The X Controversy

Enthusiastic walkers from the AVA decided to challenge their compadres to walk the alphabet - to do a 10K sanctioned walk in cities anywhere in the USA that begin with the letters A through Z. In return, they earn a patch. Walk the USA A-Z Program

Only one problem - a dearth of cities beginning with the letter X. The town of Xenia, Ohio was the benficiary of this scarcity, as its walking club hosts the Xenia self-guided walk where A-Z walkers could get their most prized stamp in the A-Z record books.

But then, alas - rumors that the Xenia club might not renew that walk for 2007, or the club may itself go inactive. What to do? The program founders pondered and decided to make the letter X a wildcard - any name would do. And so, the proverbial doo-doo hit the fan.

• The X Has Gone Wild
• But Xenia is not dead yet!
• Fun Trip to Xenia
• Prefer the Challenge

The moral of the story? People who take up a challenge like to keep it challenging, but not impossible to achieve. The AVA and IVV have many different walking challenge programs. For each, you complete a minimum number of sanctioned walks that meet the program standards to earn a patch or certificate.

• USA Walking Challenge Programs
• International Walking Challenge Programs