# Introduction:



We are a racing marathon that specializes in games that mainly involve 4 wheels and a steering wheel, we are determined to show off some of the best racing game speedruns the communities have to offer whilst raising money for charity at the same time.

So are you feeling fast? Well dust off those racing gloves and get submitting! 😄



# **Key Dates and Information for our event:**


- **Game Submissions + Volunteer Applications Open**: January 29th 2024 (00:00 AM GMT+0)



- **Game Submissions + Volunteer Applications Close**: March 31st 2024 (23:59 PM GMT +0)



- **Schedule Reveal**: April 5th 2024



- **Event Dates**: April 13th/14th 2024



Run Times for each day:



- **12 Noon - 11PM (Saturday)**
- **12 Noon - 9PM (Sunday)**



**Run times are in GMT +0 (UK Time Zone)**



McRaeathon is happy to work alongside Benelux Speedrunners Gathering (BSG) who is allowing us to raise money for a great charity called MIND.



# Games List:



- Racing games such as Gran Turismo, Forza, Colin McRae Rally/DiRT, Need for Speed etc. (**✓**)
- Driving games such as Driver, Flatout etc. (**✓**)
- Kart Racers such as Mario Kart, Sonic All Stars Racing, Crash Team Racing etc. (**X**)
- Ship Racers such as F-Zero etc. (**X**)
- Character Racing such as Sonic R, Gensou Skydrift etc. (**X**)

If your game doesn't fall into this list (Driving segments in Call of Duty or Halo for example) then chances are it won't be accepted. Any questions regarding your run if they don't fit anything on this list then feel free to ask us in the Discord server here: https://discord.gg/unVDNJSz4w



# All runs must have English commentary provided by either yourself or a co-commentator.

We hope to see you there for McRaeathon 2024! :)


Submissions for one of the best racing game marathons on the planet is now open and waiting for you to sign up! :D

McRaeathon 2024 submissions are now LIVE!

Hey everybody, now that the SRC Series: Rocket Racing challenge has started it's time to reveal the category! Your category of focus for the challenge in the next 10 days is... [Expert Tracks](https://www.speedrun.com/Rocket_Racing/leaderboards?h=expert-levels&x=q25z87j2)!! If you need a run to learn from, [you can find one under the category here](https://www.speedrun.com/Rocket_Racing/leaderboards?h=expert-levels&x=q25z87j2) 

To learn more about the challenge, [check out our previous article](https://www.speedrun.com/news/m25px1v1-src-series-rocket-racing-speedrun-challenge).

Good luck!

The SRC Series: Rocket Racing challenge has started so it's time to reveal the category!

SRC Series: Rocket Racing Expert Tracks Challenge

# **The Event**

Founded two years ago by Metroid Crime, [Lady Arcaders](https://ladyarcaders.com) are celebrating the community’s 2 year anniversary with an absolutely leviathan fifty-hour event! The Raid Train departs the station Tuesday the 13th at 10pm EST, traveling nonstop & through the night all the way to Thursday the 15th, ending on the [Lady Arcaders Twitch channel](https://twitch.tv/ladyarcaders) with a speedrun of **Stardew Valley** by [Pr1nc3ssShortcake](https://twitch.tv/Pr1nc3ssShortcake).

Some highlights of [the full schedule](https://ladyarcaders.com/raid-train/2024/) include:

[EikoTheBlue](https://twitch.tv/eikotheblue), lead developer of the **Ori And The Blind Forest** randomizer, will be speedrunning her own creation. We’ll see [ceaselessly](https://twitch.tv/ceaselessly) take on **Pokémon Crystal** with a sole Diglett, and more randomized speedruns with [Demerine](https://twitch.tv/Demerine2) running **Dragon Warrior Chaos**, and [BunniestBunRena](https://twitch.tv/BunniestBunRena) in randomized **Zelda: A Link Between Worlds**.

