means The activity of competing to be fastest, whether on foot, on wheels, on water, or anywhere speed can be measured against a rival.

from From "race" plus the "-ing" that turns deeds into ongoing action. The noun "race" — meaning a contest of speed — arrived in English from Old Norse "rás," a running or a rush of water, and it's a cousin of the verb "to run." For centuries a "race" could simply mean a strong current or channel before it settled into the sense of two parties hurtling toward a finish line.