Latest news with #UptheGutsNZ
1News
06-06-2025
- Sport
- 1News
'Run it' goes underground: Backyard version of tackle game live streamed
Another "run it straight" event took place in a backyard last night, taking a more scaled-down approach to the controversial craze. After having its event at Barfoot & Thompson Stadium in Kohimarama cancelled last month, Up the Guts NZ decided to go ahead in a nondescript backyard, believed to be in Auckland, and livestream it over social media. The craze involves two people running at and crashing into each other at speed. Last week, 19-year-old Ryan Satterthwaite died after he received a serious head injury while playing a game based on the dangerous trend with friends in Palmerston North. Similar events have received backlash, with health officials and brain injury advocates concerned about the dangers of the activity. ADVERTISEMENT With public venues cancelling the events, it appears to have moved onto private property. Participants collide at last night's event (Source: Instagram) Last night's event took place under a gazebo at an address believed to be in Auckland. While only a small crowd of people gathered to watch, more than 13,000 tuned in over social media. Participants squared off from each side of the property, in the hope of winning a $5000 cash prize. In the livestream, one of the announcers could be heard saying he was looking for some "massive hits tonight". A $500 cash prize was awarded to the participant with the biggest hit. In a difference to other events, all participants wore headgear and mouthguards. They also ran at each other from a much closer distance. ADVERTISEMENT Up the Guts NZ and its organiser, Kimami Ngaluafe, both claimed it was being held to 'raise awareness for mental health and suicide in our neighbourhoods'. Two participants collide at last night's event. (Source: Instagram. ) According to NZ Herald, Ngaluafe said Up the Guts had implemented greater safety measures. 'For example, we have half the running distance to minimise collision impact. Mouthguards, headgear and shoulder protection are compulsory here. We have on-field spotters, first-aiders and medics on-site. Participant safety is our No. 1 priority,' he said. 'But not only that, our biggest goal is to raise awareness for mental health and suicide. Mental Health New Zealand stats show the Māori and Pasifika, especially our men, have the highest rates of suicide in this country, particularly our young males aged 15 to 24 years old.' 1News has approached Ngaluafe for comment on last night's event. Mouthguards and headgear won't prevent brain injury, expert says ADVERTISEMENT Brain Injury NZ Vice-President and AUT associate professor with the National Institute for Stroke and Applied Neurosciences, Kelly Jones, said the footage from last night's event was 'pretty hard to watch'. She said that things like mouthguards and headgear wouldn't limit the risk of a brain injury to those participating in the activity. Brain Injury NZ Vice-President and AUT associate professor with the National Institute for Stroke and Applied Neurosciences, Kelly Jones (Source: Supplied) 'The brain is a soft, jellylike substance surrounded by fluid within a hard casing, being our skull. 'If the head is travelling along at speed and comes to a sudden stop, the brain can keep travelling and slam into the skull. That's where we see brain injuries ranging from concussion through to more moderate and severe traumatic brain injuries. 'Mouthguards are designed to protect mouths and teeth – they do that very well. But mouth guards and headgear do not protect against brain injuries. They're not going to stop the brain moving inside the scalp and potentially being bruised.' She criticised the call for 'massive hits'. ADVERTISEMENT 'Mouthguards and headgear with 'massive hits' are not going to prevent brain injury.' Stacey Mowbray of Headway said Ryan Satterthwaite's death was an 'absolute tragedy' but wasn't surprised it happened. (Source: 1News) Jones said that wearing mouthguards and headgear could even have a 'reverse effect'. 'The wearer thinks, oh, I can really go all out, give it my all because I'm protected.' She said there was 'no way' to reduce the risk of brain injury in these activities, 'We've got two people running straight towards each other, and people are looking for massive hits. The risk of brain injury cannot be eliminated.' Jones also said it was 'interesting' to see the organisers used the event to promote mental health awareness. ADVERTISEMENT 'Having a concussion, which is a mild form of traumatic brain injury, through to more severe injury, does heighten the risk of problems with mood, anxiety, depression and risk of suicide. 'They're likely complex relationships, but we know that they exist, so it's interesting to hear that the spin on that has been to promote means health. 'I don't see how this activity will achieve that.' Teen's death sparked warnings, condemnation Ryan Satterthwaite, 19. (Source: Ryan Satterthwaite was at a 21st party when he and his friends decided to have some 'harmless fun' and have a go at their own imitation of a 'run it game'. He suffered a serious head injury while being tackled and was taken to the hospital by his friends. He died on the evening of 26 May. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon called Satterthwaite's death an 'absolute tragedy'. ADVERTISEMENT 'It's incredibly tragic for the young person involved, for their family, for their friends. It's a good reminder for people to take personal responsibility, for individual responsibility, to think about the activity,' he told Newstalk ZB. 'But I'd also say to adults and sports influencers and celebrity influencers, or whatever it is driving this sort of craze, they should be thinking and reflecting very strongly right now.' Pete Satterthwaite, Ryan's uncle, called the activity 'utter stupidity'. 'Don't do it, it's utter stupidity. It seems like a bit of harmless fun, and as a teenager, I probably would have been doing the same thing with my friends, but no one gives any thought to the consequences," he said. Ryan Satterthwaite, 19, suffered a serious head injury while playing a game based on the controversial craze. (Source: 1News) 'They can have all of the medical supervision they like. They can have all the tackling practice that they like, but nothing is going to prevent serious injuries from happening." He called on athletes and others who were influential in the space to speak out against participating in the activity. ADVERTISEMENT 'I am hoping that out of this, we'll get some All Blacks, some rugby league players to stand up and express what a dumb idea that this particular game is,' he said. NZ Rugby urged people not to participate in similar events. 'Those wanting to play contact sports should register for a school or club team and learn in a controlled and safe environment how to tackle safely and the art of evasion.'
