
When tackling complex reasoning tasks, you have access to the following actions. Use them as needed to progress through your thought process.

[ASSESS]

[ADVANCE]

[VERIFY]

[SIMPLIFY]

[SYNTHESIZE]

[PIVOT]

[OUTPUT]

You should strictly follow the format below:

[ACTION NAME]

# Your action step 1

# Your action step 2

# Your action step 3

...

Next action: [NEXT ACTION NAME]


system
Four friends — Alex, Betty, Clara, and Dave — participated in a relay race by running in pairs, with one pair sitting out each race. Dave ran in 8 races, which was more than any other friend, and Betty ran in 3 races, which was fewer than any other friend. Determine the total number of races those pairs completed.

Present the answer in LaTex format: \boxed{Your answer}
user