Racing terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Aid station | A staffed point on the course offering food, water, first aid, and sometimes sleep facilities |
| Bib | Your race number, worn on the front; shared with your crew and pacers on Bield so they can spot you on course |
| Checkpoint (CP) | A defined point along the route, often with mandatory cutoffs, supplies, and access for crew and pacers. Not all checkpoints have aid stations. |
| Cutoff | The time by which you must leave a checkpoint (or reach the finish line) to remain in the race. Miss a cutoff and you're pulled from the course. |
| DNF | Did Not Finish — started the race but withdrew before the finish |
| DNS | Did Not Start — entered the race but did not start |
| DQ | Disqualified — completed the course but removed from results for a rules breach (e.g. missing mandatory kit, course cutting) |
| Drop bag | A bag you pack before the race, transported by the organiser to a specific checkpoint for you to access mid-race |
| Elevation gain | The total metres climbed during the race. Often abbreviated as “D+” (from the French dénivelé positif) in international races. |
| Fell | Open moorland or high upland — typically pathless, rough terrain. A terrain category in Bield race filters. |
| ITRA index | International Trail Running Association performance index (0–1000). A measure of ultra-running achievement used by many international races for entry qualification. Self-declared on Bield profiles. |
| Kit check | An inspection point (often at registration or mid-race) where marshals verify you're carrying the mandatory kit list |
| Leg | A section of the course between two points — typically where a pacer joins or departs |
| Mandatory kit | Items every runner must carry throughout the race, as specified by the organiser. Typically includes navigation (map/compass), emergency shelter, first aid, communication and weather protection. |
| Mountain | Terrain above the treeline, often involving summits, ridgelines and technical navigation. A terrain category in Bield. |
| Recce | A reconnaissance run — running part of the course before race day to learn the terrain, navigation and key sections |
| Road | Tarmac or hard-surface running. A terrain category in Bield. |
| Split | Your recorded time at a checkpoint — used to track pace and compare to target splits from the pace calculator |
| Tail walker / tail runner | A volunteer who sweeps the course behind the last participant, ensuring no one is left on the course |
| Trail | Off-road paths and tracks. A terrain category in Bield. |
| Ultra / ultramarathon | Any footrace longer than the standard marathon distance (42.195 km). On Bield, typically 50 km and above. |
| Waitlist | A queue for a race that has reached capacity. Entrants on the waitlist are moved in order as places free up. |
Bield platform terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Coach link | A bidirectional connection between a coach and an athlete on Bield. Created when one party invites and the other accepts. The athlete controls what data the coach can see via consent scopes. |
| Consent scope | The three categories of data an athlete can share with a coach: race entries, results, and fuelling plans. Each scope is toggled independently per coach link. |
| Coverage areas | Geographic zones a pacer, crewer or marshal sets to indicate where they're willing to travel. Used in race filters and organiser searches. |
| Engagement | Your Bield workspace for one race in one role. A runner who is also pacing a different race has two separate engagements: one Running, one Pacing. |
| GPX | GPS Exchange Format — a standard file format for GPS tracks. Used on Bield for uploading race routes (organisers) and feeding the pace calculator. |
| Helper | A friend or family member who joins a specific runner's race team by invitation — not a pacer, crewer or marshal. |
| Race organiser | A Bield user granted event-management access after a short vetting. Can create and publish races, manage volunteers and results, and send certificates. |
| Regular run | A recurring club event with a schedule (weekly, fortnightly, monthly, annual). Occurrences collapse into a series card on the organiser's dashboard. |
| Route library | An organisation-scoped pool of reusable GPX routes, separate from individual members' personal routes. |
| Share pack | A bundle of your personal information (medical, dietary, emergency contact) that you consciously issue to a committed race. Not shared by default; not searchable by race teams. |
| Split timing | A race feature that records runner passings at each checkpoint gate — either automatically or via manual marshal entry. Produces per-checkpoint splits in results. |
| Standing RSVP | An RSVP to “Every week” for a club's regular run. Automatically adds you to every future occurrence of the series without individual RSVPs. |
| Trust score | A 0–200 credibility score on your Bield profile. Built from verified background checks, qualifications, first-aid certificates, references, and Strava-verified races. Visible to race teams you interact with. |
Status codes at a glance
Race lifecycle
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| draft | Private — only visible to the organiser in their dashboard |
| published | Live on Bield race browse |
| full | Capacity reached; waitlist may be open |
| active | Race day in progress |
| completed | Race window closed; results and certificates focus |
| cancelled | Race called off by the organiser |
Support-role engagement
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| approached | Initial contact made; no commitment |
| willing | Available and willing; awaiting the other party's confirmation |
| committed | Both sides confirmed — on the team |
| standby | Reserve position — stepped back but not fully withdrawn |
| declined | Offer declined by either party |
| withdrawn | Withdrew after committing |
Marshal post
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| interested | Volunteer interest submitted; not yet assigned to a post |
| invited | Organiser assigned to a specific post; awaiting volunteer confirmation |
| confirmed | Volunteer confirmed the assignment |
| on_post | Volunteer physically at their post on race day |
| departed | Volunteer left post before the race window closed |
| completed | Gig finished; recorded to profile |
| unoccupied | Post has no active marshal — visible to organiser as a gap |
| cancelled | Assignment cancelled by the organiser |
Coach–athlete link
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| invited | Invitation sent; other party hasn't responded |
| active | Both parties accepted — link live with data access and chat |
| ended | Link terminated by either party |
Coach suggestion
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| proposed | Sent by coach; athlete hasn't opened it yet |
| seen | Athlete has opened the suggestion |
| accepted | Athlete accepted (with optional note) |
| declined | Athlete declined (with optional note) |
Certificate delivery
| Outcome | Meaning |
|---|---|
| sent | Delivered successfully — in-app or email |
| failed | Delivery attempted but failed (email bounce etc.); resend to retry |
| skipped_no_contact | No Bield account match and no email in results CSV; cannot deliver without contact |