NZ Herald
05-06-2025
- NZ Herald
Up the Guts NZ livestreams ‘run it straight' event staged in backyard after teen's death
A New Zealand-based organisation has livestreamed a scaled-down 'run it straight' event in a backyard. It comes after the death of a teenager in Palmerston North last week from head injuries suffered while participating in a copycat event of the controversial social media craze. Up the Guts NZ cancelled its
NZ Herald
20-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
What is ‘run it straight'? The new combat sport being condemned by leading doctors
The frontrunner of the new sport is an Australian-based organisation named Runit Championship League, which has enlisted the help of former NRL heavyweight George Burgess to take it global. The Herald first reported the league, which its organisers stress is a professionally arranged sport, was coming to Auckland last month. The first 'trial date' was held in the City of Sails on Monday night, with the second set to take place on Wednesday night. The trials involve 16 players competing for prizes of $20,000. The top eight earn a spot in the final, which will be held in June, where the winner takes home $200k. The first event was held in Melbourne last month and after New Zealand the league will travel to America, Saudi Arabia and Britain later in the year. 'People want to see competition and this is definitely the purest form of that – two guys up against each other and one's going to come off the best,' Burgess told the Herald. At least two competitors were knocked unconscious during the Melbourne final. But now, other analogous events are appearing across Auckland, with different organisers set to host events this week. What other groups are organising similar events? In Auckland alone this week, two other groups are planning to run similar events, with large cash prizes the common denominator. Run It Straight 24 The Herald last month published a video from an event run by YouTube content creators in Australia – in which a man was knocked unconscious and suffered an apparent seizure as hundreds of children watched on. The ball runner cops a shoulder to the head and slumps to the floor, before suffering what appears to be an involuntary repeat arm-jerking movement on the ground as he is crowded by hundreds of spectators, including children. 'Dumbest game ever ... And yet people [are] running out to celebrate over someone who almost lost his life,' one person commented on the video, which had been viewed more than 2.5 million times in a matter of days. Advertise with NZME. Runit Championship League organisers said the incident captured in the video was not in any way related to them and called it 'quite distressing'. 'The video we felt was horrendous and backyard events such as that one was very disappointing to see.' The organisers of the event, named Run It Straight 24, did not comment on the video when approached by the Herald but have now crossed to this side of the Tasman to run similar backyard-style events. Seemingly competing with Runit Championship League, the organisers will host two events in South Auckland this week – one at the Manukau Rovers Rugby Football Club on Wednesday and another at the Marist Saints Rugby League Club on Thursday. They have advertised a $10,000 prize for the winner and $2000 for second place. Up the Guts NZ Advertisement Advertise with NZME. The third event, which has donned the name 'Up the Guts NZ' and is being advertised using an image of All Black great Jonah Lomu, has been organised by a group in East Auckland. It claims the event will raise mental health and suicide awareness and offers three main events – under-18s, light heavyweight and super heavyweight. This single event is being hosted at Barfoot & Thompson Stadium in Kohimarama and boasts cash prizes of up to $5000. 'It's exploitation': Why is the sport being condemned? While the new sport has amassed a significant following on social media over the past month, leading neuroscientists have consistently condemned the concept since its inception. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) expert Dr Helen Murray told the Herald there is clearly 'a high risk of head injury in this event'. 'From a CTE standpoint, we know that exposure to repeated head acceleration events is the biggest risk factor for CTE pathology, and therefore finding ways to reduce these impacts in contact sports is a priority for player safety,' Murray said. 'It appears there is no attempt to mitigate head acceleration events in this activity and the risk of significant injury is high given the intent to collide, so I do not support it.' Professor Patria Hume, sports scientist and injury prevention expert at Auckland University of Technology, called the sport 'a step backwards' in athlete safety. Hume called it a 'reckless and dangerous spectacle' that contradicts decades of scientific evidence on head injury risks in contact sport. '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.' Stacey Mowbray, chief executive of Headway – a concussion and brain injury education charity – told the Herald the events present 'serious risk of traumatic brain injury or death'. 'Headway supports sports but run it straight is not a sport. It is a dangerous spectacle with an extremely high risk of brain injury. She believed promotional material and the event's format appear to 'deliberately target vulnerable communities' by offering large prize money as an incentive to participate. 'For many, particularly those under financial pressure, that's a difficult offer to refuse – even when the risk of serious harm is known.' Mowbray said she'd raised her concerns with Auckland Council, the mayor, deputy mayor, local MPs and WorkSafe New Zealand, but had been disappointed by the responses.
