Team thisABILITY
Adventure Racing Teammates
Check out the like-minded friends who race or have raced as Team thisABILITY.
We aim to help all imagine and realize what IS possible instead of what isn't!
Chip Dodd
Chip has created a lifestyle of pushing himself past his comfort zone. He has learned how to thrive while overcoming fear, pain, exhaustion and dehydration. To facilitate his adventurous lifestyle, he tricked out his cargo van and stealth camps over 100 days per year. These skills are not unlike those he has needed to survive the roller coaster ride of owning a $10M+ state wide human services agency, Support Services of Virginia. SSVA is a mission based, for-profit company based in Virginia Beach with divisions in 4 regions of Virginia employing over 200 people and 50 foster care families who provide personalized, community-based supports to over 185 individuals with intellectual and development disabilities.
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As a passionate entrepreneur, Chip serves on the board of the Southeastern Virginia chapter of Entrepreneurs’ Organization as well as the MyEO Global Committee. As the world’s only peer-to-peer network exclusively for entrepreneurs, EO helps transform the lives of those who transform the world.
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Because of the impact adventure racing has had in Chip’s life and career, he shares his story through keynote speeches and is even writing a book that will dive deep into Adventure Racing tips, tricks and strategy and how the same techniques have helped him lead his company through past challenges as well as those over the horizon.
Andrea Anderson
Andrea began adventure racing in 2016. Since then she has raced in a range of races and teammate configurations, from solo to 4 person coed teams, from 3 hour family races to multi-day expedition races including the Maya Mountain Adventure Challenge (2018), Expedition Oregon (2018), the Florida Sea to Sea (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024), Expedition Africa (Rodrigues in 2019 and Lesotho in 2022) as well as Huairasinchi 2021 in Ecuador and the AR World Championship in Paraguay in 2022 and in South Africa in 2023. She has competed in USARA Nationals three times (2018, 2019 and 2021). For the 2019 Nationals, she was the Team Captain and Lead Navigator when Chip wasn't available to be on the team. She includes mountain biking and paddling in some of her favorite activities!
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Andrea is mom to 3 children, the oldest of which has Down syndrome. As a parent of a son with Down syndrome, she has learned to look at the world from a unique perspective. Her son challenges and inspires her. Unlike most people, he has virtually no filter between his thoughts and actions. Unguarded, he is extremely authentic. He is a great example of the quote, “Do more of what you love.” Andrea appreciates that he has taught her to face her fears, push her limits and embrace her strengths. She applies these skills to her adventure racing.
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Andrea grew up in Colorado and holds a Music Performance Degree in Clarinet from the University of Northern Colorado and a Master's Degree in Music Therapy from Florida State University. When not parenting and/or adventuring, Andrea leads the Fiscal Department of Support Services of Virginia, Inc. and is responsible for its accounting operations.
Caitlin Thorn
As a former competitive distance runner for over 20 years, Caitlin took up Adventure Racing in 2016 to experience a new challenge. Since then, she has competed in events from 8 hours to 4 days, with multiple podium finishes and national championship qualifiers including 1st place Coed Coosa River Challenge, 2nd place Turkey Burn Florida State Championship, and 3rd place Blue Ridge AR. She completed Untamed New England and was part of team US Military in Eco Challenge Fiji.
Caitlin enjoys the physical and mental challenges that come with adventure racing, as well as the friendships and camaraderie fostered among teammates on the course. She enjoys competing on tough courses in amazing locations and hopes to expand her resume to international events in the coming years.
In her "spare time", Caitlin serves as an officer and engineer in the US Air Force and enjoys travel and outdoor activities with her husband and two kids. Caitlin is excited to be a part of the thisABILITY team and is looking forward to many more adventures to come!
David Grabiner
From his early days as a missionary kid in Zambia to his adventures across continents, David has always embraced the spirit of exploration and the thrill of pushing himself to new heights. After seeing the Eco challenge Fiji he decided to take up adventure racing. His passion for adventure racing has led him to tackle some of the most grueling challenges on the planet, including the 72-hour Sea to Sea race—a test of physical and mental stamina that only fueled his appetite for longer, more demanding races.
