A large crowd packed Trust Stadium for the Runit event last night. Video / Mike Scott / Benjamin Plummer
A teenager has died after suffering a serious head injury during a private ‘run it straight’ tackle game in Palmerston North.
Manawatū police area commander Inspector Ross Grantham said the 19-year-old man was critically injured while playing an impromptu tackle game with friends on Sunday afternoon.
“The man suffered aserious head injury when tackled, and was taken to hospital by his friends. Tragically, he passed away in hospital on Monday night,” Grantham said.
A source has confirmed to the Herald the victim was Ryan Satterthwaite. Other online tributes have also named Satterthwaite.
“Rest easy brother Ryan Satterthwaite,” one person commented.
Another said: “So sorry to hear this, especially for the beautiful family I know going through this tragic event”.
A staff member at Mainfreight Palmerston North, where it’s understood Satterthwaite worked, said they had no comment.
Palmerston North teen, Ryan Satterthwaite has died after suffering serious injuries in a "run it straight" game.
Grantham said the tackle game played by the group of friends was based on the viral “social media-driven trend” ‘run it straight’ - which has been extensively criticised by leading neuroscientists recently.
He said it involved participants competing in full-contact collisions without protective gear.
“While this was an impromptu game among friends, not a planned event, this tragic outcome does highlight the inherent safety concerns with such an activity.
“We would urge anyone thinking about taking part in a game or event like this to consider the significant safety and injury risks.”
Grantham said while it was not a criminal matter, police would continue inquiries on behalf of the Coroner.
‘Run it straight’ has been touted as the world’s fiercest new combat sport and attempts to mirror the most physical collisions seen in rugby league, union and AFL matches weekly.
It involves a runner and a tackler running full speed at each other on a 20m x 4m “battlefield” designed for “maximum action and non-stop intensity”.
“Victory belongs to the one who dominates the collision.”
It has exploded on social media, gaining a mass following over the past month.
The death comes after two ‘run it straight’ events were hosted at West Auckland’s Trusts Arena last week by Australian-based Runit Championship League - with $20,000 cash for the winners.
Of the eight competitors on Wednesday, three were forced to retire with injuries – two of whom showed signs of a concussion. That was after one of the first competitors on Monday night’s trial was knocked unconscious.
Of the eight competitors on Wednesday, three were forced to retire with injuries – two of whom showed signs of a concussion. Photo / Mike Scott
While the new sport has amassed a significant following on social media, leading neuroscientists have consistently condemned the concept since its inception.
“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.”
Last week, 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.”
Today, Hume said, “It is very clear from the number of concussions from the small number of ‘running at each other events’ that have occurred, that this is going to result in death”.
“Unfortunately takes a death to make people take notice and to stop these high injury risk activities,” she said.
“Ryan’s death was preventable. We need people to stop participating in activities where the intention is to hurt someone.”
Runit Championship League told the Herald the teen’s death was “tragic news”.
“Any contact sport like boxing, martial arts or combat-style activities should only be held in highly-controlled environments, which include professional medical supervision and support,” a spokesperson said.
“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.
“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.”
Benjamin Plummer is an Auckland-based reporter for the New Zealand Herald who covers sport and breaking news. He has worked for the Herald since 2022.