We’ll also be seeing several PB attempts, with [FawkesRocks](https://twitch.tv/Fawkes_Rocks) running **Sonic CD**, and [Quacksilver](https://twitch.tv/quacksilverplays) on **GRIME**. And did you know the PAL version of **Luigi’s Mansion** is mirrored and more challenging? [Elite_Spud](https://twitch.tv/elite_spud) will be going for a PB, then (time allowing) they’ll show off some *blindfolded* gameplay.

Here’s a sampler platter of clips, to see the Lady Arcader vibe ahead of the big show:

- [https://www.twitch.tv/ladyarcaders/clip/TallBashfulDadPeanutButterJellyTime-vOQmUcx9KGUpKlzY](https://www.twitch.tv/ladyarcaders/clip/TallBashfulDadPeanutButterJellyTime-vOQmUcx9KGUpKlzY)
- [https://www.twitch.tv/ladyarcaders/clip/RefinedIntelligentCourgetteGingerPower-SX2HxhP3gxWI_CqP](https://www.twitch.tv/ladyarcaders/clip/RefinedIntelligentCourgetteGingerPower-SX2HxhP3gxWI_CqP)
- [https://www.twitch.tv/ladyarcaders/clip/DullProudGrasshopperBudStar-YzIH7YHTgiN7IUWw](https://www.twitch.tv/ladyarcaders/clip/DullProudGrasshopperBudStar-YzIH7YHTgiN7IUWw)
- [https://www.twitch.tv/ladyarcaders/clip/HeadstrongCooperativeScorpionDoritosChip-6lynDAtUNJB_SPC-](https://www.twitch.tv/ladyarcaders/clip/HeadstrongCooperativeScorpionDoritosChip-6lynDAtUNJB_SPC-)

# **About Lady Arcaders**

Lady Arcaders is an all-women’s gaming collective, founded to showcase women’s passion and skills. Getting involved in the speedrunning and general gaming/speedrunning spaces can be *very* daunting, so the group can serve as a springboard in and a space to form friendships and build community.

Attract Mode! (The exclamation is important!) is Lady Arcader’s flagship show, running twice a week on Twitch to showcase game-related content by women creators. If you’re interested in participating, [applications are open year-round](https://ladyarcaders.com/event/attract-mode/).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MD2OaKYx7eg

Celebrating 2-year community anniversary with 26 streamers taking on randomizers, PB attempts, cosplay crafting, & more.

Lady Arcaders Kick Off 50 Hour Raid Train

Speedromizer V Submissions are OPEN! The marathon where what you submit, is NOT what you run. Raising money for Qmunity.

### Timeline

- Submit from January 27, 2024 to February 25, 2024
- Games will be picked in a standard marathon judging process
- Accepted games are shuffled and randomly assigned to other runners
- Live draft lottery: March 02
- From the draft lottery, runners have roughly 3 months to learn their games
- Confirmation Period for runners: April 19 - April 28
- Marathon schedule is released: May 05
- Tech checks for all event participants: May 10-12, 17-19, 24-26
- **Marathon goes live June 06 - 09, at 10 am Central Standard Time!**

### New Submission Process

You don’t have a run, but want to learn something? You have a cool run that you’d like to teach, but don’t have time to learn something new?

This event, we are opening up to both possibilities! Check out the new submission forms.

### Links

- **Submit:** [Oengus](https://oengus.io/marathon/SRMZV) | [Google Form](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScha8wOiJcWSB3EaO_34xMuak9Vk8sEdGyEElJszz0X6Wy_UQ/viewform) | [Learn a run only](https://docs.google.com/forms/u/3/d/e/1FAIpQLScUPr_1pIHLJ3bVncWtRgbcaqREgKvGc4JHW6JT-VbuMnOokQ/viewform)
- **View Submissions:** [Submissions Publish](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vT8bPFYUkk8wj8kannPUso_fFq9vyEggwDJXxcKbehE72PpZHNfu_TZSlrS9TjxwXwbdGudGSCYZsKE/pubhtml?gid=1342861663&single=true)
- **Volunteer application:**	**Open March 02**
- **Volunteer roles:** [Speedromizer - Volunteer Roles](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YjAIKq065s-MlwQQhcxUEWceh6K5dPwUtdWyj5uK6BA/edit#)
- **Transparency Statement:** [Speedromizer - Transparency Statement](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uV3Xr0bCj9M2hvTdE8KIGY7Wqa1nYxan77sKItdSXk0/edit#)
- **Twitch channel:** [Twitch.tv/speedromizer](https://twitch.tv/speedromizer)
- **Discord server:**	[Discord.gg/dUEKRbfWnK](http://discord.gg/dUEKRbfWnK)

