Latest news with #RunItStraight


NZ Herald
7 days ago
- Sport
- NZ Herald
‘Bullrush gone mad on steroids': Coaching guru Mike Cron blasts Run It Straight events
The All Blacks' former scrum guru who has coached some of the hardest-hitting forwards of the modern era has red-carded Run It Straight events, labelling the trend 'barbaric'. Mike Cron has joined a growing chorus of opposition to the events that see two opponents – one carrying a rugby ball


Otago Daily Times
13-07-2025
- Climate
- Otago Daily Times
Fearing the next big rain
The clouds gathered late last week, looming and lowering above Dunedin. The weather forecasters warned another spell of heavy rain was on the way. That was the story last Friday, when people around the city began preparing in case the predicted fall brought the kind of flooding rain which often causes problems in South Dunedin. For the residents of one stretch of Surrey St, in Caversham, the forecast of rain is cause for even greater concern than for others on the flat. That's because they have a history of being flooded out by water and sewage. On Saturday, the residents' worst fears were once again realised when its wastewater system could no longer cope with the rain. Atrociously, human excrement was flowing out of a manhole and on to the street between Hillside Rd and South Rd. Surrey Street Flood Action Group convener Lynne Newell disputed the Dunedin City Council's statement that it had taken measures before the bad weather to make sure the system was not overwhelmed. She pointed out residents were forced to go to the toilet in bowls and bags after their toilets stopped working. The sewage in the street was coming from the hill suburbs, she said, and it happened every time there was significant rain. The council had told her and neighbours for the past 20 years a fix was close at hand, but they were still waiting. The response on Saturday from Dunedin Mayor Jules Radich was underwhelming, saying residents would be able to use their toilets once the rain eased. He also reiterated that something had been done, with non-return valves installed to ensure toilets did not fill up with wastewater during heavy rain. In a recent submission on the South Dunedin Future Plan, the action group says being swamped with sewage is an appalling health risk and something the council has "a moral duty" to address immediately, within the next six to 12 months. They say it is not due to climate change — "this problem has not started or worsened by rapid climate change onset" — but rather undersize pipes and stormwater system. The residents want an apology from the city council for delaying flood prevention works after the June 2015 flood — which they say directly contributed to the floods last October. Expecting a neighbourhood to go through this kind of filthy experience every time a period of heavy and/or prolonged rain hits is grossly unfair. The damage to residents' mental health and resilience, not to mention pride in their street and property values, is reprehensible. This problem needs to be cleaned up now. No more excuses. Run it out of town What could be more stupid than the current so-called "craze" of Run It Straight? A person holding a ball has to run directly at an opponent, who is sprinting towards them at full speed, and is not allowed to sidestep or avoid the predestined collision. Surprise, surprise, participants are getting badly injured, even killed. A month ago, 19-year-old Ryan Satterthwaite from Palmerston North died from a severe head injury after a backyard tackle game with friends. Two people taking part in a Run It "championship league" in Auckland last month were knocked out, with one having a seizure, and it was estimated one in every four participants were concussed. The latest incident involved former Kiwis forward Kevin Proctor. The rugby league player was knocked unconscious at a tournament in Dubai over the weekend. Surely we now know enough about the short- and long-term dangers of concussion and head injuries that those most influential should be condemning and stopping such madness. Rugby players, coaches, administrators and sports doctors are far wiser these days about the repercussions of blows to the head. Health experts and trauma clinicians are in no doubt Run It Straight needs to be banned. In the New Zealand Medical Journal , three specialists said its continued promotion was "medically indefensible and ethically unjustifiable". They want councils, schools and clubs to ban events, sports stars to stop endorsing it, social media sites to remove content and public-health campaigners to outline the potentially terrible consequences. Where are the intelligent role models among the All Blacks, the Black Ferns and the Warriors when it comes to telling people they're mugs to get involved in such a life-threatening activity?


