# The Gold Split Newsletter - Week #26

The Gold Split offers a free, weekly digest of news from the world of speedrunning and beyond.

This **Story of the Week** is all about people's speedrunning-related goals and predictions for 2025 and was featured in this week's issue. The full post includes **more news**, briefly, AGDQ content, as well as this week's top times and a fun fact. Check it out **[HERE](https://goldsplit.substack.com/p/week-26)**.

## ![](https://www.speedrun.com/static/blob/wzxxw3qz.png)

## Story of the Week ✨

2025 has just begun, and while I’m not a huge fan of New Year’s resolutions, I am a fan of trying to predict what might happen. My own 2025 predictions of @Suigi being dethroned in at least one Super Mario 64 category and @Summoningsalt releasing the 8-hour director’s cut of the Subway Surfers world record history documentary are destined to come true anyways, so I reached out to a few folks to get a broader spectrum of goals and what to look forward to in the new year.

And as a bonus, if we’re all still here at the end of 2025, we get to look back, reflect and gauge how well they did at setting these goals and predicting those outcomes.

Three predictions reached me for the Any% category of **[Super Mario Bros](https://www.speedrun.com/smb1)**. The current record of 04:54.631 by @Niftski has been set in September of 2023, but recent streams have shown that a new one might be just around the corner. Going into the final level, that run was tied with the tool-assisted speedrun (TAS). This is possible due to something called the frame rule. In short: outside of the final level, time can only be gained or lost in 21-frame intervals, because that is the rate at which the level completion is checked. Therefore, on some levels, a runner might lose a few frames but can still end up tied with the TAS.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Khu9BB2g4Ks

@Niftski themselves predict a 04:54.5xx or even 04:54.4xx by the end of the year, and SMB legend @Kosmic also considers that a safe bet. But content creator @Abyssoft goes a few steps further: their prediction is a complete tie with the TAS in 2025, which would be a 04:54.265. At that point and until new strategies are found, the best any other player could do is to break even.

In **[Super Mario 64](https://www.speedrun.com/sm64)**, the predictions concern new records in the shorter categories. The momentum in 120 Star seems to have slowed and we might not see any progress there in 2025, but content creator @Bismuth does anticipate new best times in 0 Star, 1 Star and 16 Star. Blindfolded speedrunner @Bubzia agrees with the 16 Star prediction, despite or maybe because of the mystique around that record. Currently, @Suigi is working on the 0 Star category, while @Weegee and @Slipperynip are targetting 16 Star.

Speaking of @Bubzia, his personal goal for the new year does involve the 120 Star category. In May of 2022 he became the first person to finish it blindfolded with a time of 11:22:43. And in 2025, he wants to improve that time significantly and end the run in under ten hours. I was curious about what it will take to get there, and this is what he had to say:

> It’s mostly going to be optimizing the longer and harder stars for consistency and speed. Mostly all the 100 coins stars and some of the really tricky ones like Wingcap Red Coins etc. I have improved as a player a ton over the last year with my 16 and 70 star grind, so lots of new optimizations might now be possible that I simply lacked skill before or even simply did not consider during routing and stuff. It will be lots of work, but it can definitely happen. 😄

@Bismuth on the other hand has plans and predictions for **[Donkey Kong 64](https://www.speedrun.com/dk64?h=101-N64&x=7kj153k3-onvv1yrn.jqzz8d2q)**, specifically in the 101% category on Nintendo 64. In the second half of the year, he’ll aim to improve his time by at least 15 minutes to below 05:40:00. Just above on the leaderboard however he forecasts a potential three-way battle for the crown between @Znernicus, @Awhitmore and @Auphonium, with @Znernicus ultimately coming out on top with a time of at least 05:19:xx at the end of the year.

In the world of tool-assisted speedruns, TAS legend @Tompa is modest and simply wants to continue TASing for as long as he’s motivated. His current project is Klonoa 2: Dream Champ Tournament, a platformer for the Game Boy Advance. Future projects are also already on the horizon, and potentially include The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords for the Nintendo DSi, Super Princess Peach on Nintendo DS, and Wario Land: Shake It! on the Wii.

@EBen has been speedrunning ***[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City](https://www.speedrun.com/gtavc?h=Any_No_SSU&x=nxd1rk8q)*** since 2017, but has fallen behind in his favourite category due to other projects and commitments. In 2025, he pledges to improve his time in Any% (No SSU) to avoid being relegated to the 2nd page of the leaderboards and at the very least remain firmly in the top 100. He also predicts more Chinese runners entering the game’s scene and challenging the top times. In 2024, three have already broken into the top 10 and quickly improved.

