I thought this could interest some of you:

Skyrim's Main Quest can be done at least in 1:16:24 as stated on SDA Forum's http://forum.speeddemosarchive.com/post/skyrim_console__pc_thread.html.
It's a practice speedrun by "Caelin" and you can watch the whole run in 720p from http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL62DF13F2DFBC1834&feature=view_all.

Under 1 hour run possible? Hmm.. There is some discussing about using a horse to glitch your running speed..
I wonder if there is a way to skip even more of the main quest to reach Alduin..
I like the way he skips dialogue by pushing people around.

Who cares? Most people play the game for fun, not to set land/speed records.

As said above, who cares how fast someone else completes a game? Ive played the game for 400+ hours now and still not completed the MQ.

You can't determine "fun" for behalf of everyone.. can you?

It gives you the tools to do it yourself. How tedious it will be to complete the main quest for the 10th time in a row if one makes many new characters?
You can unlock some aspects of the game after completing specific main quest part.
If one does not want to actually cheat with console etc. this might be the solution to make the job easier and faster.

Edit:
And what's interesting: it actually beats thehttp://gamrfeed.vgchartz.com/story/88187/qa-beats-skyrim-in-just-over-two-hours/ times by an hour.

Thanks for posting - I've watched most of it so far. I learned a couple of new tricks that I doubt I'll ever use, but it's still good to know.

Ah, this is solid. I always hated having the stupid "Join the college" or whatever quest in my log. Did not know you could skip that. Also, jumping over the bridge in the ratways...awesome I disliked running all the way around. Good post my friend.

As hinted above, what gives you two the right to determine how the game should be played?

If Caelin enjoyed his/her speedrun, why should that be any less valid than my bimbling around doing whatever quest takes my fancy at the time?

Lexandro & thaimexico and other naysayers just dont understand what a speedrun is; and why creative and ingenious players do them.

I don't see any point to completing it that quick, other than getting some swanky blades armor. Not sure it's a good idea to get dragonbane that early though.

I have nothing against speedruns, but they're more impressive with other types of games, where there are more obstacles. Even Super Mario Bros, for example. This is an RPG, without too many puzzles or obstacles. You're supposed to kind of listen to dialogue, explore, and relish things.

edit: It's good to know how fast it can be beat though...

Haha, that's awesome!
Why are people so mad? I think it's great that someone got a speedrun out

Speed running a game that takes zero skill, that was crafted for your enjoyment, to relish in the lore and environment? Come on here.

What's wrong with Speedruns? It has been done for nearly any game now. If the guy wants to show us how it's done then why not?
It's not like he's holding a pistol to your head and forcing you to renounce the game.

I also find it funny how the first two posters immediately got awfully defensive about it.

Maybe the devs didn't use glitches for their speedrun?

Geez , I guess it's a good thing it's all SP. I couldn't imagine the spam and BS if I had to share this world with others. It's his game and i thought it was interesting , but just so you know , there isn't a way to defeat alduin without having dragonrend I tried with a fresh roll I deleted after using some more "interesting" console commands , that fight just goes on and on like the energizer bunny. Thanks for the post though =P

Rofl the true savior of everything is..... WOODEN BOWL - ALL HAIL WOODEN BOWL

I know some people feel like speedrunning as immersive game as Skyrim is the same thing when they finally notice, that the clouds and bushes are the same sprite in Super Mario Bros (NES).
Speedrunning the Main Quest might help some people to get through some parts of the game quicker when they don't really want to invest time in it
Furthermore, at least it's one thing to be competitive in a single player game like this. As player level, armor rating, alchemy, enchanting and smithing potions' +%'s are capped there isn't much to go brag around other than the amount of Septims you have collected and whether or not you have slayed a dragon with just one bash of your trusty old Hide Shield.
Hmm.. would that even be possible? To bash a dragon to death?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSJ-SAC8C-U

he only magned to do it that fast because he gliched alot

Morrowind's was able to be completed even quicker.

Echoing what the others have said, who cares?

but can he finish the mainquest on master difficulty with a 40 hp vampire that can only use spells from conjuration?

Who cares that other people don't care? to each his own.

well all I can say is your reply illustrates my point...you dont get what a speed run is.
to do what he did you have to have played the game deeply and know it very well.
It's just another challenge a creative player who knows the game well can attempt.
You dont roll your first character and do that. He has already " listened to dialogue, explore, and relished things".

Also what difference does it make if there are other games more difficult to speedrun?

Personally I enjoy what people get up to with these games; especially challenges like speedruns.

There are so many mean spirited and negative whiners on this forum.

Ah speed runs, they used to be famous in Morrowind as well. It took me 32 hours to work out that there was a main quest.

Lol its funny when people make post like this. What do they think people are going to say. "Oh your so cool" People play elderscrolls games to have fun exploring the game world.

I know precisely what a speedrun or speedclear is, considering Ive done them in numerous games myself most notably MMO or FPS games. However in a single player RPG game where the player is supposed to be engaged in the dialogue and plot, speedruns imo are pointless and are counter to the point of the game in the first place (ie role playing solo).

If there was a point to doing a speedrun such as "end game content", then I would probably do one myself at some point. But Skyrim (and previous tes games) have always been free-roaming, so there is no real "end game" as its all designed to be played at almost any time.