Nobody likes looking foolish.
Experienced racer Robyn Benincasa remembers her first Raid Gauloises in Patagonia as a lesson in embarrassment. Other teams actually pointed and laughed at her. She and her teammates stuck out like dolphins in a monkey cage, wearing massive hiking boots where the Kiwis had running shoes, carrying bulky tents while the French had nothing. You get the picture. To spare you humiliation on race day, Benincasa and Mitch Utterback, a former Green Beret and a San Diego-based adventure racing instructor, have devised a glossary of terms and some basic pointers for neophyte adventurers.