A very concrete goal comes from Sonic speedrunner and fast-talking scotsman @Argick. He aims to get at least one new top 10 time in a different Sonic game every month. Hopefully we’ll see twelve of them on the scoresheet at the end of the year. It’s a good thing there are 116 different Sonic games on this website to choose from.

@laura and @Dayoman both want to work on their times in **[Spyro the Dragon](https://www.speedrun.com/spyro1?h=120&x=7wkp1gkr)** 120%. While the former’s goal is to reach at least a 1:25:xx before they branch out into other speedgames, Dayoman is locking in and embracing the grind to finish the year with a time below 1:20:00. I’m rooting for both of you!

In **[Super Metroid](https://www.speedrun.com/supermetroid)** Any%, @Kosmic is certain that there will be a new record, and possibly by somebody who has never held it before. In the last ten years, only three people have been at the top: @zoast, @Behemoth87 and @Oatsngoats, the current record holder. Now, at the beginning of 2025, @Drewski_i and @ShinyZeni are equally close to reaching for the crown. It’ll be an exciting leaderboard to follow!

![A screenshot of the Super Metroid Any% leaderboard with Oatsngoats at the top followed by Drewski_i, ShinyZeni, zoast and Behemoth87.](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff8d43a9c-3e4a-425f-bc87-a637b2658eb6_449x229.jpeg)

***@***Anorakkis can see the three hour barrier in **[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess](https://www.speedrun.com/tp?h=Any-wii&x=z275l4k0-kn0zjg78.rqvrd76l)** Any% on the Wii fall in 2025, even if it might take a mighty run to reach it. And with three tool-assisted speedruns for the game in the works and one for The Wind Waker just released, it might be a really good year for 3D Zelda TASing.

Beyond the games, joey, who runs **[therun.gg](https://therun.gg/)**, is working on the website becoming a front page for all of speedrunning. His aim is to turn it into a hub and a place where one goes to watch streams, get the news, find out about new records or personal bests, see upcoming events, participate in races and tournaments and much more. And maybe, just maybe, he’ll pick up a speedrun again after nine years.

And last but certainly not least, @NaomiiiPlays predicts that charity marathons within the speedrunning scene will manage to raise more for a good cause than in previous years. She noticed a downturn in recent years and hopes that this year will mark a positive change. Currently, AGDQ 2025 is on a good trajectory to improve on last year’s donation total.

### What are yours?

Did these inspire you? Do **you** have any goals or predictions for 2025?

It might be fun to gather as many as we can now and then look back at them at the end of they year. For this purpose, I created a **[quick and basic form](https://forms.gle/7NMWGQpH2P6H4mcj6)** to gather your speedrunning-related goals and predictions for 2025.

Feel free to submit as many as you like, you may remain anonymous. We'll put all of them into a vault at the end of January 2025 and open it at the end of the year. Have a good one!

![](https://www.speedrun.com/static/blob/rz251jdz.png)

Thank you for reading! If you're curious about more of this week's news or would even consider subscribing to the newsletter, you'll find the full post over **[HERE](https://goldsplit.substack.com/p/week-26)**.

Finding new stories to cover can be challenging. I encourage you to think about what happened recently in the communities you are a part of. If there are any stories, articles, glitches, events, or other topics I should be taking a look at, go ahead and **[submit them here](https://forms.gle/F1VJ4PG68FTZKqn49)** or in the **[Gold Split Discord](https://discord.gg/SpbFCgsYkU)**! 📨

The Gold Split is a free weekly newsletter focused on speedrunning. This week's main story is all about people's speedrunning-related goals and predictions for 2025.

The Gold Split #26 - Goals & Predictions

# What is The 1545?

Combining thirteen legendary 3D Collect-A-Thon games into one marathon challenge, "[The 1545](https://www.speedrun.com/1545)" is a jaw dropping feat of endurance, skill, and sheer willpower.

[The 1545](https://www.speedrun.com/1545) brings together three epic marathons into one:

- [Sprashfecta 642%](https://www.speedrun.com/sprash#Sprash_Trilogies?h=Sprashfecta-642&x=824p4vm2-2lgm3qlp.5lm2keyq) (OG Crash Bandicoot 305% and OG Spyro the Dragon 337%)
- [3D Mario 602](https://www.speedrun.com/multimario?h=3D_Mario_602&x=xd1ezw28) (SM64 120 Star, SMG 1 120 Stars, SMS 120 Shines and SMG 2 242 Stars)
- [Rareware 301%](https://www.speedrun.com/mrg?h=Rareware_Collectathon_Trilogy-301&x=zd3o40ed-wledz4rn.5lerpezq) (Banjo-Kazooie 100%, Banjo-Tooie 100% and Donkey Kong 64 101%)

Together, that’s **642 + 602 + 301 = 1545!**

# Soo... what is this about?

Each year, we host team relay races for the completion category, with occasional Any% (Restricted) ones thrown into the mix.

