An alternative name for a "handicap" race?

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fetcheveryone May 2016 5:38pm, 24 May 2016 17,238 posts	0 fetcheveryone A Fetchie recently asked me if there was a more PC term these days for a "handicap" race i.e. the kind where some runners get a head start, depending on personal best etc. I'm not aware of one, so I thought I'd put it out there. Club members - does your club do this sort of event, and if so, are there any more modern ways of naming it? And what of golfers? Leaving Muirfield out of it, is there a move towards more progressive language when describing a golf "handicap"? And what do Run Britain have to say? What are your thoughts, Fetchies?
mbln May 2016 5:50pm, 24 May 2016 795 posts	0 mbln I thought the progressive movement decided that handicap was the wrong word long ago, and stopped using it in the context to which it could be pejorative. Replaced by disabled/less able?
The_Saint May 2016 5:58pm, 24 May 2016 5,838 posts	0 The_Saint My club calls them "handicap" races leading to some initial bemusement for the uninitiated, it is difficult to think of a term that would work better so you would basically have to say "Races where everyone is given an estimated time over a course where the runners start slowest to fastest based on the estimated time differences between them, the aim being that ideally everyone finishes together"
fetcheveryone May 2016 6:00pm, 24 May 2016 17,240 posts	0 fetcheveryone Yes, I totally agree that it's not a nice word to describe a person's ability, and hasn't been considered such for decades. The question I am posing is whether sport considers the term to be outmoded when it comes to describing things like "handicap races", golf "handicaps" etc.
HowFar? May 2016 6:10pm, 24 May 2016 12,650 posts	0 HowFar? What do horse racing use when they put loads of lead in the saddles? Is that still called a handicap. You could call it the staggered start race.
Winded May 2016 6:12pm, 24 May 2016 4,149 posts	0 Winded Whether it is runners or jockeys or people playing bridge I think handicap is fairly universal. I suggest it is descriptive in the way that referring to someone in a wider context is not; that's probably why it gets used.
jennywren May 2016 6:22pm, 24 May 2016 12,840 posts	0 jennywren Horse racing does indeed use that term. I agree with Winded, I think the context makes it acceptable here and to be honest I hadn't thought of the handicap series my old club does as anything other than a descriptive term for a staggered start race based on stated ability.
Girlie May 2016 6:27pm, 24 May 2016 10,685 posts	0 Girlie The occasional ones our club does are called Chase Me which probably isn't much better!
LazyDaisy May 2016 6:36pm, 24 May 2016 14,264 posts	0 LazyDaisy We have handicap races. In sporting terms I see no reason to change it.
K5 Gus May 2016 6:41pm, 24 May 2016 1,826 posts	0 K5 Gus A "weighted" race perhaps ? But in all honesty I don't think "handicap" is un-PC