The epidemic of short races, sprints, 24-hour, two- to three-day races, and series is definitely good for the sport. These create more interest, more involvement, more opportunity, and serve as excellent feeder races for the biggies (Eco-Challenge, Raid, Elf, Southern Traverse.) But let's remember that's what they are — apprenticeships for the Holy Grail. They are gateway drugs to the big bad dose that all would-be adventure racers want to mainline: the expedition adventure race.

The real beauty of an expedition race (like the real beauty of an expedition) is that you don't know what the outcome will be. You might get lost. You might fail. You might die. All this talk of sanctioning bodies and organizations responds to a need for order and control, the exact antithesis of certain aspects of expeditions. Need for control reflects a fear of being lost.