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Run It Straight turns brute force into entertainment, with fatal consequences

ABC News

05-06-2025

Sport
ABC News

Run It Straight turns brute force into entertainment, with fatal consequences

For Onehunga Mata'uiau, rugby has always been about skill, discipline, and controlled contact. That's why the former Manu Samoa player and seasoned coach sees the Run It Straight craze sweeping Pacific communities as a dangerous distortion of the game he loves. Backed by former and current rugby stars Manu Vatuvei, Chanel Harris-Tavita, George Burgess, Nemani Nadolo and UFC's Carlos Ulberg, and attracting hundreds of thousands of followers online, Run It Straight sees players charging at each other like rugby front rowers, to "dominate" their opponent. But as the online hype has grown, so too have the risks. The social media-driven craze made international headlines late last month when 19-year-old Ryan Satterthwaite died in New Zealand after suffering head injuries in an impromptu contest. Speaking just before that incident, veteran coach Mata'uiau had told ABC's Pacific Pulse he feared a tragedy was inevitable in a format where collision, not evasion, is the goal. "As coaches and game developers, we make sure there is technique and players are not reckless … we teach our kids how to tackle properly instead of taking the head off," he said. "[Run It Straight] revolves the game around rugby, but the principle of our game is not that. "We never trained to knock each other out like that, where you have to smash someone at a hundred miles per hour. In May, Run It safety spokesperson Billy Coffey revealed the sport has a concussion rate of around 20 per cent, noting that two concussions at a recent event were caused by players using "illegal" head-first techniques. As pulverising hits flood social media, the spectacle is also drawing criticism for glorifying "harmful forms of masculinity". Some Pacific Islanders who grew up in the 1990s trace Run It Straight back to their childhoods in the Australian and New Zealand diaspora. "We'd make our own fun after to'ona'i (Sunday lunch) by playing games like bull rush or Run It Straight," associate professor Lefaoali'i Dr Dion Enari said. Once a backyard pastime, it has transformed into a high-impact combat event drawing a legion of online fans, families, community vendors, and influencers. From the polished, star-studded RUNIT Championship League to the grassroots Run It Straight 24, participants face off one-on-one in a tight 20-by-4-metre arena, taking turns charging or tackling at full speed. Matches end in knockouts or are decided by dominance, with prize money reaching $NZ200,000 ($185,700) for the last man standing. Despite warnings from injury experts, the unregulated contest is booming online. But sporting codes are pushing back. New Zealand Rugby has warned of "significant risk of serious injury," with All Black and Moana Pasifika captain Ardie Savea saying sportspeople "should not be seen supporting something like this." New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said people needed to take more responsibility for their actions, while in Australia, Manly Sea Eagles fans have been told they face bans if caught taking part in the craze at games, after footage surfaced showing men hurtling downhill into awaiting tacklers. Dr Andrew Affleck, senior hospital scientist and brain bank manager at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, calls the craze a "hit-fest" designed to cause maximum damage. He said repeated clashes, both mild and severe, increase the risk of developing neurodegenerative conditions such as dementia, motor neurone disease, and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Queensland league great Wally Lewis lives with probable CTE, while the late NRL coach Paul Green, who died by suicide in 2022, was posthumously diagnosed with CTE, a condition that cannot be fully diagnosed in living patients. "They probably do not fully appreciate that each knock might be another step toward potential impairment," Dr Affleck said. "We know that people who develop CTE have often experienced not just concussions but repeated blows, including non-concussive events. Police described the incident that fatally injured Ryan Satterthwaite as "innocuous," underscoring Dr Affleck's warning about the lethal risk of smaller impacts. Ryan did not strike anything solid. According to police, it was the sheer force of the movement that led to his death. Dr Affleck wants to see a shift in attitudes towards the trend. "We only have one brain. It controls everything we do automatically, like breathing, movement, reflexes. Unlike other organs, we don't have a backup." As thousands rallied around grassroots contests, mental health worker and advocate Shenei Penaia became concerned when a family member signed up to compete in Melbourne trials. "My greatest worry is it reinforces a harmful form of masculinity. Young people are not just watching, they are learning that their bodies are disposable, pain is performative and safety comes second to going viral," she said. "We should be building environments that protect and uplift our young people, our young men, where strength are things like self-awareness, vulnerability, and the freedom to say no to being put at risk. On Wednesday, Run It Straight 24 CEO Christian 'Charizma' Lesa said the group will now enforce the use of mouthguards, headgear, and stricter tackling rules, with disqualification for any contact outside the chest-to-waist zone. "We're still learning, but we want to make this as safe as possible so no head highs, no grass cuts, and if you're dazed, that's it, you're done," Lesa told Triple J Hack. Lesa said paramedics and ambulances are on stand-by at events and he follows up with injured contestants. Responding to criticism after Ryan Satterthwaite's death, Lesa said Ryan's family were in his prayers "but I can't be the one to blame if people are doing it outside [our competitions]." The ABC put separate questions to the RUNIT Championship League and Run It Straight 24 regarding safety measures, insurance, and competition rules but did not receive a response.