### Charity

We are once again raising money for **[QMUNITY](https://qmunity.ca/)** - British Columbia's queer, trans, and Two-Spirit resource centre, providing safe space for two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersexual and asexual folks and their allies.

### Races

We cannot accept race submissions by default due to the nature of the event.

However, during the confirmation period, runners can ask the original submitter of their game to race them! If the submitter agrees, availability permits, and dedicated commentary can be organized, we might see some Student vs. Teacher races!

### Discouraged Criteria

Due to the nature of games being randomly drafted for accepted runners, any submission that fits one or more of the following criteria is less likely to be selected:

- Estimated length is more than 1 hour 30 minutes or less than 10 minutes
- The run has no available guide **and** the submitter is not able to provide assistance
- The run requires non-standard peripherals (e.g. custom controller, etc.)
- The run has an extremely high complexity in terms of mechanics **and** inputs
- The run is heavily dependent on RNG
- The game is not easily obtainable/playable (e.g. not emulatable, needs high-end PC hardware, etc.)

These runs can still be submitted, and they may be picked as backup games.

### Randomizer Rules

Randomizer submissions are allowed, but must fit **all** of these criteria:

- The randomizer must have the ability to set a decent starting inventory
- No overly challenging modes ex: Key Sanity, no starting sword/swordless
- The run must be able to be completed within 2 hours RTA by a new runner
- All randomizer submissions will be handled on a case by case basis

### Backup Games

We will have a list of backup games for runs that cannot be selected for the main draft lottery due to their nature (see *Discouraged Criteria*) but which are still awesome showcases that could fill time in case of a runner drop.

We hope to see you at **Speedromizer V!**

The charity marathon with a twist. What you submit, is NOT what you run.

Speedromizer V Submissions are LIVE

The team of Tape to Tape is hosting a speedrunning competition utilizing the same seed I used at my run for AGDQ 2024 (VOD linked below). Top times submitted to [the Tape to Tape seeded board on Speedrun.com](https://www.speedrun.com/tape_to_tape?h=seeded-campaign-Easy&x=xd1zvgw2-6njyreen.1399mr31) can win prizes, and all participants will be added to a raffle for a chance at additional prizes! More information and rules for the competition can be found in the link below, happy playing! 

[https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1566200/view/3946909242532948895](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1566200/view/3946909242532948895)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nc3mjdfx37Q

The team of Tape to Tape is hosting a competition where the seed used in my (cavecavecave) AGDQ 2024 is being made public. Top times will be given prizes and a raffle will be done for all participants for extra prizes.

Tape to Tape Speedrun Competition (with Prizes!)

A Kao community member - @rumii has announced a bounty in Kao the Kangaroo: Round 2. All you have to do is get a time in the 45:XX range (loadless/LRT). So pretty much get a brand new world record and $1000 USD will be yours!

# Rules

![](/static/blob/1n5move3.jpg)

# Game & Category

The game in question is *[Kao the Kangaroo: Round 2](https://www.speedrun.com/kao2)* - **the digital version** which means the 2019 re-release which is on *Steam.* There are many differences between the retail and digital versions - that's why there are separate categories on leaderboards.

Originally a 2003 Polish 3D platformer game released on PC and consoles (GCN, PS2, Wii, & Xbox). It's safe to say it's still the best entry in the series with the most valuable WR to achieve. The game takes a young kangaroo named Kao on a journey to save his animal friends from an evil poacher.

Now we'll focus on the category - **Any% Digital Version**. It is exactly how it sounds like. You got to beat the game from a fresh save, using the digital Kao 2.

# Time to learn

Thankfully the community has made some helpful media for beginners like tutorials and such.

