some of the tackles, as leading neuroscientists warn 'people will die'.
And that grave warning has now rang true, with Kiwi teenager Ryan Satterthwaite dying from what was described as an 'innocuous' tackle playing a backyard game of 'run it straight' on the weekend.
According to Ryan's uncle, Peter Satterthwaite, his nephew and his friends decided to try it at a 21st birthday celebration on Sunday after seeing the big hits on social media.
'They decided to give it a go because of what they saw on social media and on the news last week about it,' Satterthwaite told Stuff.
Footage of the tackle that resulted in the injuries that would later take the life of Ryan, was given to police.
The video of the tackle in question reportedly didn't even hit his head, instead it was the jolting motion of the hit that proved fatal.
Satterthwaite says in the aftermath of the game, his nephew was coherent and talking with his friends but soon deteriorated at a rapid rate.
An ambulance was called to the home in Palmerston North but he went downhill at such a rate, his friends decided they couldn't wait for it to arrive, rushing him to Palmerston North Hospital.
By the time they arrived Ryan had lost consciousness due to the swelling on his brain.
He would never wake up.
Dr Alan Pearce warns 'it will happen again'
Leading sports neuroscientist Dr Alan Pearce told news.com.au that it was sadly 'only a matter of time' until someone died playing the sport.
'This was a matter of time really as sad as that is to say,' Dr Pearce told news.com.au on Tuesday.
'The concern is that this can happen at any level. Even in the sanctioned 'run it' events someone will probably die in that at some point as well.
'It can't be done safely and when there's kids and teens that see it they like to copy what they see online, and this is something that absolutely not should be copied.
'It is the biggest please do not try this at home disclaimer if I've ever seen one'.
That message was echoed by Satterthwaite, who told Stuff: 'We can put it all out on social media that this is a silly thing to do. Don't do it but no-one's going to listen to us unless we get celebrities on board.'
After the teen's death made waves RUNIT Championship League organisers released a statement saying they did 'not encourage any copying of the sport as it should only be done under the strict conditions'.
'This is tragic news and our hearts go out to the family and friends of Ryan. Any contact sport like boxing, martial arts or combat-style activities should only be held in highly-controlled environments, which include professional medical supervision and support.'
But that response only infuriated Peter Satterthwaite who said that they are 'dumb' if they think that would stop another fatality from happening.
'That's just their bullsh** line to justify what they're trying to do,' he continued.
'What did they think was going to happen? They'd be dumb if they thought nobody was going to get hurt. They said on the news they have a medical professional on standby. But a medical professional wouldn't have helped Ryan one little bit.'
New Zealand rugby stars urge caution amid tragic death
On Wednesday night, New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) issued a statement, saying: 'NZRL is not associated with nor encourages participation in any events or collision sports like Runit.'
'It's concerning to see people in these events putting themselves at risk of serious injury, and we strongly encourage our rugby league community to only participate in games or events organised or sanctioned by NZRL, our zones and districts, or our associates,' the statement continued.
'In doing so, we can control and mitigate the health and safety of all involved.'
While New Zealand rugby stars urged people to not participate in the violent sport.
Former All Black halfback Steve Devine told Radio NZ the game was a 'recipe for disaster' and believes it should be banned.
While All Blacks star Ardie Savea admitted he had participated in something similar during his youth and said it was therefore hard to condemn it without being a hypocrite.
'It's a tough one,' Ardie Savea said at Moana Pasifika training on Thursday.
'I don't know the precautions they take in terms of the head side of things and you can see the other side and understand why they're doing it and whatnot.
'It's hard because it's kind of made me the rugby player I am – I used to do run it straights in the backyard with Bus (brother Julian Savea) – so you kind of see both sides.
'It's really hard to say, but I'd just encourage people to be safe.'
New Zealand government moves to crack down on controversial spot
The future of 'run it straight' now hangs in the balance in New Zealand, with the Government seeking advice on what they can do about the controversial sport.
Sport NZ group chief executive Raelene Castle told the New Zealand Herald it was concerned about the emergence of the sport, 'which clearly comes with significant health and safety risks'.
'Both Sport NZ and High-Performance Sport NZ (HPSNZ) are committed to fostering safe and inclusive activities and events for all New Zealanders.
'We are working to facilitate a cross-agency discussion with those who have an interest in this area on what a Government approach to the operation of combat sport, including the emergence of activities and events like run it straight, in New Zealand could look like.'
Castle strongly advised people against participating in run it or any activities that encourage high-speed collisions.
While New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon labelled Satterthwaite's death an 'absolute tragedy' on Friday morning and said competing in the viral trend was 'a dumb thing to do'.
'When it's happening at a 21st birthday party unofficially, that is not something the Government can solve through legislation or through regulation,' Luxon said.
'All I can say to young adults who are participating is you've got some personal responsibility in this. You're hearing the advice from the police, from the medical fraternity, from the Government, from principals saying don't do it.
'To the adults that are involved in the more formal organisation of it and are influencing it and leading this out on social media, I think you need to stop and I can't be any clearer.
'The evidence is that it's a dumb thing to do and you should stop.'