For David, the completion of the 72-hour Sea to Sea race was just the beginning. Fueled by a hunger for adventure and a desire to test his limits, he is eagerly looking ahead to even greater challenges. With his sights set on longer, more demanding races, he is prepared to push himself further than ever before in pursuit of his next epic adventure. He is ecstatic to be part of the This Ability family and relishes the challenge of even longer races.
David lives in Chattanooga, TN, with his loving wife and 4 children. He runs his own real estate investment firm called Lubon Capital. This provides him with the flexibility to pursue adventures and travel internationally with his family.
Luis F Becdach
Originally from Quito- Ecuador, Luis has been adventure racing since 2007. His first race was a short 5-hour sprint race when he was asked to cover for someone. Very hungover and with no MTB or Trail running experience (he played tennis in college) he gave it a shot and was immediately hooked. After winning the Ecuadorian adventure racing circuit in the adventure category, Luis and his team got a free entry to Huairasinchi in 2008 and that is when the trouble began.
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Luis has now participated in 11 Huairasinchi expedition races, 2 ARWS World Championships (Ecuador and Wyoming, they were the last team to complete the course), 4 Florida Sea2Sea Expedition Races, First Bend AR in Oregon, several multi day MTB races in Ecuador and Mexico, finisher at the Pinhoti Trail 100 miler, several finishes at the North Face endurance challenge (NY, SF and MD 50k, 80K and 100k), 4-time Chicago Marathon finisher and many others. Has been fortunate to learn and train with some of AR’s finest including Jason and Chelsea Magness, Travis Macy and now Martin Saenz from Ecuador. Although not a super-fast racer he is usually the guy that keeps the team going in hard times and leads when needed which has helped his team cross finish lines and get some podiums. He gets his money’s worth on every race.
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When not adventuring Luis works in the corporate world as a Director of Marketing in a Fast-Moving Consumer Goods Company in the U.S. Work has taken him, Andrea and their 3 kids to different places in the Americas including, Colombia, Peru, Mexico, Chicago and now reside in New Jersey and Florida. One of his dreams in the U.S. is to be part of a team and the AR community, while racing as much as he can locally and internationally.
Clay Ballantine
Clay began adventure racing in 2018 looking for a new challenge after competing for several years in the increasingly over commercialized world of obstacle course racing. Seeking something new, he stepped into adventure racing at Untamed New England in 2018 and hasn't looked back. Clay has raced in a number of 24-36 hour races before his second expedition race at the 2022 Endless Mountains Adventure Race. Clay is excited to race with Team thisABILITY at Expedition Ozark then a month later in AR Croatia.
Clay is an avid adventurer who feels most at home getting lost in the woods with his two dogs on a undiscovered path on the many hiking and mountain biking trails and waterways of Western Massachusetts. When not adventuring in Western Mass and spending time with family, Clay works and travels for Smith College. A good work trip involves busting away from the hotel gym to seek out a local adventure, ideally getting lost and coming home hungry and in the dark.
Jesse Hagberg
If you spot Jesse scampering out of the woods at 4 am covered in forest debris, with a few close friends in tow (or solo), rest assured that he is already having a fantastic day.
1/2 Kiwi on his father’s side, Jesse learned backcountry navigation and whitewater paddling with an exceptionally active Boy Scout troop. He played soccer and paddled through high school and eventually raced for the whitewater slalom team at Warren Wilson College. In the summers, he pursued his passion for the outdoors as a summer raft guide.
Moving out to Durango, Colorado, Jesse continued an active outdoor lifestyle while enrolled at Fort Lewis College. Making fast friends in the whitewater community, he was introduced to other outdoor activities one can do when the river isn’t running; mountain biking, rock climbing, peak bagging, trail running, backcountry skiing and more.
Graduating with a degree in Computer Science and Bethany, his fiancé, returning from Peace Corps Ecuador, the couple moved back to Asheville, North Carolina to start their professional and family life.
