Can Bandit Running Become the Anti-Nike?

With backing from Marc Lore and A-Rod, the indie Brooklyn startup is betting on unbranded athlete sponsorships, old-fashioned retail, and traditional word of mouth to gain market share inside the $90 billion running market.

While the running category’s biggest players have spent years appealing to the largest possible swath of consumers, smaller brands like Bandit have tried to claim market share by leaning into the buying power of local communities. Photo: Courtesy of Bandit

Sarah Shapiro

October 7, 2025

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This weekend, more than 50,000 runners will line up for the Chicago Marathon—and Bandit Running will be there to capitalize with a pop-up inside Tribune Tower. Next month, the Brooklyn-based brand will open its first brick-and-mortar outpost in the city, located just off a popular running trail in the Bucktown neighborhood. It’s a calculated expansion: Chicago has become Bandit’s second-largest e-commerce market, behind only New York City, where co-founder and C.E.O. Nick West told me the brand has capitalized on an “amazing subculture” of running.