Like this improvised tutorial by the former world record holder - @CubemasterXD (a bit outdated):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2f7u5nY4yuE

Or this compilation of all skips (less outdated than the previous video):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0hp-adxcpM

# Notable New Tech

On leaderboards, a keen eye could sight this variable - *quads/quadless.* What does it mean?

That's a pretty fresh discovery that allows runners to perform a chain of jumps when they aren't supposed to be able to jump. Normally you can only jump twice. It is a platformer game. Try guessing how many new skips or route changes happened since this discovery :)

Here are quad jumps in action on the 4th level of the game - River Raid

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIg5FOLtuOs

Credit to @n3wt, the current WR holder on this level.

# Summary

Obtain a sub 46:00 loadless time in *[Kao the Kangaroo: Round 2 - Any% Digital Version](https://www.speedrun.com/kao2)* to win $1000 USD**!** Only the first person wins. You have until the end of the year!

Any questions? Join [the Discord server!](https://discord.com/invite/mvErQShpTE)

Cheers and good luck

Community member rumii announced a bounty for achieving a 45:XX time.

$1000 Time Bounty in Kao the Kangaroo Round 2

If you've never heard the name [Jervailin ](https://www.youtube.com/@Jervalin/videos)before, he's the guy who beat [Halo 2 Legendary Most Skulls Deathless](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YveuZFMbpWQ) - one of the biggest achievements in the last few years. He inspired me to do something similar with games I love - the Gears of War series. When considering what kind of challenge I could try, I thought of no chainsaw, no shots, maybe pistol only? The game requires mandatory use of Hammer of Dawn, which makes some kind of challenge based around that impossible.

After failing to come up with something for one of my favorite franchises of all time. I thought what about another that I love with a passion - Soulcalibur. I joked around on stream that I thought how funny it would be to try playing with a Guitar Hero Controller so I did several attempts and my first submitted Arcade run I was glad being sub 1 min. Achieved January 9th, 2024.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97hnBdLLptg

If that wasn't enough I had the even crazier idea to do Weapon Master which is a collection of missions across ten chapters to beat. With differing objectives such as hot bomb, where you hit the enemy to attach a bomb but they can attach a bomb too if they hit you. Another with icy floor and having to do 20 hits. My hurdle was trying to get past the tutorial which requires you to do certain actions.

With a GH controller how it's done and what buttons are mapped is difficult. I tried several combinations and even looking up which one corresponds to which 360 controller buttons. Even then that didn't help and I guess my issue is Voldo's moveset. When I tried Nightmare was able to do all actions with ease. And so on January 10th I was able to beat Weapon Master with the GH controller.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnR0GabU6xE

After this, I went to do Extra Arcade and did them for both original and HD. I found HD to be easier for Weapon Master because it creates a new save file. If I were to do with the original I would need to delete my current one. For some reason, SCII doesn't have the same type of save file that can be copied or moved.

One more interesting and final thing I would like to add that left me speechless was this amazing run. If just one thing had gone differently I would have got WR with a guitar controller. Just think about that - I could have beat my run of 44.36 with a guitar. I ended up getting a 45.65. Unbelievably close to WR as of writing this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwKikdah1jA

## My Final Thoughts

Do something for a game you love with some crazy challenge - or maybe if you want to, also do some GH guitar Soulcalibur runs! My current goal is to try to do Time Attack and Team Battle next or try Soulcalibur IV next.

The first person I believe at least to my knowledge to play and beat Soulcalibur II with a GH guitar controller.

Guitar Hero Controller Speedrunning - Soulcalibur II

Attention runners and racers! We're thrilled to unveil the first challenge as part of what we are calling the SRC Series! The SRC Series is a lineup of challenges we're rolling out on a semi-regular basis, funded entirely by Speedrun.com. SRC Series challenges are designed to be fun and engaging, with a focus on community involvement. The prize bounties are smaller compared to sponsored challenges, providing a  break from the stress of high-stakes competition! We hope SRC Series challenges will bring speedrunners together from all kinds of communities to discover new games and meet new people.

