The Build: Bandit Running Co-Founder & CEO Nick West

The Build: Bandit Running Co-Founder & CEO Nick West

In the fall of 2020, while much of the world was still stuck inside wondering when things might go back to normal, Tim West was lacing up his racing shoes, logging miles, and building something new – not a tech startup, not an app, but a running brand, out of his basement. He quickly recruited his brother Nick on his vision. They didn't spend money on big splashy ads or influencer campaigns. Instead, they listened, they ran, and they asked questions. They built gear starting with socks that runners actually wanted. Over the next few years, what started as a side project for the two brothers and their designer turned co-founder Ardith Singh, grew into one of the most exciting new names in running: Bandit Running – a Brooklyn-based company that makes premium performance apparel and centers community at the heart of everything it does.

But Nick West didn't come from the fashion world. Him and his brother Tim were working in e-commerce at Jet.com. They grew up immersed in the New Jersey skate and surf scene where the coolest brands weren't built in boardrooms. They were built by friends on the street and from the ground up. That ethos is what stuck with them.

Today, Bandit makes everything from race day singlets to streetwear inspired track pants. They host events that pack the sidewalks of New York. They've launched the unsponsored project celebrating professional runners who don't get the financial support from the major shoe brands and they're building a brand-first model that doesn't just sell apparel; it tells stories. So how did a couple of brothers go from zero marketing budget to a brand that's evolving what running looks and feels like?

That's what we find out in this episode. It's 10 a.m. in Brooklyn and Nick West is refreshing his phone again and again. We're sitting in the Bandit Running headquarters. The coffee's still hot, and the 2025 spring collection, nearly a year in the making, is officially live to the public. This drop: It's the result of 11 months of long days, late nights, and that's just how those days go.

On a previous drop, there was even a 2:30 a.m. production shoot involving a whiteboard, an iPhone, and Nick himself modeling shorts that he didn't expect to be in. These are the kind of stories that don't make the product page on the website, but at Bandit, they're kind of the point because this isn't just an apparel company.

In this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast, Nick West joins me on how he and his team built Bandit Running, a company rooted in connection, performance, and that little bit of rebellion that every runner knows by heart. It's a brand built by runners, forerunners, driven by storytelling, community, and the belief that there's a better way to build a business in this space.

Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram

Guest: Nick West | @nicholas_west on Instagram

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Hobbs Kessler After His Historic 3:34.36 for 1,500m | A High School Record Faster Than The NCAA Record + Olympic Trials Bound

Hobbs Kessler After His Historic 3:34.36 for 1,500m | A High School Record Faster Than The NCAA Record + Olympic Trials Bound

"I have a really unique privilege of being able to do both worlds. I don't know if anyone's been able to work out with pros and do their easy runs with their high school team. It's super cool. It just works because of the circumstances of my dad being the coach and Ron (Warhurst) being the assistant coach at Skyline. I definitely wish a lot of people knew I'm not just training like a pro. I work out with those guys but I'm a high schooler and I treat running like I'm a high schooler. I just have fun with my teammates and jump in the river on runs and stuff." Hobbs Kessler is a high school senior competing for Skyline High School in Ann Arbor. He just made history this past weekend by running 3:34.36 for a new U.S. high school 1,500m record but it’s also now faster than the recent 3:34.68 NCAA record. Kessler’s time is faster than Jim Ryun’s U-20 record of 3:36.1 that was run back in 1966. And of course, this guarantees Kessler’s spot at the U.S. Olympic Trials later this month. What’s next for him? Well, he’s looking to win his first state title this weekend when he goes up against other people his age at the Michigan high school state meet. In this episode, you’ll learn more about his backstory including a better understanding of just how great of a rock climber he is, why his parents are his role models as runners, how coach Ron Warhurst plays the Yoda role in the Very Nice Track Club, the buzz about turning pro and much more. 📈 Support for this episode comes from WHOOP. WHOOP is offering 15% off with the code “CITIUS” at checkout. Go to WHOOP and enter CITIUS at checkout to save 15%. Sleep better, recover faster and run faster. Get to the start line healthy with WHOOP. https://join.whoop.com/citiusmag ✍️ FULL SHOW NOTES + MORE QUOTES ON CITIUSMAG.com HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST 🎙️ Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. 💵 Pledge any dollar amount to us on Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG 👕 Pick up merch from the CITIUS MAG store to show your support for the podcast and website. 📧 Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG Newsletter 🎥 Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG YouTube channel

2 Juni 202152min

Sean McGorty's Olympic Trials Outlook After The Fastest Steeplechase Debut In American History

