For The Racers: Amazing Advice & Best Practices

[Kromm]

What are the key things every racer should keep in mind when running the race? 

 

 

 

For example:  Read the clue.  Then read the clue again.  Then mid-way through the task maybe read it yet again.  If two people are involved in a task, perhaps make sure they both read the clue separately then make sure they agree on what it means.  

[BigWhiteBird]

Pre-race - learn how to drive a manual transmission even if you suck at it.   Learn how to cope with a fear of the water. 

 

During the race, definitely read the clue and if whatever you are doing isn't working re-read it.  

Sleep when you can.  

Eat when you can.  

Always keep your clue and passport safe.  

Always ask where the nearest internet access is.  

Always double check the directions that a stranger gives you - get them to read the clue to see if they see if you are asking them the right thing.

[jhlipton]

Always keep your clue and passport safe.

If you're given any special items, especially paper, keep those safe too.

For a memorization task, develop a mnemonic, like a poem. The time spent coming up with one will pay off at the end.

[Brooklynista]

Up your cardio. I've seen a number of racers who seem to lose it when any amount of endurance is involved.

I would try to avoid tasks that required visiting two locations. My navigational skills aren't what they should be and I'd be lucky If I found the first part of the task without incident.

[auntlada]

One thing I learned in season 4: If you have a choice between "Strong Stomach" and anything else, pick the something else.

[Kromm]

One tip we KNOW most of the serious racers actually follow (because of them saying so often in the talking heads) is "take detailed notes along the way". They all know one of the finale tasks is a memory exercise about some location specific trivia (either about the nations they visited--like a flag or something of that nature, something present at the welcome mat, or some combination of both--and it's usually ORDER-specific too).

Edited October 19, 2014 by Kromm

[Chyna]

A corollary to "Read The Clue" would be "If you've done the task unsuccessfully a couple of times, READ THE CLUE AGAIN BECAUSE YOU'RE PROBABLY MISSING SOMETHING, DUMMY."

[Camera One]

This is a really hard one, but maybe find a strategy to calm down, filter out the external distractions and regroup in a really stressful situation.

[hincandenza]

This is a really hard one, but maybe find a strategy to calm down, filter out the external distractions and regroup in a really stressful situation.

 

I think one of my all-time favorite moments in any season of TAR was when the Beauty Queens were nearing the end of one of the final legs (possibly the one they were eliminated in) and they were arguing in the car about some navigational mistake, the one driving used de-escalating language like "The things you are saying are hurtful to me" instead of calling the other person hurtful- separating the actions from the person's nature.  It was so rare to see anywhere- and such a great example of how well they worked together- I still recall it, because usually we get the screaming meltdowns, "you're useless, you're awful".

 

I really wish they'd won either of their seasons, they were one of my favorite teams of all time.

 

A corollary to "Read The Clue" would be "If you've done the task unsuccessfully a couple of times, READ THE CLUE AGAIN BECAUSE YOU'RE PROBABLY MISSING SOMETHING, DUMMY."

 

Preach it! :)

[Kromm]

A corollary to "Read The Clue" would be "If you've done the task unsuccessfully a couple of times, READ THE CLUE AGAIN BECAUSE YOU'RE PROBABLY MISSING SOMETHING, DUMMY."

Also, the key to a task is often something like the "notice the tray has to be held with one hand while your partner pours tea" (on the recent S25.E05: Morocc' And Roll episode). I don't know if that fact was actually in the language of the clue on that, but if not that introduces the idea that the same kind of "notice things!" philosophy goes even beyond the clue.  Often on this show you are told to replicate a situation.  So the best practice this suggests is practicing that before the show.  You can't practice any specific situation, but maybe make a party game of it. Have friends or relatives barrage you with situations you have to replicate down to the last degree and train yourselves to Sherlock Holmes any situation.

[possibilities]

I love how those observational things trip up the alpha teams. Replication is such a beta task. Therefore, I think another thing to figure out before racing is this: what are your strengths and weaknesses and how do your strengths potentially become weaknesses on the race? Then set your mind to compensating for those issues and dividing the teammates' roles based on this information. If you are an alpha used to giving orders, learn to follow directions and to observe better and to heed your partner's concerns. If you are a beta type, learn how this can work to your team's advantage and make your partner understand that listening to you at those times can be beneficial to the team.

Since many teams implode over bickering, come up with a "safe word" for your team to use whenever one or both of you is about to lose it or one or both of you notices the team has gone off the rails. Decide that when either of you gets to that point, you will table the conflict and do something previously agreed on to defuse the tension. Joke? Say "I love you?" Flip a coin to make a decision instead of continuing to argue? Just pick something so you can move on and stop wasting time making things worse.

