more variety is great, i also agree that its more interesting if we cant just sprint from beginning to end. however, what can i do when npcs also run with perma-sprint speed the whole race? maybe im too stupid but trying to prevent the lathered state makes me slow down so much that i might as well go afk XD. perma-sprint + hoping for good items simply worked much better for me :P but ill try it again, maybe it works better now.