For our first challenge, we've selected Rocket Racing! If you're unfamiliar, Rocket Racing is an arcade style racing game developed in collaboration with Psyonix and parent company Epic Games - taking heavy influence from Rocket League and implementing all kinds of aerial movement with track designs that force you to get crafty with your vehicle.

Here’s everything you’ll want to know heading into the challenge:

**Starting Date:** February 15th, 2024

**Duration:** 10 days, until 11:59PM UTC February 25th, 2024

## Prize Distribution:

The $500 prize pool will be distributed among the top performers for fastest completion time in the Any% category. The distribution is as follows:

**1st place** - $250

**2nd place** - $150

**3rd place** - $100

## Eligibility:

Open to players aged 18 and above worldwide, with the following exceptions: North Korea, Syria, Sudan, Cuba, Iran, Somalia, and Venezuela.

## Game:

The game is, of course, Rocket Racing. If you haven’t played RR before, you may not know the install process as it’s a somewhat unique situation. To play Rocket Racing, you'll want to install Fortnite from within the Epic Games Launcher. From inside Fortnite, you'll be able to access Rocket Racing as one of the official game modes.

## Category:

As this is the first challenge we will be hosting with a pre-existing game, we will not be revealing the category until near the start of the challenge to avoid anyone starting ahead of time. That said, if you want to hop in game and start learning some of the tech to prepare yourself - we encourage you to do so if you’d like!

## Submission:

Record your speedrun and submit it via [our Challenge leaderboard here on Speedrun.com.](https://www.speedrun.com/challenges/og37qyvl-Rocket_Racing-src-series-rocket-racing)

Follow the guidelines provided for video formatting and submission requirements, found in the rules section. Please note that a new requirement has been added to this challenge, requiring that prize eligible runs must have been live streamed.

## Rules and Regulations:

All speedruns must adhere to the official rules, available on the Speedrun.com Challenge leaderboard.

Contest Rules: [https://www.speedrun.com/challenges/og37qyvl-Rocket_Racing-src-series-rocket-racing/contest](https://www.speedrun.com/challenges/og37qyvl-Rocket_Racing-src-series-rocket-racing/contest)

Category Rules: [https://www.speedrun.com/challenges/og37qyvl-Rocket_Racing-src-series-rocket-racing/rules?view=challenge ](https://www.speedrun.com/challenges/og37qyvl-Rocket_Racing-src-series-rocket-racing/rules?view=challenge )(available near launch of challenge)

## Challenges

A new addition to challenges as you may have noticed is our new Challenges Hub which can be found here [https://www.speedrun.com/challenges](https://www.speedrun.com/challenges)! Check it out if you haven’t seen it yet, we look forward to populating it with lots more challenges in the future!

## Preparation Suggestions

To find tips & tricks for the speedrun, visit [the Rocket Racing leaderboard right here on Speedrun.com.](https://www.speedrun.com/Rocket_Racing) Follow either the game or the challenge to receive notifications about challenge activity! You can also join [the Fortnite Speedrunning Discord server](https://discord.com/invite/9dUjMuKDRG) to keep up with the community!

**Good luck, and have fun Racers!️**

Join us for the first challenge in our SRC Series with Rocket Racing!

SRC Series: Rocket Racing Speedrun Challenge

In the world of speedrunning, we love playing games quickly, but we also like the spirit of competition, watching the most talented runners compete in their favorite games. With this in mind, the Nitro Speedrun staff proudly presents you a new idea: the Nitro Cup.

# **What is Nitro Cup?**

Nitro Cup is a tournament held every three months centered around a popular game. The objective is simple: complete the game and its designated category as quickly as possible! While anyone can participate, only one contestant will emerge victorious, claiming the coveted trophy, much like Qentiko and Nuclearpastatom already did.

![](https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/DwhpGAhGuA0_zFY19PzVwLo3R8z9xXV1D8teTeQImSL25OXnOIM_55KD9gx5Xa5CPFOhJU7xk4AxlCAepDunPM2hgEXwVfccGDvSc8xGsf3FKZvaSXGBu6z-RllVA5-4QnEPsauk-EGNUHY4aPYLJvI)

The event is divided into two phases. On Saturday, we have the qualifiers, which follow an LTA format. This means that participants have a set amount of time to deliver their best performance for the game. At the end of the timer, the top 7 players qualify for the next round.