In 2006, Jesse learned about “adventure racing” involving the outdoor skills and disciplines he loved in a single mash-up event. The training justified mountain biking, trekking and paddling in the same day! He enlisted Bethany (a triathlete) and his brother-in-law, Jason, for a 4 hour race called The Impossible Panther. Rather than skipping CPs and finishing before the official race cut-off, the team decided “adventure over podium” and proceeded to clear the course. They finished in 6 hours with zero official points but with complete awe at what they’d accomplished together.
From 2006 - 2020, Jesse captained Team Awesome Sauce with Jason and friends in events up to 36 hrs across the mid-atlantic; acting as, navigator, whitewater specialist, training planner/coach, and mechanic. During this time, Jesse and Bethany had two awesome kids, relocated to Richmond, VA and took up sailing. In 2015, Jesse and Bethany moved aboard their sailboat, Fairchild, and sailed down to the Bahamas for a year while working remotely and homeschooling their two kids.
Over the past 2 years, with teenagers growing ever more independent, Jesse set his sights on leveling up to International Expedition racing. Tragically, his longtime race partner Jason suffered a traumatic knee injury that would sideline him from AR. Jesse took a chance and raced the Rev3 50hr Adventure with Brian ‘Moonhowler’ Minard. They rocked the race, made new friends, and he was left wanting even more. In the Fall, Jesse took 1st place overall in a 12 hr race with Matt ‘He was a navigator once’ Wilson, and 2nd place overall in 15hr with teammate, Joseph Hall (Team Awesome Sauce).
It is no secret that Jesse has his sights on ARWS World Championships in Ecuador 2024. He is a believer in setting goals, making them known, and watching in wonder as the universe conspires to help bring them to fruition. Enter Luis Becdach, Team ThisAbility veteran racer, who was seeking a navigator for Sea to Sea. Having met founders Chip and Andrea at local races and orienteering events, and getting a sense of Luis and their team ethos from mutual friends and their awesome online content, this was a keystone opportunity. A few zoom calls and reference checks later and it’s on! Jesse and Luis are rolling as ThisAbility2 in 2024! (Jesse is currently a free agent for Ecuador)
Jesse is a Lead Solutions Engineer for a Fortune 500 CRM software company, serving the Hospitality Industry.
Mark Bolyard
Originally hailing from Missouri, Mark embarked on a journey that led him to the picturesque Appalachian mountains of Western North Carolina, where he currently resides in Murphy. By day, he's a dedicated Director of Rehab/Physical Therapist Assistant, bringing care and compassion to the residents of a local nursing home.
Beyond his professional life, Mark finds solace and excitement in exploring the great outdoors. With a passion for wildlife viewing, particularly in iconic destinations like Yellowstone National Park, his heart beats a little faster at the sight of wolves roaming the wilderness.
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Inspired by the original Eco Challenge races, Mark discovered his love for adventure racing in 2006 and hasn't looked back since. Whether racing as part of a team or tackling the course solo, he's taken on numerous Expedition races, including Sea to Sea, Breakdown, Cowboy Tough, and Untamed New England, and Expedition Colorado. What draws him to the sport? The thrill of navigation and the unpredictability of each race, where every turn presents a new challenge.
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When he's not conquering rugged terrain or plotting his next adventure, you'll find Mark pounding the pavement on a long run or exploring scenic bike routes. From the Duncan Ridge 50K to the Tsali Frosty Foot 30K, he's no stranger to endurance challenges, having also tackled the Savanah Marathon, Six Gap Century Ride, Cherohala Crossing 100M bike ride and Spartan races.
