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Adventure
Racing Lingo.
Below is a compiled list of terms
that are used in Adventure Racing.
It
is important to be familiar with terms marked in red as Race Directors will use
them in the rules and course descriptions.
The terms
in black were created and/or are used by Adventure Racers regularly...no kidding!
Bikewack - The action of moving off trail, through brush and around other obstacles with a bike in tow. Mainly used by mean race directors who seem to find pleasure in torturing racers.
Bonk - A physical or mental breakdown which makes one unable to
continue at speed, or sometimes at all. Most often brought on by dehydration,
lack of food energy, low electrolytes, sleep deprivation or some combination of
the above. Also - the sound made when your head it hits the ground.
Bushwhacking - Traveling off path, generally through rough
terrain, broken ground or thick vegetation. As in, "Wow these bushes
are thick." (Whack. Whack.)
Check Point - (Also CP) Numbered and ordered waypoints along the
race course where the full team must check in with race officials and present
their race passport. Numbers range from 2 or 3 in sprint races to 30 or more in
expedition length races. (Also know as Passport Control (PC) or Passport Control
Point Point (PCP) in that funny French language.)
Cut Off - A time, set by the race organization, by which teams
must reach a pre-determined point to continue in the race. Failure to make a cut off may
cause a team to be pulled off the course or transferred to a shorter alternative
course. Also: What your significant other will do to you when they realize how much
they don't see you because you're out training for adventure racing.
Dark Zone - Any section of the race course the race director has
determined is unsafe to travel at night, and thus prohibited travel between
certain hours. A team held up by a dark zone must not travel in the Dark Zone
until the dark zone is lifted. Violation of Dark Zones is grounds for
disqualification or penalty.
Diet - This is a new term that is now being used by
some races. Current definition is an adventure race simulation where you lose
the excess fat...no fees, no rules, no t -shirts, no support.
DQ - Disqualification.
Endo - The act of momentary flight as you sail over your (bike) handle
bars and collide with a stationary object, such as the ground.
Gear Drop - (Also GD) An unsupported Transition Area, which
means race officials will drop your crate, or bag, of equipment and supplies in a
predetermined place, but with no support crew. Less costly for the race
organization than a fully supported TA. Promoted by some race directors in the
name of a harder race. Duh.
Mandatory Gear - That great list of gear that
the race promoters say you have to have during the race, or you get penalized or
worse, thrown out. Just remember when you are lugging that 50 lbs of "mandatory
gear" that everyone else has to carry it too.
Monkey Butt - That beautiful bright pink effect one gets being
on a bike saddle or kayak seat for several hundred miles, or what just feels like several hundred miles.
Navigator - That unfortunate soul that volunteers,
or gets saddled with, the navigation during a race. This person is both a hero
and a villain, changing roles hourly...sometimes by the minute. Just remember when you are thinking of
"knocking them off", make sure you get the compass first.
Party Dipper - Derogatory term for a racer who paddles with the
same energy that one dips a potato chip. Usually followed up with a beating by
another person in the boat.
Passport - An item created by the race
organization which each team must carry throughout the race to collect their CPs on. The passport must be
signed or punched at each CP. Loss of the passport results in a team
disqualification (DQ) as in, "Passport? I don't have the
passport....... Don't you have the passport? WHO HAS THE
PASSPORT?!!"
Portage
- The act of carrying your method of transport. Most often used to describe the
carrying of kayaks or canoes, but in AR often used to describe the carrying of
bikes over rough and steep terrain. See also Bikewack.
Pre-nup - What you are going to need if you decide
to race with your significant other.
Puppy Pile - Most often in cold weather, the way a team gathers in a
cluster of bodies to conserve body heat. More common on teams with
attractive girls. (Also known as Spooning.)
Push Bush - The tell tale signs found
in brush, grass, trees, and other vegetation, when teams of
adventure racers have passed through a given area. Not helpful to the front
running teams, but can be helpful to the slower teams. That is unless everyone
is lost...breadcrumbs anyone?
Rogaine or ROGAINE - Is currently referred to in either form. Is actually an acronym standing for Rugged Outdoor Group Activity Involving Navigation and Endurance. Rogaine...now for more than just balding men.
Routing Point - (RP)
Points places within a race course used to direct you through a certain area.
Routing Points do not usually have any kind of tag or punch. They are merely used to keep
you in a certain area, route you around areas or make a race loop longer.
Sleep Dep. - The tendency of Adventure Racers to run until their
brains stop functioning from a lack of down time. Short for sleep deprivation.
Sleepmonsters - Those little monsters who appear somewhere around the 48 hour mark and start chanting in your ear "just 5 minutes of sleep...yeah just 5 minutes" or "lull a by baby, on the tree top...". Also known for causing delusions and hallucinations.
Support Crew - (Also Assistance or Ground Crew) Non-racing
members from each team who are responsible for managing their team's Transition
Areas,
transporting team equipment between TA's, and handling the racers as they pass
through TA's. Generally not used in sprint length races or in many expedition
races with Gear Drops. Those members that feed and clothe you during the race. Kind of like mom.
Team Captain- The one individual responsible for
all of the initial information, receiving the checkpoints, and getting various
important information about the race. Also known as the one guy (or girl) that
gets blamed for any and all mistakes...Lets hear it for those Team Captains.
Transition Area - (Also TA) Defined areas, generally within
check points (CP),
where teams may receive aid from their support crews. In real terms this means a
chance to change clothes, eat substantial food, receive body repairs, and change
equipment.
Unranked Team - A team that is allowed to continue without all
members, or having missed a portion of the course for any reason. In many cases
they may finish the race, but will not be listed in the "official"
rankings. Why, you ask? Because real
Adventure Racers finish!
Yard Sale - Scattering of equipment over a race course,
usually under
the influence of stress and sleep deprivation or fatigue, by otherwise responsible racers.
Got any more terms? Let us know. Click
here to Email us.
*Text above compiled from various
sources, but mostly made up from crazy people.
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