Super Mario Odyssey players enter NIPPLE RUN race to see iconic character shirtless in world-record time

SUPER Mario Odyssey players are racing to get the iconic plumber to take off his shirt in a new gaming craze.

Fans of the new game are competing in an unofficial time trial that’s been dubbed “The Nipple Run” by those taking part.

The Nipple Run is the latest example of “speed-running”, a long-standing gamer pastime.

This involves die-hard players trying to complete videos games – or get to specific milestones – in record times.

The latest battleground is smash hit Super Mario Odyssey, recently released on the popular Nintendo Switch console.

Dedicated gamers are hoping to be the fastest to buy Mario’s boxers-only outfit, which removes his shirt and shoes.

To do this, Super Mario Odyssey players need to get to the game’s third zone, the Sand Kingdom.

Once you’re there, you can buy the shorts and see Mario’s bare chest in all its pink pixel glory.

The earliest Nipple Run footage found by The Sun appears to have taken 24 minutes and 21 seconds, submitted by gamer DaddyWalrus on November 25.

That record has been beaten plenty of times since, most recently by Stravos96, who managed a nippy time of just nine minutes and 57 seconds.

The speedy Mario player appears to be the world record holder for the challenge, submitting his latest footage on January 3, 2018.

Stravos96, whose real name is David, told The Sun that it took an incredible 407 tries to get the top speed.

The 21-year-old revealed he won’t be attempting the speed run again for a while though, as he focuses on other challenges.

Super Mario Odyssey went on sale on October 27, and has quickly become one of the most popular Nintendo Switch games

Within three days of release, Nintendo had flogged more than two million copies worldwide.

The game has also been highly rated by reviewers, and holds a high 97/100 score on Metacritic.