Mike Kuschner
Mike Kuschner, often given the nickname “Kusch” dove head first into expedition length races over the past 4 years after a full career in the sport of Sailing at the Olympic and Professional level. He is a husband and father of two young boys that love to watch his dad compete in his “bike races”. He lives in Georgia where his wife, Lauren Kuschner, runs the Rock Eagle 4H outdoor education center, which provides an ideal transition area for all types of adventures and training. Kusch grew up in Minnesota, went to high-school in San Francisco, undergraduate in Maryland, and graduate school in Virginia, so he is accustomed to adapting to new environments and cultures. When Kusch is not taking care of his family or adventuring he is consulting elite sailing athletes within strength and conditioning and also a strategic account manager for SportsRecruits, a tech platform helping high-school athletes get recruited to play sport at the collegiate level.
Kusch’s sailing provided a deep passion for travel and ability to manage a constantly changing environment while competing at a high level. It was a natural transition to begin Adventure Racing. He currently trains weekly with the GA Orienteering Club, explores bikepacking routes throughout the northern GA mountains, and enjoys fastpacking. Kusch has over the past years competed in many of the international expedition races including the 2023 World Championships in South Africa where his team interacted frequently with thisAbility’s team. Competition is a natural driver for comradery and it was only a matter of time until he joined thisAbility’s team for a race.
Jason Arndt
Jason lives in Connecticut with his wife, two daughters, and 3 dogs. He first started adventure racing in 2016 when a friend of his had heard about a local adventure race. At the time, the most adventure he had was just doing some local hikes and he’d been longing for something more challenging. So of course, with no gear, and not having ridden a bike in 20 years, doing an adventure race was the logical thing to do. It took that one 12-hour race to hook him. Since then, he’s done multiple adventure races and rogaines. Jason loves both the physical and mental challenges that adventure racing provides. He is extremely excited to take on Endless Mountains with the team and expand the limits of what he can do.
Amanda Rankin
Amanda grew up in the world of competitive running and outdoor sports, and was first introduced to the world of Adventure Racing while “dot watching” an AR World Championship with some European military colleagues during a deployment. Seeking new adventures and challenges, she signed up for her first Adventure Race while still overseas.
Since then, Amanda has primarily raced in expedition length Adventure Races including Expedition Alaska, the Maya Mountain Adventure Challenge in 2016 and 2018 (where she first met Chip and Andrea in the jungles of Belize!), and the Nordic Islands Adventure Race. She’s raced as a member of Team U.S. Military Endurance Sports, Team Commie Bar, Team Téenek, and now with Team thisABILITY.
Amanda serves as an officer in the U.S. Army and is currently stationed in Virginia.
Rachel Nolan
Rachel is a passionate globetrotter and adventure racer. Nine years ago while living in France, she started off with long distance trail running and cycling, competing in events such as the Marathon des Sables (a 7 day stage running race in the Morrocan Sahara), OCC (Orsieres-Champex-Chamonix ultra run) and numerous multi-day events.
Thanks to some amazing friends that introduced her to the adventure racing world and expedition style events, Rachel has competed in Slovenia AR, Belize AR, The Beast, ITERA Ireland, The Eco Challenge Fiji, The RACE Ireland, Coast 2 Coast Ireland, The Wild Atlantic Way 2100 km cycle, London Edinburgh London 1400 km cycle and many more.
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Rachel made her passion her job and started her tour company Rachel's Irish Adventures. If she is not taking on new challenges, discovering new places and cultures herself, Rachel loves bringing people off the beaten Irish paths to experience the best her home country has to offer.
Brent Russell
Brent is originally from Mid-Western Michigan and has always loved being outside and active. He graduated high school in ’95 enlisted in the Navy and turned 18 in Boot Camp. A year later, he moved to Virginia, where he still lives, met his wife Natasha and together they have three amazing young boys.
Brent always played team sports in high school but after some transition, he started participating in individual sports. He started running to stay in shape, which led to mountain biking, then swimming, more biking, then rock climbing, kayaking and any other adventure he could find. He always tries to find the next challenge. That led to orienteering/rogaines in 2011 and adventure racing in 2017. During the 2017 Adventure Racing Nationals in Pennsylvania, he teamed up with Team thisABILITY for his 1st 30hr race and team event. Since ’17 Nationals he has competed in many solo and team ARs up to 30hrs and part of an expedition race (damn hurricane).
