Utah Runner Asserts His Trail Dominance by Outrunning ‘The Horse.’ He Took the Horse’s Mountain: ‘This Is Real Life paper.io’

When competitive athletics come to mind, most would assume the Olympics. But some competitions don’t need gold medals, as is the case with Ben Petersen (@iambenpetersen), a man from Utah, and ‘The Horse.’ They’re locked in a bitter battle to conquer each other’s territory, almost as if they were in paper.io.

“Today I’m running a marathon to spite another runner in my area,” Petersen explained while running. He didn’t appear to be out of breath. “It’s a completely one-sided beef,” he added.

Apparently, the competition began because of a running app. Although Petersen didn’t mention the name, the interface resembled INVTL—a running app where people run loops to “claim” territory. Once another person runs the same route and completes it, they are able to “steal” that territory and make it theirs.

The app would definitely be a wonder for any overcompetitive high achiever who’s looking to get fit.

“There’s a runner in my area named ‘The Horse,’ and he took a portion of my territory on Tuesday,” Petersen said while running the trail. It’s evident that The Horse committed a crime against Petersen, and thus, he must restore his honor by reclaiming his land and conquering The Horse’s territory!

Spite is the best fuel

“So today, I’m getting my lick back. I’m taking this entire mountain, which he’s owned for a few months. It’s a 27-mile loop,” Petersen said. He claimed that this is the longest he’s ever run, but none of that mattered to him. He had one goal in mind: to claim The Horse’s mountain out of spite.

Petersen is clearly fuelled by petty energy. The Horse is shameless as ever. During the run, Petersen was notified that The Horse had taken an even bigger chunk of his territory. He let it slide. “I’m 21 miles in to the run around his mountain, and it’s soon to be my mountain,” Petersen said.

Petersen is willing to lose a battle to win a war. He later realized that the competition isn’t so one-sided after all, since The Horse is intentionally taking his territory as well. By the end of the run, Petersen conquered The Horse’s mountain—all in one day.

Is this real-life Paper.io?

TikTok users were surprised by Petersen’s victory. But as can be seen, anything is possible with a bit of spite. One TikTok commenter suggested, “Name yourself ‘the stallion.'” If Petersen takes that recommendation seriously, it would be the cherry on top of his glory.

A user chimed in, mentioning an unsettling idea: “Ever considered it might just actually be a horse?” If Petersen actually ran against a regular horse, it would become an even more impressive victory.

Horses aside, one social media user was reminded of another game because of the debacle. They wrote, “this is real life paper.io.” Just like in the running app, people draw loops to conquer their plots of territory. But compared to the game, paper.io won’t run people ragged.

Another wrote in awe, “I just can’t comprehend how someone can have a casual convo while running, especially 12 miles in. I’m 39 seconds into my run and I can barely breathe.” Most people in their twenties would feel just as exhausted.

After all, Petersen’s mountain conquest was not for an average person to accomplish within a day. Marathoners could run these distances in a day, but not a person who isn’t conditioned for it. Outside of the petty competition, Petersen’s feat is definitely something to laud.

(featured image: iambenpetersen)

Have a tip we should know? [email protected]