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 Racing - Definition 

Offshore inflatable racing (Thundercat class) at Ilfracombe, north Devon, England.These boats can reach 60mph
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Offshore inflatable racing (Thundercat class) at Ilfracombe, north Devon, England.These boats can reach 60mph

A race is a competition of speed. The competitors in a race try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. Typically this involves traversing some distance, but it can be just about any other task.

A race to cover a certain distance may be almost any length, and using any means stipulated by the rules of the race. Running a certain distance is the basic form of racing, but races are often conducted in vehicles, such as boats and cars; and on or with animals, such as horses.

Early records of races are evident on pottery from ancient Greece, which depicted running men vying for first place. A chariot race is described in Homer's Iliad.

Contents

List of types

Here is a some common and not so common forms of racing.

Unassisted human racing

Using only the human body's own muscles:

Bicycle racing, or cycling

Cycling with bicycles:

Skiing

Skiing with skis, on snow:

Animal racing

Animals alone, or with human riders on the animal's back or in a conveyance:

Motorized racing

Machines powered by motors, on land:

Boat racing

Boats on water:

Other types

In virtual reality, or in a videogame:

Etymology

The word race comes from a Viking word. This Viking word arrived in France during the invading of Normandy and gave the word raz which means "swift water" in Brittany; it can be found in "Pointe du Raz" (the most western point of France, in Brittany), and "raz-de-marée" (tsunami).

A race and its name are often associated with the place of origin, the means of transport and the distance of the race. As a couple of examples, see the Paris-Dakar rally or the Athens marathon.

See also

fr:course


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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Racing".