Part of the schism has to do with a rather interesting growing trend in the sport of adventure racing—the very popular short course series which are cropping up all over the nation (and all over the world, for that matter). There is the extremely well-attended Hi-Tec Series, The Cal Eco Series, The Mountain Rage Series, and too many others to name. Some are riddled with acronyms and real tongue twisters, like the USARA Sprint Adventure Racing US National Championships (try saying that three times), and its lengthier stepchild, the USARA Longcourse Adventure Racing US National Championship — isn't a long sprint a bit of an oxymoron?

Ironically, many sage and wizened racers have never heard of all these "Sprints," nor are they members of any affiliations or organizations (for which you apparently don't get very much—a silly plastic card in most cases). Ian Adamson, responding to a recent complaint on the ARA that Mike Epstein, race director of Hi-Tec and FogDog, intentionally made the FogDog date to sabotage the USARA Sprint Championships, signed out like this, with his tongue firmly lodged in his cheek: "Ian Adamson, Team Salomon/Eco-Internet — with no ties to FogDog, USARA, or any affiliation, association, organization, or disorganization in adventure racing."