footrace

plural footraces

1. A race run on foot.

present singular third person footraces · participle present footracing · participle past footraced · past footraced

1. intransitiveTo race on foot.

   [T]he Moslems footraced around the Kaba three times at top speed, to demonstrate to the observant Koreish that they were in excellent physical condition; […]

   1926, R[oy] F[loyd] Dibble, “The Triumphant Return”, in Mohammed, New York, N.Y.: The Viking Press, →OCLC, section I, pages 213–214

   2 more examples

   As we footraced back to the fort, I saw the lieutenant standing on top the walls watching this string of grown-up children flying along the path pursued by their barking and excited dogs.

   1932, Richard Halliburton, “La Brave Légion”, in The Flying Carpet, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC, page 103

   During Friday’s television spectacular C'onrad, Kerwin and Weitz footraced around the walls of their silo-like cabin in what they called the “Skylab 500,” effortlessly performing flips and handsprings.

   1973 June 2, “NASA gears up for Skylab repair”, in The Pocono Record, volume 80, number 53, Stroudsburg, Pa., →OCLC, page 1, column 2

2. transitiveTo race (someone or something) on foot.

   And they footraced the orienteering champion of Sweden in a sampling of a new sport.

   1972 September, Ralph Marsh, “Discover Yourself in the High Country”, in Walter B. Babson, editor, Scouting, volume 60, number 6, North Brunswick, N.J.: Boy Scouts of America, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 50, column 3

   2 more examples

   I could almost feel the clear spool when the game turned, headed along the beach, and I footraced him for line, and won.

   1920 March, R. W. Swearingen, “That Eighty-seven Pound Weakfish”, in H[enr]y S. Watson, editor, Field and Stream, 24th year, number 11, New York, N.Y.: Field and Stream Pub. Co., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 993, column 1

   Next Representative McCarthy promises to footrace a Manhattan bus to prove that transportation is snarled.

   1970 June 2, “Senators and Circuses”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 14 Dec 2025