Edited October 26, 2014 by possibilities

[KnitsWithRaceCars]

Learn how to focus in environments filled with distractions.  "Mind over matter."

 

The Karma/"What goes around, comes around."/"You reap what you sow." factor increases exponentially on TAR.  Therefore, "Pay it forward." and "Do Unto Others..." are the best practices in interpersonal situations.

 

Overconfidence, bragging, etc. is a HUGE weakness.  "Pride comes before a fall..."  See:  Karma, etc.

 

YOU are the "stupid foreigners," not the people in the countries you visit!

 

"Slow and steady wins the race."  Set out to be the "tortoise" and you'll likely end up as the "hare."

[Kromm]

A few more.  A TON seems to depend on how fast they leave the airport (although mistakes can be made grabbing the wrong cab, or driving OUT of the airport on the wrong road).  

 

So train moving fast through crowds.  Maybe with backpacks on (since the TAR people don't tend to have rolly bags).  Not sure where you could do this in real life, since airports are restricted.  Maybe in shopping malls?

 

Also... learn to read a Map.  This is an old fashioned skill many have lost due to GPSes and Google Maps turn by turn directions.  Regain it. Or suffer (but then make sure you buy maps on the race!)

[auntlada]

So train moving fast through crowds.  Maybe with backpacks on (since the TAR people don't tend to have rolly bags).  Not sure where you could do this in real life, since airports are restricted.  Maybe in shopping malls?

 

A university campus on a football game day or just between classes or at homecoming. The university here does a thing called Walkaround where all the Greek  houses decorate and thousands of people walk around the area (thus the name) and look at them. It's packed. Some place like that would be excellent practice because it's so crowded you can hardly move.

 

Also, Walmart (or Target or K-mart or any place similar) on the first Saturday of the month because people just got paid. But don't go too early. You could also try any store or mall the day after Thanksgiving or on the tax-free weekend before school starts, if your state has one.

Edited October 27, 2014 by auntlada

[Jac]

Know what your weaknesses are and maybe recognize when it may be advantageous to take a penalty rather than face a task you absolutely can not do. I'm thinking of Mika and Caanan in s15. She wouldn't go in the water without floaties, I think she knew straight away that she wouldn't be able to do the task and maybe if they took the penalty immideately rather than have Flightime and Big Easy catch up and overtake them they could have stayed in the race. I don't think it should be a strategy but knowing your limits going in would help some teams hugely.

Edited November 27, 2014 by JacquelineLHope

[Netfoot]

I really wish they'd won either of their seasons, they were one of my favorite teams of all time.

 

Amen!

[TudorQueen]

While yes, being considerate, reasonably friendly, and non-confrontational with other Racers is desirable (on a human level as well as a Race strategy), Run Your Own Race. Time spent worrying about what other teams are doing, or fretting about them or, in most cases, waiting for them, is time taken away from completing tasks and moving forward. It also dispels psychic energy. Helping other teams is another matter - used sparingly and timed properly, it can be helpful.

 

Remember this: Only one team will win the million dollars. So, while you should race well, and focus on your tasks for the most part, do yourself a huge favor and remember to enjoy your time on the Race. You may never zipline through the Amazon or scale a legendary peak again. You may be offered the chance to participate in a local tradition or access local wonders that most people never get to see. Cherish that. You'll have those memories, those moments where you were truly proud of yourself and your partner, and so much more. And maybe a million dollars. But maybe not, so go for what's priceless, too.

[Jac]

If you are doing a task that involves stacking/making/doing something before moving on to a second location, check that you have completed the first part of the task correctly before moving on. I takes relatively little time to check and saves a lot of pain and time if it turns out you have done something incorrectly. 

[Lantern7]

A thought after seeing Bethany struggle on the final task: If you go to a final leg, assume that the first Roadblock you hit is the penultimate one, and that the other partner would have to do a final Roadblock. If the Surfers knew this, Bethany might have done the stunt, allowing Adam to tackle the final Roadblock. Or maybe he would have flamed out as well. We'll never know.

[Molly by golly]

This is a great thread. Every potential or confirmed future racer should read it.

[bafleyanne]

I've never understood why anyone would race without certain basic skills like driving a manual transmission, riding a bike, and for gods sake reading a map. The number of people who race without a team member who possesses basic navigational skills is astounding to me.