However, all the way back in January 2024, a small group of runners decided to organize something never done before: a **Solo 1545 completion race.** This daring endeavor would see **individuals run all 13 games back-to-back**, pushing themselves to their absolute limits.

...and so it began - 7 months of learning the remaining games and grinding times down all the way up until the end of July, when it all went down.

# The Solo 1545 race

The term "race" is being used very loosely, as due to the sheer length of the category and participants being from multiple different timezones, it was impossible to settle on a start time that would work for everyone.

Everyone agreed that **the only thing that matters is finishing**, regardless of position or final time - so each runner started at whatever time worked best for them.

The first person to start their attempt did so exactly 2 weeks prior to everyone else and hoped to lead right into the 10th Anniversary 3D Mario 602 race, but unfortunately, they had to quit on game 5 due to some health concerns. This is a great reminder that while this event was a thrilling challenge, it's important to know that **such marathons can take a toll on physical and mental health. Always listen to your body - your safety matters most!**

The remaining 7 participants all started on **July 26th 2024**.

# The Results

Out of the 7 remaining participants, a whopping 6 all ended up finishing the whole 56+ hours long run, with **the first 3 doing so entirely sleepless.**

![](/static/blob/1n7jk29n.png)

The whole detailed results can be found on [this sheet](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1v7eeEl5nitv6wIuJ5AVGkBXiLwf0KGNwNNCcJm-0ED0/edit?gid=2065738983#gid=2065738983) while times adjusted according to our [break rules](https://www.speedrun.com/1545?h=Solo_1545&rules=game&x=jdrxzlld) have been submitted to the [leaderboards](https://www.speedrun.com/1545?h=Solo_1545&x=jdrxzlld).

# What's next? 

While some have vowed to never do this again, others are already considering another run. Interest from new runners is also growing, so the future looks bright for this challenge!

For now, feel free to [join our Discord server](https://discord.gg/YDTDKyA) to keep up with everything 1545, including the **Any% Restricted relay we have coming up next weekend!**

Five months ago, the first-ever Solo 1545 race made history! Spanning 50+ hours across thirteen 3D collect-a-thons, six runners completed the challenge - with a new world record set along the way.

One of 2024's Greatest Speedrunning Triumphs | The 1545

A groundbreaking skip has been discovered in Super Mario Galaxy 2, allowing players to bypass Bowser's prologue dialogue entirely!

This skip, theorized years ago by TAS legends PurpleSun and Shadow64, is now a reality thanks to the efforts of Sheep, a ROM hacker and creator of the SMG2 Kaizo hack *Blue Eclipse*.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK8UeNXhWoc

# How Does It Work?

By performing a precise side-flip on the crystallized Luma at the start of the castle section, Mario starts floating. Keep the crystal in view, and you can climb high enough to cross an invisible wall and clip into the houses. This maneuver skips the Bowser dialogue cutscene entirely, shaving off around **40 seconds -** the biggest time save in SMG2 in recent years!

A gravity-defying skip was proven to be possible at the start of Super Mario Galaxy 2. This skips the Bowser dialogue cutscene trigger and saves 40 seconds.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 Bowser Prologue Skip!

It’s time to fend off the zombie hordes so sharpen your gardening skills, plant your defenses, and get ready to show those brain-hungry creeps who’s boss!

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

**Starting Date:** December 27th @ 12:00PM UTC

**Duration:** 9 days, until 11:59PM UTC January 5th, 2024

## **Prize Distribution:**

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

**1st place** - $250

**2nd place** - $150

**3rd place** - $100

Please note that in order to comply with international tax law, **the challenge cash prize may be subject to tax withholding based on the winner's country of residence.**

## **Participation Prizes:**

As usual with our SRC Series Challenges, we are bringing back participation prizes!

First of all, any runner who submits any runs to the Plants vs Zombies Speedrun Challenge will receive **one month** of SRC Supporter, if you haven’t heard of Supporter before you may learn more about it[ here](https://www.speedrun.com/supporter)!

Secondly, any challenge participants will be awarded with a unique title! If you’re unfamiliar with Titles, they are a unique descriptor that goes alongside your username on your profile (as well as profile popovers) which can (as of right now) only be acquired by participating in Challenges right here on SRC. To find out more, check out our last article about Titles!