Sean McGorty's Olympic Trials Outlook After The Fastest Steeplechase Debut In American History

"We sat down and [Jerry Schumacher's] big thing was that he thinks everyone kind of has their ideal race distance. For some people, it's the 1,500m. For other people, it's the 5K. For some people, it's the 3K so if you're going to run the 3K at the professional level, you also need to be able to hurdle. He said he didn't really know what that was going to be for me, but he thought the steeplechase could be something that I'd be potentially good at and would maybe want to experiment with if I join the team. I kind of knew where his head was at before I joined the team." Sean McGorty is a member of the Bowerman Track Club. Way before that he was a standout runner out of Virginia who went on to become an NCAA champion at Stanford. Since graduating in 2018, he’s run personal bests of 3:36.61 for 1,500m, 3:55.21 for the mile, 13:06.45 for the 5K and most recently 8:20.77 for the 3,000m steeplechase. His win in his steeplechase debut at the USATF Golden Games gave him the Olympic standard and now an option to possibly make that team for Tokyo this summer. However, maybe two years ago all of that would’ve seemed distant since he was facing a mysterious infection that required multiple surgeries to alleviate. He made a comeback from that last summer and hasn’t looked back since. You’ll hear more about that mystery and why he still has no answers behind it. Plus his outlook on the 5K and steeplechase scene ahead of the U.S. Olympic Trials. 📈 Support for this episode comes from WHOOP. WHOOP is offering 15% off with the code “CITIUS” at checkout. Go to WHOOP and enter “CITIUS” at checkout to save 15%. Sleep better, recover faster and run faster. Get to the start line healthy with WHOOP. https://join.whoop.com/citiusmag ✍️ FULL SHOW NOTES + MORE QUOTES ON CITIUSMAG.com SUPPORT THE PODCAST 🎙️ Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. 💵 Pledge any dollar amount to us on Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG 👕 Pick up merch from the CITIUS MAG store to show your support for the podcast and website. 📧 Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG Newsletter 🎥 Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG YouTube channel

26 Maj 20211h 1min

Why Colleen Quigley Left the Nike Bowerman Track Club And Signed with Lululemon

Why Colleen Quigley Left the Nike Bowerman Track Club And Signed with Lululemon

"Nike was trying to offer me less than what they offered me when I came out of college. To me, it was just a slap in the face. I was like, ‘I've made the Olympic team. I'm pretty much, you know, not to sound cocky, but like I'm probably going to make another Olympic team. I've made five USA teams since I graduated. How could I possibly be worth less than I was when I came out of college?’ They were able to come up a little bit when I was just straight up, like, ‘No. That's not a starting point.’ And they came up a little bit, but I'm still making almost three times what that was, with the same bonus structure, with the same incentives and no reductions. So now I don't have to worry about ‘Oh you didn't race ten races this year.’ Yeah like I've raced eight. Who really cares? I didn't make it off by doing things like the local turkey trot to get my tenth race. Lululemon isn’t ticky tacky and counting every little thing. They want me to be happy. They want me to live the values that their brand holds to be important, which I also believe in and stand behind. They want to be a good ambassador for their brand, which I always felt like I did for Nike. I always felt like I was a good ambassador for their brand, but it just was never enough." Colleen Quigley was a previous guest on this show back in February 2018. Now, she’s back with some BIG news. After five years of training with the Nike Bowerman Track Club, she announced she was leaving the team in January. Under coach Jerry Schumacher and Pascal Dobert, the FSU grad became one of the best U.S. female steeplechasers and has made every U.S. national team since the 2015 world championships. She’s the 3rd fastest U.S. steeplechaser ever with a 9:10.27 PR. She’s run 4:03.02 for 1,500m & 4:20 for the mile. She is now coached by Portland State’s Josh Steitz and will be running for Lululemon. That’s the big news. That’s her new sponsor. You’ll hear all about that decision and more. 📈 Support for this episode comes from WHOOP. WHOOP is offering 15% off with the code “CITIUS” at checkout. Go to WHOOP and enter “CITIUS” at checkout to save 15%. Sleep better, recover faster and run faster. Get to the start line healthy with WHOOP. https://join.whoop.com/citiusmag SUPPORT THE PODCAST 🎙️ Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. 💵 Pledge any dollar amount to us on Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG 👕 Pick up merch from the CITIUS MAG store to show your support for the podcast and website. 📧 Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG Newsletter

19 Maj 202147min

Empire Elite's Eric Holt Still Giving The Sport A Puncher's Chance, Knocking On The Door Of The Olympic Trials