Sunday features the knockout stage! The 7 players compete in the first race, with the top 5 advancing to the next round while the bottom 2 are eliminated. The same process repeats for the second race, narrowing down the field from 5 to 3 players. Finally, the third race determines the podium placements and crowns the winner of the trophy!

# **That sounds exciting! When is the next edition?**

As you may have noticed in the previous images, there have been two different editions featuring The Legend of Zelda: Tears of The Kingdom and Elden Ring. The next event will focus on Super Mario Odyssey - Any% and will take place on **March 23rd and 24th!**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqpIbHrXefc

The event will be restreamed in 4 different languages, as we know from now :

- English : [https://www.twitch.tv/speedgaming](https://www.twitch.tv/speedgaming)
- French : [https://www.twitch.tv/nitro_speedrun](https://www.twitch.tv/nitro_speedrun)
- Portuguese : [http://www.twitch.tv/speedrunsbrasil](https://t.co/wag789mvpH)
- Spanish : [https://www.twitch.tv/speedrunsespanol](https://www.twitch.tv/speedrunsespanol)

If you want to participate, simply join the Nitro Speedrun Discord server for event organization at [https://discord.gg/X3JFEr6Gen](https://discord.gg/X3JFEr6Gen) and register for the event here: [https://matcherino.com/tournaments/108770](https://matcherino.com/tournaments/108770)

The event also features a participative cash prize. All the money goes to the top 7 runners. So, if you enjoy the event and want to support the runners, you can make a contribution to the prize pool.

I invite you to watch the final of the last Nitro Cup. The Nitro Speedrun staff and I hope to see you in March !

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2006806117?t=17m16s

Announcement of the Nitro Cup #3 on Super Mario Odyssey, after the sucess of the first two editions on Tears Of The Kingdom and Elden Ring.

Nitro Cup: A New Kind of Speedrun Competition

We are following up today after [yesterday’s $10,000 Speedrun Challenge announcement](https://www.speedrun.com/news/wo833e8m-prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown-10-000-speedrun-challenge-pit-of-eternal-sands) with some more even exciting news - we are super excited to announce that Ubisoft has not only sponsored this challenge with a whopping $10,000 prize pool, but an incredible 200 game keys for Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Deluxe Edition! Yes, you have read and understood that correctly. We will be giving away 200 PC copies of the game to the first 200 runners who submit a verified speedrun for [the Pit of Eternal Sands category in the PoP:TLC $10,000 Speedrun Challenge!](https://www.speedrun.com/challenges/5e3eoymq-pop_tlc-any-contest)

Already have the Deluxe Edition? Feel free to give it away to a friend, or a fellow speedrunner!

![](/static/blob/7n6m3jzq.jpg)

We hope you’re all as excited about this as we are. Go follow the challenge, and be amongst the first 200 to snag your free copy by submitting a speedrun. Happy running everyone, stay tuned for more exciting updates! :)

Want a free Deluxe Edition key for Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown? Be one of the first 200 to submit a verified speedrun to the challenge leaderboard in the Pit of Eternal Sands category!

Deluxe Key Giveaway - Prince of Persia $10,000 Speedrun Challenge (Pit of Eternal Sands)

Soulcalibur II

Kao the Kangaroo Round 2

Super Mario Odyssey

Tape To Tape

In order to properly figure out categories, rules, timing method, etc. this leaderboard will not feature any runs for the first two weeks after the game's release. In the meantime you can join us in the [Prince of Persia discord](https://discordapp.com/invite/0Ss0agDWPoiSvr3E) to discuss about the game.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

Rocket Racing

ViperUK

Slevanas

Phatzo

Contos

xwpw4y0l

Chottue

MetroidCrime

cavecavecave

A Difficult Game About Climbing

The leaderboards will open 2 weeks from launch to allow discussion about the categories we want to start out with.