Otago Daily Times
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Former Kiwis star takes heavy knock in runit event
Footage from the event shows Proctor running towards a man, reportedly social media influencer Jordan Simi, colliding, and falling to the ground. Photo: Instagram / Runit League via RNZ Former NRL and Kiwis forward Kevin Proctor took a heavy hit in the RUNIT 02 event in Dubai over the weekend. A video of the event shows Proctor running towards a man, reportedly social media influencer Jordan Simi, who carries a ball. The two collide sending Proctor into the air. He then falls to his side on the ground where he doesn't immediately move. Staff rush towards him and help him into a sitting position as his leg kicks out. Proctor, a former Kiwis rugby league international, played 22 games for New Zealand between 2012-2019. The 36-year-old had a 14-year career in the NRL playing for Melbourne Storm from 2008-2016 and was a member of the 2012 premiership winning side. He played for Gold Coast Titans from 2017-2022 but his contract was terminated after he posted a video of himself on social media vaping during the halftime break. He then headed to England to Superleague side Wakefield Trinity before moving to France to play for semi-professional side AS Carcassone last year. Health experts have raised concerns about Run It Straight events which they've called a "dangerous spectacle". The risks were highlighted by the death of Ryan Satterthwaite, 19, in Palmerston North in May after he was critically injured playing a tackle game with friends. At an Auckland event in May two men retired due to knocks to the head, one slumping to the ground and appearing to have a seizure. Coroner Bruce Hesketh also took aim at the events which he said had "all the hallmarks of perilous activity that makes no attempt to mitigate head injury".


7NEWS
29-06-2025
- Sport
- 7NEWS
NRL premiership winner Kevin Proctor knocked out as controversial ‘Run It Straight' craze continues
NRL premiership winner Kevin Proctor has been knocked out in a 'Run It Straight' competition in Dubai. The controversial viral craze received heavy backlash last month when a New Zealand teenager died during an impromptu version of the game. Watch the video above: NRL premiership winner knocked out as controversial craze continues. But the Runit Championship League has continued with $200,000 in prize money on offer. The latest event took place over the weekend, with Proctor on the wrong end of his clash with influencer Jordan Simi. Medical personnel rushed to help the 36-year-old. Proctor won the 2012 grand final with the Melbourne Storm and played for the Gold Coast Titans in a lengthy NRL career, which ended when he was caught vaping at half-time of a game while sidelined. The long-time New Zealand international later joined Wakefield in the English Super League. The 'Run It Straight' trend also appeared on the hill at Brookvale Oval during a Manly Sea Eagles NRL game. Sea Eagles chief executive Tony Mestrov said anyone found to have been involved would be banned. Dr Alan Pearce, who has worked with NRL players on concussions, said he was 'speechless'. 'I'm pretty appalled by what we're seeing and I'm really concerned about the health of the people undertaking this activity,' he told Sunrise. 'There's no medical attention nearby if something happened.' Pearce said it was made worse by the apparent levels of intoxication. 'Beer and head injuries do not mix,' he said. 'This is what we're seeing now and this is something we've been concerned about surrounding the Run It events. 'Things like this will be happening everywhere now and they're not checked properly. That's the concern.' While some of those filmed participating at the NRL game appeared to be grown men, Pearce said he fears for kids and even young adults involved in the trend. 'The damage to a young brain is potentially profound and catastrophic,' he said. 'With young people, kids up to the age of 20, there's a risk of what we call 'second impact syndrome'. 'Even though you might get a hit to the head and not necessarily think that there's anything going on, having a second hit to the head in a rapid time period after — it might be a few minutes, it could be 15 minutes — could be potentially life-threatening. 'This is something we are really worried about.' Other experts have also slammed the trend. Injury prevention expert Professor Patria Hume called the trend a 'reckless and dangerous spectacle' and 'a step backwards' in sport safety. 'We've spent years building evidence-based strategies to reduce head and neck injuries in rugby and contact sports,' she said. 'This event ignores all of that.' In response to the death of New Zealand teenager Ryan Satterthwaite, Runit Championship League said the sport 'should only be held in highly controlled environments, which include professional medical supervision and support'. 'All RUNIT events follow established protocols including screening of participants for suitability, strict guidelines around where and how to tackle (between the shoulders and hips only), with qualified medical support and medical assessments conducted both during and after competition,' the competition said. 'We do not encourage any copying of the sport as it should only be done under the strict conditions outlined above in sanctioned RUNIT events.'