[Kris223]

Since many teams implode over bickering, come up with a "safe word" for your team to use whenever one or both of you is about to lose it or one or both of you notices the team has gone off the rails. Decide that when either of you gets to that point, you will table the conflict and do something previously agreed on to defuse the tension. Joke? Say "I love you?" Flip a coin to make a decision instead of continuing to argue? Just pick something so you can move on and stop wasting time making things worse.

Sollocks! Sorry, theatre geek chiming in.

 

But seriously, that's a good idea. And sometimes it pays to step back and take a breath. It was sometime during TAR2 where Mary (of Mary & Peach) just stood facing the wall for a minute - I think it was at the airport?

[Maverick]

 Budgeting used to be a necessary skill, money no longer appears to be an issue.  They don't even show/tell us how much they're getting per leg anymore and it's been forever since I remember a team having an issue because they ran out of cash.  Did the producers determine the limited money didn't generate enough drama, or was it creating problems they couldn't work around (what do you do it a team can't pay a taxi and couldn't continue on the Race per the rules) or something else?

[Kromm]

A corollary of "read the damn clue" has to be what we saw happen to the Scientists--"remove any stupid outfit (or protective gear) they made you wear before you leave a location".  It's always in the clue, I think, but if it weren't then conversely you might gain some time.  So... READ THE DAMN CLUE!

[Kromm]

You know, I wonder if we can come up with Cabbie Selection Best Practices too.

 

For example, it might seem rude and ethnocentric, but maybe for example if you have a choice of cabbies (if you aren't left with no choice), make sure you take the one most fluent in English.  And maybe when you ask if a Cabbie knows where something is... ask a second time and besides saying "are you sure" also reword the question slightly (to something like "and do you know the most direct route there with the least traffic?").  Also, maybe right off the bat ask if he has enough gas for the trip and establish that he won't have to stop for more during your trip.

 

But beyond that, also make sure you bond with the Cabbie right away--make sure he is communicative with you rather than silent.  A Cabbie who won't turn his radio off, for example, might seem to be a bad idea to stick with.

 

Of course none of this applies if you're pushed into a situation where there are no cabs and you're lucky just to find ONE.  Maybe there might be other tips about how to figure out where (in a general sense) you're most likely to find cabs in most cities.

[ShadowSixx]

Before the race:

*Choose your partner wisely, if you're the brains who's good at puzzles, then choose someone who has strength and power and vice versa, huge bonus if strong person has strong mechanical skills in putting things together. When I say wisely I mean just because we're family doesn't mean you're a good racing partner.

*Also when choosing a partner make sure one of you knows how to drive stick shift

*Practice running, like around a track or around the neighborhood where you live

*Practice swimming if not that great at it before going on the show

*Possibly learn a little Spanish, Italian, Hindi, Japanese, & Russian. Might be hard or write down, "How do you get to (clue marker/airport/destination mainly)" in all those languages.

 

During the race:

*Read the clue in full and read it twice if you have to

*Best to race on your own

*Eat when you can

*Don't piss off too many teams in the early goings as that could get you U Turned or Yield

[Chyna]

if you have a choice of cabbies (if you aren't left with no choice), make sure you take the one most fluent in English.

 

Rob of Rob 'n' Amber realized that cabbies will always say "yes" when asked if they can speak English, so his second question would be "what color is the sky?" If they could answer correctly, then they likely had enough English that they could communicate. I thought that was brilliant.

[Rick Kitchen]

Learn to swim.  Learn how to climb a rope and/or rappel.

[Kromm]

Before the race:

*Choose your partner wisely, if you're the brains who's good at puzzles, then choose someone who has strength and power and vice versa, huge bonus if strong person has strong mechanical skills in putting things together. When I say wisely I mean just because we're family doesn't mean you're a good racing partner.

*Also when choosing a partner make sure one of you knows how to drive stick shift

Ah, the problem comes when the show starts dicking around with "partner you didn't pick" notions.  We're 80% of the way to that with the "partner they're dating yet somehow have never met" weird thing coming up (are we supposed to be concluding they've cyber-dated or just been fixed up by mutual friends but hadn't pulled the trigger on meeting yet?)

[Bryce Lynch]

A corollary of "read the damn clue" has to be what we saw happen to the Scientists--"remove any stupid outfit (or protective gear) they made you wear before you leave a location". It's always in the clue, I think, but if it weren't then conversely you might gain some time. So... READ THE DAMN CLUE!

When it comes to gear and silly costumes, I would stick to "Read the damn clue!". The racers are often required to wear their silly outfits to the pit stop, so removing them without reading the clue could be just as bad as not removing them.