The Olympics-inspired version of marble racing ended after 16 events were played out over the past two months. The Savage Speeders earned a gold medal in three events, and medaled seven times overall to win the 2020 Marble League. The O’rangers won three events and finished in second place. The Minty Maniacs won the most events with four gold medals, but settled on third place because they didn’t have enough points on the leaderboard to catch the Savage Speeders.
Without professional sports to watch and wager on, marble racing videos went viral. Marble racing became an overnight sensation in the gambling world during the earliest days of the pandemic and lockdown.
After the IOC postponed the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics until next summer, Jelle’s Marble Runs stepped up to fill the void with their version of the marble Olympics. HBO’s “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” sponsored the Marble League and donated winnings to the charity of choice of the champion.
MARBLE LEAGUE 2020 EVENT RESULTS
E1 Balancing: Minty Maniacs
E2 Halfpipe: O’rangers
E3 Funnel Endurance: Minty Maniacs (2)
E4 Newton’s Cradle: O’rangers (2)
E5 Long Jump: Crazy Cat Eye’s
E6 5-Meter Hurdles: Raspberry Racers
E7 Block Pushing: Midnight Wisps
E8 Triathlon: Hazers
E9 Sand Mogul Race: Oceanics
E10 5-Meter Sprint: Minty Maniacs (3)
E11 Black Hole Funnel: Savage Speeders
E12 Relay Run: Savage Speeders (2)
E13 High Jump: O’rangers (3)
E14 Aquathlon: Midnight Wisps (2)
E15 Collision: Savage Speeders (3)
E16 Marathon: Minty Maniacs (4)
Only four teams won multiple events. The Minty Maniacs won four events, but were edged out by the Savage Speeders (3 gold, 1 silver, and 3 bronze).
Minty Maniacs and O’rangers Early Lead
The Marble League began with the Minty Maniacs winning gold in two of the first three events. The Minty Maniacs shipped gold in E1 Balancing and E3 Funnel Endurance.
The Minty Maniacs struck gold once again in E10 5-Meter Sprint. Through the first 10 events, the Minty Maniacs won three times.
The O’rangers jumped out to a hot start winning two gold medals in the first four events. The O’rangers were victorious in E2 Halfpipe and E4 Newton’s Cradle.
The Midnight Wisps joined the multi-medal club with gold victories in E7 Block Pushing and E14 Aquathlon. The Aquathlon included three different terrains including sand, normal track, and water. Marbles finished the home stretch of the Aquathlon underwater.
Savage Speeders Late Surge
The Savage Speeders won three gold medals within a five-event span. That late surge thrust the Savage Speeders to the top of the overall leaderboard. They launched their late run by securing victories in back-to-back events. The Savage Speeders emerged as the victor in the grunge-inspired E11 Black Hole Funnel. They followed it up with a victory in the E12 Relay Run.
Their hot run continued with their third gold medal after winning E15 Collision. If you’re a fan of high-speed impacts, then E15 Collision is up your alley. Two teams, consisting of five marbles each, battled heads-up with a head-on collision.
E16 Marathon: Minty and Yellow Clash
Fitting that Jelle’s Runs picked the marathon to cap off the finale for the Marble Olympics. The Oceanics and Savage Speeders finished as the top two in the five-lap qualifying round. The marbles raced for 33 laps on the course in E16 Marathon.
After the first 10 laps, Midnight Wisps held a slight edge over Mellow Yellow in second place. Minty Maniacs were right behind in third place. Two of the top three on the leaderboard were at the back of the pack.
Minty Maniacs took the lead on Lap 16, just before the halfway mark. Mellow Yellow regained the lead on Lap 19. Minty Maniacs jumped back ahead on Lap 20.
By Lap 30, Minty Maniacs continued their lead with Mellow Yellow and Crazy Cat’s Eyes battling for the second spot. The Savage Speeders were in 10th place.
The Minty Maniacs breezed to a victory. Mellow Yellow finished second and secured a silver medal. Crazy Cat Eyes took third and won the bronze.
Savage Speeders Clinch Marble League
Heading into the 16th and final event, the Savage Speeders (195) held a close 5-point lead over the O’rangers (190) in the overall standings. The Midnight Wisps were third with 179, followed by the Minty Maniacs with 169 points.
The Minty Maniacs didn’t have a shot at winning Marble League heading into the final event. They won a fourth medal with a victory in E16 Marathon, but fell short of the mark with a third-place finish overall, and 194 points on the leaderboard.
The O’rangers finished in 11th place in E 16 Marathon, or two spots behind the Savage Speeders. The O’rangers were the overall runner up of the Marble League with 195 points.
2020 MARBLE LEAGUE FINAL STANDINGS
Savage Speeders 202
O’rangers 195
Minty Maniacs 194
Midnight Wisps 187
Crazy Cat’s Eyes 160
Hazers 147
Team Galactic 147
Team Momo 135
Raspberry Racers 133
Oceanics 133
Bumblebees 106
Green Ducks 101
Thunderbirds 99
Mellow Yellow 94
Balls of Chaos 92
Hornets 86
The Savage Speeders won the 2020 Marble League along with a $20,000 donation to the International Rescue Committee.