Between personal trips and the Navy he has visited 36 different countries and always tries to find adventurous things to do while there. Some personal successes have been hiking Mt. Fuji four times while stationed in Japan for two years. Completing multiple ultra-marathons, century bike rides, half ironman triathlons, and multiple day paddles on the James river. "Sometimes I want to race fast and solo against the course, sometimes I want to enjoy other people on a team and laugh at each other." His list of personal goals (while always growing) includes the SeaToSea AR, paddling the full length of the James River, and run the Western Ridge of the Massanutten trail.
Tomas Diaz
Tomas Diaz was born in Puerto Rico and his path to adventure racing wasn’t usual. He was never athletic or into sports until later in his life. He was more into Math and Sciences. A total nerd! In High School, he competed on behalf of Puerto Rico at international Math Olympiads in Argentina and Venezuela. In college he competed on behalf of Puerto Rico in a solar car race across Australia and a solar boat race in Japan. Right after college he moved to Michigan where he has worked in the Automotive industry as an Engineer.
Tomas has traveled to about 35 countries and enjoys going through trails with his family. The adventure and competition part have always been there. The athletic part was missing. Being obese most of his life was taking a toll on his health. In September 2018, a physician showed Tomas his A1C numbers and recommended a lifestyle change. After dropping a whopping 100lbs he started looking for some sports and did a few sprint triathlons. In February 2021, while searching for more triathlons, a sponsored add showed up about a 3hr Winter race in Michigan with different activities and hunting for flags… Hunting for flags? Orienteering? What the hell was that? Tomas couldn’t find a teammate, so he went for it solo and asked the race director how to use the compass prior to the race. Tomas had a blast and got the AR bug. Since then, between the short races and the long races Tomas has done about 1 or 2 races per month and loving it.
Dirk van Assendelft
Originally form the Netherlands, Dirk spent his high school years in Atlanta, playing soccer. He continued to play soccer in college and afterwards, until a serious knee injury took him off the soccer pitch. As part of his recovery, he started mountain biking and running, which eventually led to competing in triathlons.
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In the early 2000’s he got hooked on the Balance Bar adventure sprints, which led to longer adventures. Tired of getting kicked in the swimming part of triathlons, his sport of choice became adventure racing. He has competed over the last 20 years in races as a soloist, with his brother, his best friend Tom, or with his wife as part of Team Lazy Man Running.
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It has been a lot of work to recover from his soccer knee injury and be able to trek and bike for long distances, but a lot of PT has allowed him to continue to race. Although he is no longer able to play soccer, he still coaches the girls' soccer team at the local high school.
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He recently retired from the Wintergreen Ski patrol, where he was a senior patrol with 25 years of experience. He is employed as a Core Systems Architect with W&L University, where he manages cloud services. He lives outside Lexington with his wife Chrissy and their golden retriever in an old farm cottage they renovated. They have two grown daughters.
Brian Gatens
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Hailing from the suburbs of New York City, Brian spent his childhood and teen years playing in and exploring the woods around his home. Moving back to New York City, finishing college, getting married, starting his teaching carreer, and helping to raise three kids two years apart in age didn't offer much opportunity for adventures that didn't include diapers, car seats, lesson plans, and food shopping. All of that changed in 2001 when Brian was able to squeeze out time for daily workouts and, as they say, the rest is history.
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In the ensuing years, Brian has participated in a multitude of endurance events including completing Ironman Lake Placid 4 times, running 25+ marathons including a Boston Marathon qualifying time, racing bicycles in New York City, completing a Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim crossing of the Grand Canyon and other ultra-endurance events. His first adventure race was the New York Adventure Racing Association's (NYARA) 30-hour "The Longest Day" in 2011 and he hasn't looked back since and has competed in multiple races over the years. His most challenging races include the expedition-length "Untamed New England" in 2017 and "Itera: Scotland" in 2019.