1News
27-06-2025
- Health
- 1News
'Dangerous spectacle': Health experts push for Run It Straight ban
Run It Straight is a "dangerous spectacle" that is harming young people and must be banned immediately, say Aotearoa's leading trauma clinicians. Three frontline medical professionals issued the warning in a hard-hitting editorial published today in the New Zealand Medical Journal. It follows the death of Ryan Satterthwaite, 19, who died during a backyard Run It Straight-style game. The editorial, written by trauma nurse Sarah Logan, surgical registrar Rachel Lauchlan, and general surgeon Dr Christopher Wakeman, calls on councils, schools, and sporting bodies to take urgent action to prevent further harm. "Run It Straight is not a sport. It is a dangerous spectacle that has already claimed a young life. It's continued promotion is medically indefensible and ethically unjustifiable." The unregulated challenge involves two people sprinting toward each other and colliding at full force, often without helmets. Social media clips celebrate knockouts and impact hits, but health experts say what they're really watching is long-term brain trauma unfold. "Even a single concussive blow can cause permanent cognitive, emotional and behavioural impairment, particularly in adolescents and young adults whose brains are still developing," the authors wrote. "Repetitive collisions of this kind increase the likelihood of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a progressive degenerative brain disease." The health experts want councils to not allow Run It Straight events, schools and clubs to ban the practice, sports stars to stop endorsing it, social media platforms to remove harmful content, and public health campaigns to raise awareness of the risks. "We cannot afford another preventable death… Let this be the last death." In May 2025, Satterthwaite died after suffering a severe head injury. Also in May, at a Run It Championship League event at Auckland's Trust Arena, two participants were knocked unconscious, one suffered a seizure, and an estimated one in four competitors showed signs of concussion. The editorial also challenges claims that the events help build community pride and service saying. "Young men are pressured to earn respect through violence, and injury is glorified as a badge of honour. We must dismantle this idea. Real mana is not shown through unregulated impact, but through insight and true sport tactics, and lies in caring for oneself and others." There are at least two separate groups associated with Run It Straight-style events, the grassroots team led by Christian Lesa, also known as Charizma. There's a commercial competition called the Run It Championship League, which hosted the Trust Arena event in Auckland in May. Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board chair Tauanuʻu Nick Bakulich commented on the grassroots group who attempted to host events in South Auckland. "Our local board has made a stance with a recent event that was due to take place in Māngere, which we did not endorse," Tauanuʻu says. "This very recent death, tragic death, clearly outlines why we should be looking at banning such activity." Local Democracy Reporting asked Tauanuʻu how communities could better balance cultural pride, masculinity, and community spirit without compromising safety. "It's definitely not through an event like Run It Straight. There's lots of other opportunities out there for our people, playing a sport in a controlled environment, or even weightlifting, bodybuilding, body sculpturing, all very popular at the moment." Auckland Council confirmed it has not approved any Run It Straight events and said its permitting process cannot be used to ban them under current bylaws. "We are only aware of one event being held on council land, which was held at a South Auckland park without any council notification or endorsement," said Taryn Crewe, General Manager of Parks and Community Facilities. "If the organisers of Run-it Straight-type events had approached the council to seek a permit, we would be unlikely to approve it because of the serious health and safety impacts." The council is open to improving its processes as new sports evolve, to ensure risks are effectively managed on public land, she says. "It is always helpful when sports codes show leadership by calling out unsafe practices. Players have a huge influence as respected role models on how some of these activities evolve." Tauanuʻu says council systems are robust but warns informal Run It Straight events show why communities must stay alert and well-informed. "It's quite clear what our parks and reserves are used for. And this type of activity is certainly outside of those parameters." RUNIT Championship League and the Run It Straight owner and CEO, Christian Lesa, were approached for comment. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air