If you’ve spent hours wandering the colorful, world-bending lands of A Link Between Worlds, you’ve probably stumbled across tons of hidden side content, from secret heart pieces to quirky NPC side quests. I still remember my first playthrough, I spent almost two full hours wandering every corner of Hyrule looking for this mini game after I saw a friend mention the stamina upgrade online. I checked every NPC, every side path, even wandered around Lorule for an hour before I realized I was looking in the wrong world entirely. One of the most beloved hidden features is the fast-paced running challenge, and many players reach out asking exactly where is running mini game in link between worlds when they hit a wall tracking it down. This mini game isn’t just a fun distraction, either—beat it fast enough, and you’ll earn one of the rarest upgrade items in the entire game, making every minute spent searching worth it. I’ve played through the game three times now, so I’ve broken down everything you need to find, unlock, and beat this challenge without wasting hours wandering aimlessly.
Where is Running Mini Game in A Link Between Worlds Exact Location
First, you don’t have to worry about unlocking this mini game super late in your playthrough. You can access it as soon as you complete the Eastern Palace and gain the ability to merge into walls, which happens within the first three hours of most playthroughs. The running mini game is located in the northeast corner of Hyrule Field, right next to the broken bridge that leads to Death Mountain. You’ll spot a small, fenced-off dirt track, and an NPC named Rupee-Rich Race Runner standing at the starting line waving a small flag.
If you’re coming from Hyrule Castle, head straight east past the Kakariko Village entrance, then turn north when you hit the small cluster of apple trees. You can’t miss the track, as it’s marked with bright orange cones and a wooden sign that says “Fastest Runners Welcome.” If you’re still having trouble spotting it, turn on your map marker for the Eastern Palace, and head directly north from there for about 45 seconds of walking time. You’ll run right into the track, no detours needed. If you’ve already unlocked the fast travel point for the Kakariko Village east entrance, you can warp there and head north for 10 seconds to reach the track instantly. But wait, if you’re in Lorule instead of Hyrule, you won’t find it there—this mini game is exclusive to the Hyrule side of the map, so swap back if you’ve been exploring the dark world first. If you’ve been searching for where is running mini game in link between worlds for hours without luck, this exact location cut my search time down from 2 hours to 5 minutes when I first played.
Prerequisites You Need to Unlock the Running Mini Game
You might show up to the track and find the NPC won’t talk to you at first, and that’s because there are two small requirements you have to meet before you can enter the race. You first need to have collected at least 300 rupees to pay the entry fee, and you need to have the Pegasus Boots item in your inventory. The Pegasus Boots are given to you by the blacksmith in Kakariko Village after you deliver the lost smithing equipment from the Eastern Palace, so that lines up with the earliest access timeline we mentioned earlier.
If you don’t have the boots, the NPC will tell you to come back when you have gear that lets you run fast enough to compete, which is a pretty clear hint of what you’re missing. Don’t waste your time trying to enter without the boots, either—even if you could get past the entry requirement, you can’t beat the race without the dash ability they give you. Before you head to the race track, double check you have all of these to avoid wasted trips:
The entry fee might seem steep early in the game, but the first-place reward is worth far more than 300 rupees, so it’s a smart investment. If you lose the race, you don’t get the fee back, but you can enter as many times as you want as long as you have the rupees to pay each time.
Pro Tips to Beat the Running Mini Game on Your First Try
A lot of players find the race frustrating at first, because the track has tons of obstacles that will slow you down if you hit them. I’ve beaten this race 7 times across different playthroughs, so these tips will help you cut seconds off your time without extra practice. The most important trick is to hold the dash button the entire time, only releasing it for half a second to dodge obstacles like rolling boulders and potholes. If you let go for any longer than that, you’ll lose your speed momentum and will never catch up to the required time.
You’ll also see small green speed boost pads scattered along the track—make sure you hit every single one, as they give you a 20% speed bump for three seconds that stacks with your Pegasus Boots dash. Avoid the small rupee pickups along the side of the track entirely. They’re a distraction, and even if you collect all of them, you’ll only get an extra 50 rupees if you win, which isn’t worth the time you lose veering off the main path.
If you have a bottle with a speed potion, drink it right before you talk to the NPC to start the race, and it will last for almost the entire length of the track, cutting your total time by nearly 10 seconds. I also recommend turning off any other items you have mapped to your dash button before you start, so you don’t accidentally pull out your sword or bow mid-race and lose momentum. I made that mistake my first three tries, and I kept coming in 2 seconds over the required time because I kept fumbling with controls. Once I fixed that, I beat it on my next try with 3 seconds to spare. The first place reward is a permanent stamina upgrade that lets you dash for twice as long without resting, which makes exploring both Hyrule and Lorule way easier later in the game.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Looking for the Running Mini Game
I’ve seen so many players waste hours looking for this mini game because they make simple, avoidable mistakes. First, don’t look for it in Lorule—like I mentioned earlier, it’s only on the Hyrule side of the map, and the Lorule equivalent of that spot is a small monster camp with no NPCs. Don’t confuse this running mini game with the similar horse race mini game near the Lake Hylia area. The horse race has a higher entry fee and requires you to have rented or owned a horse first, so if you see a track with stables, you’re in the wrong spot.
Another common mistake is showing up at night— the NPC only runs the race between 9 AM and 6 PM in-game time, so if it’s dark out, sit by the nearby campfire to pass time until the sun comes up. If you’re playing on hero mode, the obstacles deal damage too, so make sure you have a few extra hearts before you start the race so you don’t die halfway through and lose your entry fee. Another thing to note is that you can’t use the merge ability during the race, so don’t waste time trying to merge through obstacles to cut the track— the game will immediately disqualify you and you’ll lose your entry fee. I learned that the hard way, too, when I tried to merge through a boulder and got sent back to the start with no refund.
At the end of the day, tracking down this fun side challenge doesn’t have to be a frustrating scavenger hunt now that you know exactly where is running mini game in link between worlds. Even if you don’t care about the stamina upgrade reward, the race is a fun little break from dungeon crawling and puzzle solving, and it’s a great way to earn extra rupees fast once you’ve mastered the track. I recommend checking it out as soon as you get the Pegasus Boots, since the stamina upgrade makes every subsequent part of your playthrough so much smoother. If you have any other hidden A Link Between Worlds features you want a guide for, drop a comment below and I’ll put together a walkthrough for it next.
