Chip Dodd joined EO Southeast Virginia in 2013. He is currently the president and CEO of Support Services of Virginia, a mid-sized company that provides Intellectual and Developmental Disability Waiver services, supports and housing in community-based integrated settings across Virginia, USA. He is also a keynote speaker and considers himself a “fun-loving outdoorsy person with too many hobbies to count.”

In the past five years, one hobby, in particular, has hooked his attention and driven his leadership skills to new levels: adventure racing. Adventure racing, also called expedition racing, is considered the toughest endurance sport in the world. It’s a racing series that spans the globe and pits athletes against themselves in some of the most rigorous landscapes on the planet. Teams feature four members—at least one man and one woman—that race nonstop across hundreds of kilometers, with no GPS devices and no marked route. 

We asked Dodd to discuss his passion for this extreme hobby and how it informs his professional endeavors. 

How did you become involved in adventure racing?

My EO forum mate Rich Braun wanted to do a race and needed a teammate. He had done one race before more than 10 years prior, but he had his eyes on a 24-hour race called the Shenandoah Epic. It pressed all my fun buttons at the same time and I was hooked. That was around five years ago.