Cal Dobbs (he/they) is a transgender educator and endurance athlete. In July of 2023 he completed his 2,900 mile TRANScontinental Run from California to Florida to fight for the inclusion of transgender people in sports and access to gender affirming healthcare. Along the way Cal raised nearly $100,000 for grassroots lgbtq groups doing the most to support trans people most impacted by anti-trans legislation. 

Cal has been featured by several news outlets and publications including CNN, Runner’s World, REI, and Outside Magazine. He has given countless presentations and speeches at colleges, universities, symposiums, and community events. Cal was invited to the White House by President Biden during his run and was invited to be a Keynote speaker at the Annual National Recreation and Parks Association conference in Dallas, TX.

He and his team are currently producing a feature length documentary about the run.

In 2022 Cal became the first known transgender person to complete the Triple Crown of hiking which includes nearly 8,000 miles of walking across the three premier National Scenic Trails, all as a fundraiser for LGBTQ support groups.

Cal was born and raised in Venice, CA and grew up running barefoot in the sand and body surfing in the ocean. They ran XC and Track for Venice High School and went on to compete at the collegiate level. Cal has a BA in Sociology and Anthropology from Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania and a national teaching certification.

Cal has worked as an educational researcher in both the USC Rossier Graduate School of Education and the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools. He currently teaches high school history and coaches running in Los Angeles.