Lander alumnus races to success with suitcase full of courage

Cameron Dorn doesn’t just talk about pushing limits. He lives it.

Some might call the South Carolina native a business daredevil, but the founder of Suitcase of Courage strategically channels his passion for adventure into grueling races and endurance challenges that test both body and mind. Every competition is more than a finish line. It’s a lesson in perseverance, purpose and the power of daring to do more.

Dorn recently returned to his alma mater, Lander University, to speak to students and guests for the College of Business and Technology’s Business Week, which focuses on helping students learn about life after graduation. He carried with him a well-worn and well-traveled blue suitcase, given to him by a friend’s mother who filled it with snacks when he lost a race in Majorca, Spain.
Dorn, who was pursuing a master’s degree in international business at the University of Winchester in England, felt the sting of the loss, but found the opportunity to “unpack the suitcase and give the snacks to others,” he said.

And that desire to give back – to share with others – has been a hallmark of Dorn’s success as he’s won some 60 races in 68 countries while helping businesses in South Carolina, including Fujifilm in Greenwood, and others throughout the nation develop corporate wellness programs for their employees.

The Race Began at Lander
Dorn, who earned his bachelor’s degree at Lander in 2010, was an early riser. Before setting foot in his 8 a.m. classes, he could be found running or cycling through the streets of Greenwood. His training as an endurance athlete prepared him for events in places many people couldn’t find on a map.

Dorn grew up in Waterloo and graduated from Ware Shoals High School. He was determined to break out of the small town life “and see the world … I wanted to put Waterloo on the map.” He said he read every motivational book he could find. Eventually through his work, travels and athletic achievements, “People started asking me questions.”

One of his earliest “wins” came in February 2009 when he won the Krispy Kreme Challenge, which benefits the North Carolina Children’s Hospital. The competition required participants to run a total of four miles. However, halfway through the race, runners had to down a dozen doughnuts and then complete the run without losing their sweet breakfast. Cameron emerged victorious and took home the golden doughnut medal and five dozen doughnuts. He described the experience as “a little bit gross, but awesome.”

Reaching the Summits of Success
A triathlon and duathlon champion, Cameron has faced many other challenges since consuming those doughnuts. Throughout each experience, he said he strives to be in “the top one percent of anything that matters to me.”

That philosophy has catapulted him to Guinness World Record fame in three events, one of which was completing 10,105 “burpees,” a high-intensity exercise consisting of a squat, a push-up and a jump. Cameron undertook the challenge in 2014 to beat the record of 7,684 burpees to raise $10,000 to help children in need.

Since then, he’s traveled the globe to undertake grueling adventures as varied as the Running of the Bulls and climbing the world’s highest summits. These travels have taken him to places that are hard to reach – much less survive. It’s hardly any wonder that Men’s Health magazine named Dorn one of “15 Ultimate Guys.”

A Marathon of the Heart
Dorn, who has competed in the Boston Marathon for 10 straight years, undertook a marathon of the heart in 2023 when fellow Lander alumnus Mike Hudson asked him to run the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C., on his behalf. Hudson, who became paralyzed after his military service, always had dreamed of being part of the marathon.

Dorn’s reaction was not surprising. Without hesitation or consideration of the difficulties they would face, Dorn said, “Let’s do this together.”

Dorn pushed Hudson in a specialized wheelchair “cobbled together in someone’s garage.” They completed the 26.2-mile race in less than four hours and earned second place in the wheelchair division.

Small Town, Big Opportunities
Dorn keeps a race badge hanging on his rearview mirror, not because of the number on the front of the badge but because of what is on the back — a quote from Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The lengthy verse, “A Man in the Arena,” notes that even if a person fails, “his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who never knew victory nor defeat.”

Dorn, who says he likes living in a “state of the unknown,” encouraged students to plan for their futures.

Among his tips:

• Collect experiences.
• Seek out new places on the map.
• Make new friends in different circles.
• Read books outside of your interests.
• Say “yes” in this period of your life.

Dorn, who is still collecting experiences and seeking new places, turns every test of strength into an opportunity to inspire others to find their own courage. “I want to prove that being from a small town doesn’t mean small opportunities.”