[https://www.speedrun.com/news/17vr795x-introducing-titles](https://www.speedrun.com/news/17vr795x-introducing-titles)

The title for participating in this challenge will be… **Botanist!**

![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXcVNilJAClgX27ViqR9a_c8fZWWbQ8-xJKpKiaMKtPLvQjRUNZMsvyWl9SkloNervJU_eMXw6YMq5cSgLpWO7wHKEDEqSBFoojqTGDe6L8d3oQu1eEEEYm0g3teqea9jdb4k0UK?key=KISYokoKI-5P669BUH3I15VB)

## **Eligibility:**

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

If you are under the age of 18, not to worry! You can still participate and win the participation prizes, but unfortunately you will not be eligible for the cash prizes amongst the top 5.

## **Category:**

The category of choice will be revealed shortly before the launch of the challenge!

## **Submission:**

Record your speedrun and submit it via [our Challenge leaderboard here on Speedrun.com.](https://www.speedrun.com/challenges/21yg1y5v-pvz-src-series-plants-vs-zombies-speedrun-challenge)

Follow the guidelines provided for video formatting and submission requirements, found in the rules section. Please note that we require that prize eligible runs submitted to this challenge must have been live streamed to qualify.

**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/21yg1y5v-pvz-src-series-plants-vs-zombies-speedrun-challenge/rules?view=contest](https://www.speedrun.com/challenges/21yg1y5v-pvz-src-series-plants-vs-zombies-speedrun-challenge/rules?view=contest)

Category Rules: [https://www.speedrun.com/challenges/21yg1y5v-pvz-src-series-plants-vs-zombies-speedrun-challenge/rules?view=challenge](https://www.speedrun.com/challenges/21yg1y5v-pvz-src-series-plants-vs-zombies-speedrun-challenge/rules?view=challenge) 

## **Preparation Suggestions**

To find tips & tricks for the speedrun, visit [the PvZ leaderboard right here on Speedrun.com](https://www.speedrun.com/pvz) and/or join [Plants vs Zombies Speedrunning Discord Server](https://discord.gg/R8tPmjs)!  You can also follow either the game or the challenge to receive notifications about challenge activity!

**Good luck, and have fun!️**

You zombies fans are in for a treat once again, coming at you with the second zombies themed challenge in a row - our next SRC Series challenge is Plants vs. Zombies! 

SRC Series Plants vs. Zombies Speedrun Challenge

Super Mario Galaxy 2

Plants vs. Zombies

The 1545

Fatzke

xwpw4y0l

PlayerGameSK

Tibs

6lp4vpzw

SRC Series: Black Ops 6 Zombies Speedrun Challenge

56y1gy9e

SRC Series: Titanfall 2 Helmet Rush

4m7jny51

Rebel Rush Speedrun Challenge

j5y0ly9k

SRC Series: Peggle Initiate Speedrun Challenge

1qpekp36

SRC Series: MULLET MAD JACK Speedrun Challenge

nzy2zyq3

ALTF42 $5000 Speedrun Challenge

The Splodey $10,000 Speedrun Challenge

MoistCr1TiKaL $15,000 Speedrun Challenge #5

Athena Crisis Completionist Speedrun Challenge

1k75870l

Survive both Chapter 1 & 2 of Poppy Playtime

SRC Series: Poppy Playtime Duo Challenge

3dydl7r2

SRC Series: Ultrakill All Secret Levels (Inbounds)

SRC Series: Rocket Racing Expert Tracks

m9yx0ygj

Pit of Eternal Sands - $10,000 Speedrun Challenge

Blood Will Run $10,000 Challenge

m2p98y5x

Peggle Nights

Titanfall 2

ULTRAKILL

Poppy Playtime: Chapter 1

ALTF42 [Early Access]

Ghostrunner 2

Another Crab's Treasure

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

MULLET MAD JACK

Athena Crisis

Splodey

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Zombies

Tails Noir: Rebel Rush

Submissions will be available 2 weeks after the official release (November 8th). These 2 weeks serve to help the moderation team create main categories, the IL leaderboard and respective rule-sets. Until then feel free to join and help the community with your findings and personal bests on the freshly opened SXS Generations-[Discord](https://discord.gg/M6CyCfC6M7)

Shadow Generations

MiSide

Submissions will be available 2 weeks after the official release (November 8th). These 2 weeks serve to help the moderation team create main categories, the IL leaderboard and respective rule-sets. Until then feel free to join and help the community with your findings and personal bests on the freshly opened SXS Generations-[Discord](https://discord.gg/M6CyCfC6M7)!

Sonic Generations (2024)

Roblox: Isle 10

Get to Work.