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When he finds himself not lost in the woods or pedaling down distant roads, Brian is the Superintendent of School for the Emerson Public School District in suburban New Jersey, and is entering his 29th year in education. He lives in Ridgewood, NJ with his wife, Kathie, and their dog, Zoe. He has three adult children who, from time to time, make adventure racing look like a walk in the park.
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Jenni Soutar
Jenni grew up on a farm in rural South Africa where she spent her days horse riding, bass fishing and building tree houses. Today that's graduated into mountain bike riding, trail running and climbing cliffs, not trees. Life has always been about sport for her and probably the only reason she attended school. At University she studied Sport Science, and graduated as a Physical Therapist. 14 years ago, after backpacking for a year in New Zealand, she and her husband settled down in a small town called Dundee, South Africa where they started mountain biking competitively. This turned into competing in numerous Xterra events, ultra triathlons and adventure racing (including Expedition Africa, 2011 & 2012). Jenni and her husband, Garren landed on the podium many times.
Jenni is now a mom of two small kids and not all weekends are about racing anymore, but they do always include a good amount of trail running, mountain biking and rock climbing. She now runs a whole lot slower so she can take in the scenery and meet amazing people along the way. In recent years she has competed in a few ultra marathons, shorter adventure races, multi-day mountain bike races and Wartrail (3 days, 60km trail run/120km mtb/ 60km paddle). Jenni is super excited about the adventure that awaits her on Rodrigues Island for Expedition Africa 2019!
Henk Van Aarde
Henk grew up on farms in the lowveld region of south africa and Zimbabwe. It was there that he developed a passion for the outdoors, adventure and exploration.
During his years studying as a mechanical engineer he was heavily involved in rock climbing, mountain biking, trail running, spelunking, rafting, canyoning and any other activity that adventure con offer.
It was then that he had his first taste of adventure racing when competing in the Swazi Extreme, a short, but intense event held in the kingdom of Swaziland. The experience stuck for life.
Of recent years his focus has been more on ultra MTB events as they offered the opportunity to suffer and be removed from the crowds. Competing in events such as the 36ONE MTB challenge, Trans Baviaans, Recce Mission, Karoo to Coast and To Hell and Back. All the whilst leaping at any opportunity for getting out and doing anything active.
It was with gratitude and excitement that he accepted to be part of and represent team this for the Expedition Africa race to be held on the Indian ocean Island of Rodriguez.
J.J. Potasiewicz
JJ has been an avid adventure racer since 2008, when he was asked by a trail runner friend to team up for a local sprint race. After saying yes, his friend promptly backed out leaving him to race solo, and he’s been in love with the sport ever since. Over the last ten years most of the races JJ’s participated in have been as a solo, and he’s only discovered the joys of the team aspect in recent years. JJ likes to maintain a sense of humor out on the trails, and his experiences racing have certainly provided plenty of material! JJ met Chip and Andrea out in the jungles of Belize during the 2018 Maya Mountain Adventure Challenge, where he was racing as a member of the Belize national team.
When he’s not stumbling through the woods in the middle of the night, JJ is a freelance artist and designer focusing on the built environment. His work focuses on making businesses and institutions look and function better by creating aesthetically pleasing and functional signs and architectural features. His work appears in such places as Carnegie Mellon University, Phipps Conservatory, the National Aviary, the Carnegie Museums and the Pittsburgh Zoo. He also serves as Vice President of Sign Pro Architectural, a sign fabricator located north of Pittsburgh, PA. JJ is the proud father of two children, two guinea pigs, two geckos, a snake and a Toyota.
Nate Wood
Nate is the father of four crazy kids. An attorney with the Department of Justice and a Marine officer, Nate lives in Quantico, Virginia, with his beautiful wife, also a Marine. Nate likes to compete in all manner of athletic events, including local adventure races, trail races, and mountain bike races. He especially likes to race while pushing a kid or two in a jogger.
Nate began his adult athletic career as a rower at the University of Michigan. Go Blue! His athletic claim to fame is that he once handstand walked the flight deck of the USS Bataan while deployed. Nate is thrilled to race with Andrea and JJ at the 2019 Nationals!