New Run It competition makes NZ debut, fears over brain injury risk

1News

21-05-2025

Sport
1News

New Run It competition makes NZ debut, fears over brain injury risk

The controversial new sport Run It made its New Zealand debut in west Auckland last night, but some are concerned about the risk of brain injuries. The Run It Championship League took inspiration from the physical collisions seen during rugby league or union games as two participants – a runner and tackler – stand at each end of a 20m by 4m field and run toward each other at speed. Event organiser Billy Coffey said the goal was to "either run over your defender or take out the ball runner". "There's nowhere to hide, it's you one-on-one. And usually as a player you have 13 or 15 other people on the field, not anymore," he said. It had held several events in Australia offering thousands of dollars in prize money to the winners, and has gained social media attention and endorsements from former players. Former NRL player George Burgess told 1News when he stepped away from rugby, he felt like he had lost something. "With Run It, it gives retired athletes like me [a way] to tap in to that thing you love about sport," he said. However, Auckland University neuroscientist Helen Murray said the likelihood of injury was "much higher" in a sport where the intent was to collide. "When you have these sorts of collisions, even if your head isn't directly involved, we have what you call a head acceleration event. "So the brain is bouncing around in your skull [and] the risk of that causing damage, concussion or worse is even higher," she said. Coffey said there were strict measures in place to keep people safe. "Everyone signs a waiver, everyone gets a medical check, there's doctors on site and you know that risk. But it's also the daring nature of it." He said he doesn't want to see competitors knocked out. "It's really brought the community together everywhere we go, and that's why we do it."

RNZ News

20-05-2025

Health
RNZ News

RUNIT safety spokesperson reluctant to take part himself

Photo: runitstraight24 A sports scientist has condemned the controversial collision sport Run It Straight, calling it a reckless and dangerous spectacle. And the new event's own safety spokesperson says he would be reluctant to take part, fearing the wrath of his other half. Run it Straight, or 'RUNIT', is a rugby-like competition which involves a collision between a ball runner and a defender, running full speed at each other. Two events are being held in Auckland this week, with thousands of dollars on offer. The participant who "dominates" the contact is deemed the winner. At Monday night's event in Auckland, a quarter of all who took part ended up with a concussion. Run It safety spokesperson Billy Coffey told RNZ's Midday Report the two individuals used "illegal" techniques. "We had two concussions out of our eight runners, and those two concussions, the first one was from a guy who was an American-based and he led with his head, and the second one was the same concept." Coffey said so far, Run It had a 20 percent concussion rate - but claimed that was better than in the UFC. Competitors were required to wear mouthguards, he said, but headgear was optional. "We've got an ambulance on site… We've got liability. Everything's covered. There's waivers, medicals beforehand, medicals after. There's an ambulance on site." The annual cost of treating sport-related concussion rose nearly 25 percent to $80 million last year, according to figures released by the Accident Compensation Corporation . AUT professor Patria Hume, an expert in sports biomechanics, said the sport contradicts decades of scientific evidence on head injury risk and was a "reckless and dangerous spectacle". "I know that people find it exciting to have, you know, people running at each other and smashing each other up. But in terms of the short-term effects and brain injury, and also the potential long-term effects of brain injury, I'd like people to really think, is it really worth it?" She said concussions and repeated high-force impacts to the head - even without immediate symptoms - could lead to serious brain conditions." "The deliberate design of this event to maximise impact is not only irresponsible - it's scientifically indefensible. We've spent years building evidence-based strategies to reduce head and neck injuries in rugby and contact sports. This event ignores all of that." Former league internationals Dean Lonergan and Mark Carroll have also raised concerns over its safety. Coffey said the event would "bring some fire back into people's bellies who may have had to retire from the sport and are kind of stuck with a single-income family working two jobs to make things happen for their families". "These guys, they're born warriors, they want to do this and they're stuck at home, have to retire early. "Just because of that financial crisis, they're stuck in two jobs because maybe their partner or wife or whoever's staying at home can't afford to send [their children to] a daycare or doesn't want to and wants to spend more time with the family, and this gives these people a chance to get off off the couch, find that fire again in front of their friends and family and relive it." Asked if he would take part, Coffey said he would "love to… but my wife may get a bit cranky about me. But I feel like I'm gonna pull the boots on eventually. "My wife just doesn't love me coming home sore and complaining the next day, trying to look after my kids." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.