GREENWOOD, S.C.— 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 the business, Suitcase of Courage, strategically channels his passion for adventure into grueling races and endurance challenges that test both body and mind.
Dorn returned to his alma mater, Lander University, to speak to students and guests for the College of Business and Technology Week, which focuses on helping students learn about life after graduation. He carried with him a well-worn 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 in England, 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 throughout the nation, including Fujifilm in Greenwood, develop corporate wellness programs.
Dorn, who grew up in Waterloo and earned his bachelor’s degree at Lander in 2010, was determined to break out of the small-town life “and see the world … I wanted to put Waterloo on the map.”
A triathlon and duathlon champion, Dorn has earned Guinness World Record fame in three events and traveled the globe to undertake grueling adventures as varied as the Running of the Bulls and climbing the world’s highest summits. It’s hardly any wonder that Men’s Health magazine named Dorn one of “15 Ultimate Guys.”
In 2023, Dorn pushed paralyzed Marine veteran Mike Hudson, of Simpsonville, in the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C. He continues to seek new challenges and 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.”