Father of 4 turns passion for running into racing empire

Father of 4 turns passion for running into racing empire


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SALT LAKE CITY — If you have ever run a race and found yourself covered head-to-toe in dirt, mud or some sort of colorful powder, chances are, you have run a race spearheaded by Utah resident Matt Ward.

With the Red Rock Relay, The Dirty Dash and Color Me Rad — all nationally renowned races — on his resume, Ward is living the American Dream; he is running his own business doing something he loves: running.

Life was not always this great for the entrepreneur. As a real estate investor, he was one of many affected by the plummeting economy. Once making a comfortable living, Ward found himself in a position he never thought he'd be in. He and his young family were living in the basement of the home they once owned, renting it from somebody else.

They were bankrupt and had hit rock bottom.

At that time, Ward recalled another moment in his life when he had felt similar feelings. It was years before, while living in Hawaii. He was an avid surfer, and had left his wife and new baby daughter at home to go catch some waves.

“I remember one day when the swell was big, waves were double overhead, 12-foot faces or so," he wrote in a blog post. "Catching a bigger wave than I should have I went right, backside on the wave, got worked, my leash snapped, board washed way down the beach and I was struggling. It was a long time.

"There came a point after being held down by wave after wave that I really thought I was not gonna make it. I was ready to blow out my air and it was gonna be the deep sleep in the blue water. What killed me the most was the thought of not seeing my baby grow up. Now all I want to do is be an amazing dad ….”

Coupled with that same desire to be there for his family, Ward knew he needed to do something. But what? It was then that he remembered the advice he once received from one of his mentors: Do what you love and the money will follow.


There came a point after being held down by wave after wave that I really thought I was not gonna make it. I was ready to blow out my air and it was gonna be the deep sleep in the blue water. What killed me the most was the thought of not seeing my baby grow up. Now all I want to do is be an amazing dad.

–Matt Ward


"I heard this for years and years, and always thought, 'there is NO WAY … you can't make money doing what you love; you have to toil and be miserable and work jobs you hate.' The desire to change that would never leave me alone; it became my muse," Ward said.

Ward took that advice and ran with it — literally, launching the Red Rock Relay in 2009 — a race recognized by Forbes magazine as one of the top five relay races to travel for.

The fun didn't stop there, with Ward adding The Dirty Dash and Color Me Rad. Since opening, The Dirty Dash has found a dedicated following throughout the Western United States, and Color Me Rad has 100 race locations across the U.S. and Canada, and has opened races in South Korea, Australia and the U.K.

About his races, Ward joked, “Our races are the gateway drug to running. Pretty soon you will be lying to friends and family about spending money on running shoes, and where you have been for the last four hours."

Amidst all the fun, Ward has a passion for health and fitness that is very apparent.

“Working out, living healthy and being passionate about life — that is what life is,” Ward said. “It's not a fad, it's not about weight loss or pace times. … It's a commitment to loving life every single day. A commitment to movement and activity. A commitment to maintaining this amazing piece of machinery we all have been endowed with called THE BODY.”

As passionate as he is about running, Ward was quick to say, “There are four things that I love more and here they are in chronological order: Kaiya, Taj, Marley and Livvy” — his four children.

To read more about Ward's races or to register, go to Redrockrelay.com, colormerad.com and thedirtydash.com.


Arianne Brown is a mother of six and a contributor to "Reasons to Run" on ksl.com. For more stories like these, please "like" the Reasons to Run Facebook page at, https://www.facebook.com/reasons2run.

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