File:I beat the Running Man (proof inside)

I finally beat the running man in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time after over 10 years of attempts. Ask me anything.

Question: How did you do that?!?

Answer: Well, the answer is simple, really.

1) Challenge the running man to a race as older Link. 2) Return back 7 years and become younger Link. 3) Wait at the bridge for nearly 7 IN-GAME years (about 1 week in real life; see Q/A a few bands below this). 4) ??? 5) Profit.

Question: If I leave my console running for a full week, will it overheat?

Answer: That's an unlikely (but serious) possibility. Before you attempt this, make sure you understand the risks. * I'm NOT responsible for any damage caused by attempting this! *

Question: Who first discovered this?

Answer: I was actually the first one to discover this technique! I discovered this in mid-January, 2009, less than a week before this video was uploaded. I performed this a second time and recorded my results for you all to see on Youtube.

Don't believe that I was the first to discover this? Look at any other Running Man video on Youtube, or even on the internet. This one was uploaded first. Anyone else claiming to have figured this out first is lying to you. Let it be known that RustySporks/faramir77 on Youtube/GameFAQs found this out first. I'm sick of hearing people claiming this video as their own.

Question: What do you get from doing this? Nothing?

Answer: For almost a year and a half, I thought you would get nothing from this. However, in late May 2010, I found that you can access a strange room in Zora's Domain after beating the Running Man. I made a video showing this, which you can see here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hB8W1BV4Xnc

Question: I heard that it's impossible to beat the Running Man.

Answer: Clearly this video proves that to be wrong. If you truly don't believe me, try this yourself. Be sure to tell me in a comment that it worked.

Question: It's obvious that you used Gameshark/Action Replay/other cheating device. Didn't you?

Answer: Very honestly, no. I swear on my life that I did not use any type of cheating device to beat him. Guess again.

Question: Wait, if you went back to the past, and then waited for seven years, how did you become older Link? And how do you have all your older Link items?

Answer: That's an interesting question with a simple answer. While you're sitting at the bridge, immediately after 7 years passes, younger Link automatically turns into older Link. There is nothing in between, it just blinks and younger Link becomes older Link.

Your items, sword, and clothes equipped change immediately as well, to whatever it would be if you went and pulled out the Master Sword. Speaking of which, you have the Master Sword as well, which is weird, I know. If you go to the Temple of Time, the Master Sword is strangely not there, so if you go there you can still put the Master Sword away and become younger Link again.

Question: So you say I have to wait the equivalent of seven years, right? How long is that in real life?

Answer: It is about one week in real life. One in-game day from dawn to the next dawn is 4 minutes, so just do the math from there. There are about 2556 days in 7 years.

I recorded this on an emulated copy of the game (I didn't want to leave my poor old N64 running for days and days). There was an option on the emulator to turn off "FPS Limit", which made this take much less time.

Question: Is it possible to play the Sun's Song multiple times instead of waiting for a week?

Answer: Although I haven't tried myself, I've heard from [fairly dedicated] people that playing the Sun's Song multiple times does work. However, keep in mind that there are about 2556 in-game days in the 7 in-game years that you must pass. The Sun's Song only makes time go forward 12 hours, so you must play the Sun's Song twice for one day to pass. That's 5112 Sun's Songs.

It would be much easier just to wait than spend your time playing the Sun's Song over and over again.

Question: If I wait a week anywhere, will young Link become adult Link, allowing me to become adult Link before completing the first few temples?

Answer: No. Nintendo designed it that if you wait a week during the Running Man race as younger Link, you'll turn into an adult.

You can't do this unless you've started the race with the Running Man (which has to be as an adult), with the timer going and everything. It works nowhere else.