Zelda player awarded with $10,000 gold trophy for completing KFC-sponsored speedrun

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By Cat Bussell
published

Far from a poultry sum

Zelda holding the Master sword
(Image credit: Nintendo)

Fast food restaurant chain KFC has awarded a speedrunner a gold trophy valued at over $10,000. 

Inspired by the secret “11 herbs and spices” that constitute the recipe for KFC's original flavor chicken, the competition required players to complete a bizarre challenge within The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Rather than asking gamers to do battle with any of the game's bosses or to collect one of the title's best weapons, the challenge was instead based on gathering a KFC-inspired list of items (via VGC). 

Concocted by KFC's Spanish marketing arm in collaboration with a speedrunning community known as Speedrun Espanol, The Recipe Run required players to arrive at the Bedrock Bistro with an empty inventory. They then had to speak to a Goron called Gomo, affectionately nicknamed "The Goronel" by KFC due to his striking resemblance to the company's own mascot: the Colonel. 

After talking to Gomo, players then had to gather one raw bird drumstick and 11 different herbs and spices as quickly as possible. Once they'd done this, they then had to cook a fried chicken drumstick to complete the run.

The contest was won by Keuss, a French player who finished the run in just over an hour. You can see the run below if you're curious. 

For his troubles, Keuss was awarded with the promised gold chicken leg trophy with that five-figure value, earning himself one heck of a conversation piece. 

Even when played more conventionally, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is known for demanding high levels of creativity from gamers with its emphasis on construction puzzles and lateral thinking. 

That said, creative speedrunning is nothing new, with players regularly finding new and interesting ways to enjoy their favorite games. For instance, Larian Studios' critically acclaimed RPG, Baldur's Gate 3 has spawned a speedrunning subculture based around romancing one of the game's companions as quickly as possible. 

Looking for more great Nintendo games? Check out our lists of the best Nintendo Switch games and the best Pokémon games.

Cat Bussell
Cat Bussell
Staff Writer

Cat Bussell is a Staff Writer at TechRadar Gaming. Hailing from the crooked spires of London, Cat is an experienced writer and journalist. As seen on Wargamer.com, TheGamer.com, and Superjumpmagazine.com, Cat is here to bring you coverage from all corners of the video game world. An inveterate RPG maven and strategy game enjoyer, Cat is known for her love of rich narratives; both story-driven and emergent. 


Before migrating to the green pastures of games journalism, Cat worked as a political advisor and academic. She has three degrees and has studied and worked at Cambridge University, University College London, and Queen Mary University of London. She's also been an art gallery curator, an ice cream maker, and a cocktail mixologist. This crash course in NPC lifestyles uniquely qualifies her to pick apart only the juiciest video games for your reading pleasure. 


Cat cut her teeth on MMOs in the heyday of World of Warcraft before giving in to her love of JRPGs and becoming embedded in Final Fantasy XIV. When she's not doing that, you might find her running a tabletop RPG or two, perhaps even voluntarily.