Phil Dawson
​Phil has been adventure racing for 15 years and came to the sport after doing triathlon for 14 years. He still gets in a couple of triathlons a year but now mainly focuses on adventure races. He has competed in events ranging from 6 hours to 3 days and loves the navigation and thinking required to do well. He loves the teamwork and quickly figured out that you really get to know people well at 4 in the morning on day 2 or 3 of a race! His claim to fame is winning the USARA Open Division Championship in 2014. He has also been race director for the Sportsbackers RiverRock Adventure Race for the past eight years. Phil is a pediatrician living in Richmond, Virginia with this wife Lisa. They have three awesome grown kids.
Daniel Rodriguez-Agudo
Daniel is originally from Spain and has been doing adventure racing for 20 years. He came to the sport to combine his passion for trail/mountain running, rock climbing, orienteering and mountain biking. In 2002, along with his team, he finished 2nd in the National Adventure Race Series in Spain. In 2003 he moved to the US and for the first 3 years focused on running marathons, rock climbing and paddling, until he found teammates for adventure racing in the US. Since 2007 he has been racing 3-4 adventure races a year of any length between 12h and 3 days. He was part of the team (with Phil Dawson and Eric Cone) that won the USARA Open Division Championship in 2014, and along with them, has been directing the SportsBackers RiverRock Adventure Race for the past 8 years. He has experience as a solo-racer, but he really enjoys being part of a team. In 2019 he was part of Team thisABILITY for the first time competing at the Massanutten Massacre 26h AR. Daniel is a PH.D. in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry working at Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond, VA), living in Chesterfield (VA) with his wife and three daughters.
Kathy Hoverman
Kathy joined Team thisABILITY for the 2018 Adventure Addicts 12 hour Adrenaline Rush with the specific goal of helping the team get an invitation to the USARA National Championships. Together with Chip and Sam, they won 1st place in the 3+ Co-Ed division landing them their invitation and $400 towards their entry. Kathy will be competing in 2018 Nationals with Andrea and Chip.
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Kathy has been a force to be reckoned with in Adventure Racing for over 10 years. She lead her own AR team in Maryland consisting of some of the strongest racers on the East coast landing them numerous podium wins and invitations to the National Championships.
Sam Prestidge
Like Kathy, Sam joined Team thisABILITY for the 2018 Adventure Addicts 12 hour Adrenaline Rush with the specific goal of helping the team get an invitation to the USARA National Championships. Together with Chip and Kathy, they won 1st place in the 3+ Co-Ed division.
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Sam has competed in numerous high profile races such as the 2017 National Championships and the 2018 Untamed New England 4 day expedition race. As an experienced outdoorsman, he is no stranger to the podium. Chip and Sam have competed in many of the same races, however The 2018 Adrenaline Rush was the first time they joined forces.
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Justin Mann
Justin Mann hails from rural Iowa. He spent much of his youth wandering and biking through fields, woods, and gravel roads. Before catching the adventure bug later in life, he spent decades training and performing as a musician and composer, eventually joining the military in 2013 as an active duty U.S. Army Musician. Since college, he has performed everywhere from dive bars in Colorado to rooftops in Afghanistan.
Army basic training gave him a taste of map and compass work, but it wasn't until the Spring of 2020, with some extra time on his hands, that Justin dove headfirst into navigation sports. In upstate New York at the time, he honed his nav skills on countless DIY orienteering and Rogaine courses. He moved to Virginia the next year and was introduced to the adventure racing community through the Central Virginia Orienteering Club, including Chip and Andrea. Due in part to Chip's hype man abilities ("Hey dude, have you done an AR yet?!"), and to recapture the joy of those youthful outdoor experiences, Justin bought a mountain bike and started adventure racing in earnest. Though he occasionally races solo, he loves the "shared suck" aspect of working with a team.
More recently, Justin cemented his status as a true Nav Nerd by creating detailed maps and designing courses for CVOC. When he isn't training or goofing around in the woods, he loves to spend time with his wife, Jenna, and their delightfully silly hound dog, Chester.