By ALAN SNEL
LVSportsBiz.com
Amid the recent news on Las Vegas’ TV stations from disturbing allegations against casino titan Steve Wynn to the upstart Golden Knights on a six-game road trip was a quirky feature about a local run event company putting on a Valentine’s Day-themed event designed to make love connections on the running trail.
In fact, Heidi Dove, founder of Triple Dare Running Company , made visits to no less than three stations (Channels 3, 5 and 13) to pump up her “Single Track Mind” run event at Lake Las Vegas where therapists, taro cards, a kissing booth and love potion bottles are all part of the run set for noon Saturday.
The TV stations found humor and originality in the Single Track Mind run event, giving the small business owner some valuable free publicity in her quest for her three-year-old company to turn a profit after she invested $55,000-$60,000 in her Triple Dare Running Company. She said the running company is now turning the corner financially and generating income from the run events it organizes so that she can start paying back a loan from her sister.
“My life is excitingly chaotic,” Dove said while walking the Single Track Mind route with LVSportsBiz.com today.
Dove, an ultra-marathoner preparing to run her fourth 100-mile event, is among many small business owners working two jobs to pursue the business she adores.
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By day, the 43-year-old mother of four is a Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) teacher at Estes McDoniel and Robert Taylor elementary schools in Henderson. And by just about every other waking hour, she manages a running company that puts on about a dozen trail events a year designed to showcase southern Nevada’s gorgeous desert landscapes from Sloan Canyon to Bootleg Canyon.
“My brain doesn’t turn off. I don’t sleep much. On race weekend, you don’t sleep,” Dove said, explaining how she packs a teaching job and a running company into a 24-hour day. “A lot of people want to start a business. If you do, you’re working non-stop. You give up vacations and socializing.” She told LVSportsBiz.com in this video how she pulls it off.
Besides balancing two jobs along with her motherhood duties, Dove is trying to carve out a business in southern Nevada’s outdoor sports industry. In fact, the Las Vegas metro region offers some of the most eye-popping scenery in the West, from Red Rock Canyon and Mount Charleston to Valley of Fire State Park.
It’s a business sector with potential as outdoor guide companies try to tap an under-promoted economic sector in the Las Vegas area. In fact, there is a newly formed Nevada Outdoor Business Coalition and its introductory meeting is being held at REI Boca Park 11:30 a.m.- 1 p.m. March 2. Contact Mauricia Baca of the Outside Las Vegas Foundation if you’re interested in attending.
Dove organized her first running race in Utah in 2002 when the teacher founded the “Einstein Race” to raise money for science supplies for her school. She even brought the Einstein Race to her school in Las Vegas, too.
After running the Ragnar team relay race, Dove wanted to create a running company that would put on events where runners can enjoy trails in the desert. About 75 percent of her business’ income comes from race event entry fees.
The teacher has four kids — ages 27, 26, 14 and six. And she uses the two youngest kids to help pack race bags and with other race-related chores.
“They don’t have a choice. They understand what hard work is,” Dove said.
Interestingly enough, Dove is on friendly terms with other commercial trail event organizers, including Desert Dash. In fact, Dove even hired Desert Dash to help with Saturday’s love run event.
The ultra-marathoner loves both her teaching and her running business, helping little kids learn and adults run inspiring trails. Dove said she loves meeting people at her company’s run events, whether they are newcomers or experienced runners.
“It’s a joy,” she said.
And who knows, maybe two people will also find love Saturday at a run event.
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