People Are Speedrunning This Intense Exercise Game

Gamers will speedrun anything, even if the developers did not intend for their creations to be experienced that way. Speedrunners have raced through sprawling, dialogue heavy RPGs in a matter of minutes. Now, they've turned their attention to exercise games.

Nintendo's Ring Fit Adventure is this generation's Wii Fit. It's an exercise game you can play in your living room, with interactive elements for players of just about any age. The gameplay supports short workouts, with the story encouraging players to take frequent breaks. Despite these mechanics, a choice few speedrunners have decided to beat Ring Fit Adventure as quickly as possible.

In the final video of a 12-part series, speedrunner Sakinyan completes Ring Fit Adventure's campaign in just 18 hours and 59 seconds. That might seem like a long time, but remember, this is a fitness game. Even the lowest intensity setting requires players to get up and get moving. It's hard to do that for 18 hours straight.

Others have taken on the challenge according to Vice. Adam "Ventifer" England sits just behind Sakinyan's record, clocking in at 19 hours, 30 minutes, and 11 seconds, a milestone he reached on the lowest setting. Speedrunners are sweaty and exhausted at the end of these fitness marathons. Just minutes on Ring Fit Adventure's highest setting, intensity level 30, leaves players gasping and red-faced.

Even so, Sakinyan attempted to set another Ring Fit Adventure record on the game's highest intensity, which proved an insurmountable task. Despite taking more water breaks, Sakinyan understandably gave up about eleven hours into this incredible challenge. People spend months preparing for marathons for a reason. Other speedrunners have taken up the challenge in her stead, a path you should probably avoid following unless you're willing to risk serious injury. Maybe one day an Olympic athlete will speedrun Ring Fit Adventure on its highest difficulty.