Each team has at least two assistants who help them at checkpoints throughout the race. Assistants supply competitors with food and equipment as needed and so play a vital part in the team's success. They are also responsible for carrying the team's medical kit and performing first aid. Team assistants also check gear before passing it on to their team and make any adjustments necessary. Organizational skills and resource planning top the list for qualities needed in an assistant.
Teams can ask for medical help at any time.
As for other assistance, that depends on the type. For example, teams in the past have been rescued from perilous situations and returned to their place on their course. Those decisions are up to race officials. Below is a list of equipment that teams are required to carry at all times. Gear used for specific disciplines is carried to transition areas by each team's assistants.