Empire Elite's Eric Holt Still Giving The Sport A Puncher's Chance, Knocking On The Door Of The Olympic Trials

“I’m thankful for the opportunity I have to make the U.S. Trials. It’s always easy to talk about things you don’t have but I’m so thankful for this club. For the first time in my career, I feel like I have opportunities to run times that I dreamed of when I was 13 or 14 years old and first started the sport. If you told my sophomore year high school or 15-year-old self that I’d have an opportunity to run 3:55 or 3:54 (for the mile), I probably wouldn’t believe you. But now I 100% believe it." Eric Holt is a member of Empire Elite, a new pro group in New York coached by John Trautmann and Tommy Nohilly who used to be part of Frank Gagliano’s coaching staff with the New Jersey-New York Track Club. In this episode, you’ll get to know Eric a bit better after he recently won the Trials of Miles Kansas City Qualifier men’s 1,500. He’s one of the guys on the cusp of break 3:40 and trying to get into the U.S. Olympic Trials. Eric went to Binghamton, where he was a six-time America East track and field champion. Eric took a break from the sport after graduating but is now fully back in. He’s run 3:40.77 for the 1,500m and 3:58.88 for the mile. This one goes out to all of the people who know there’s more to give after college and are still willing to give it your best shot, because that’s what he’s doing. 📈 Support for this episode comes from WHOOP. WHOOP is offering 15% off with the code “CITIUS” at checkout. Go to WHOOP and enter “CITIUS” at checkout to save 15%. Sleep better, recover faster and run faster. Get to the start line healthy with WHOOP. https://join.whoop.com/citiusmag HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST 🎙️ Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. 💵 Pledge any dollar amount to us on Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG 👕 Pick up merch from the CITIUS MAG store to show your support for the podcast and website. 📧 Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG Newsletter

10 Maj 20211h 7min

Jarret Eaton On Chasing The Olympic Dream Unsponsored But With World Championship Medals

Jarret Eaton On Chasing The Olympic Dream Unsponsored But With World Championship Medals

Jarret Eaton is a world championship silver medalist in the 60m hurdles. He’s a two-time national champion in the event. At this weekend’s Trials of Miles Kansas City Qualifier, he finished second in the men’s 110 hurdles. In this episode, he takes us through what it’s been like for him to push himself in this event since 2012 through some ups and downs, why he goes after it unsponsored, how to size up the 110 hurdles at the Olympics Trials and much more. We recorded this a week before the race in Kansas City. 📈 Support for this episode comes from WHOOP. WHOOP is offering 15% off with the code “CITIUS” at checkout. Go to WHOOP and enter “CITIUS” at checkout to save 15%. Sleep better, recover faster and run faster. Get to the start line healthy with WHOOP. https://join.whoop.com/citiusmag HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST 🎙️ Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. 💵 Pledge any dollar amount to us on Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG 👕 Pick up merch from the CITIUS MAG store to show your support for the podcast and website. 📧 Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG Newsletter

6 Maj 202143min

Sara Vaughn Returns to the Steeplechase Eying Masters WR As A Mother of Four And Full-Time Realtor

Sara Vaughn Returns to the Steeplechase Eying Masters WR As A Mother of Four And Full-Time Realtor

"I do think that it's important for athletes to consider different revenue streams. I'm still trying to get my finger on the pulse of what even lands a sponsorship 15 years into this. I don't know if it's potential, if it's past times, if it's making teams, if it's Instagram followers, if it's marketability – whatever that means, if it's age, I still can't figure it out. I just think it's important for athletes to make their own way, make their own brand and use their voice. Hopefully, you find a brand that aligns with you, which is kind of what I've done with &Mother and Cadenshae." Sara Vaughn is a 1,500m specialist dipping her toes back in the steeplechase soon. You can catch her in action at this weekend’s Trials of Miles Kansas City Qualifier on May 1. Sara will be in the steeplechase for the first time since 2014. Since then, she’s made the US national team for the 2017 world championships as a mother of three, added another baby and then announced her plans to chase the US Olympic Trials for Tokyo back in April 2019. She’s an ambassador for And Mother, a brand that was co-founded by Alysia Montano and strives to break the barriers that limit a woman’s choice to pursue and thrive in both career and motherhood. No better person to represent that company than Sara. 💪 Support for this episode comes from MOMENTOUS. I've been able to try Momentous' ArcFire Strength Recovery Proteinas one of the newest additions to my training regimen. Try it for yourself. CITIUS MAG Podcast listeners will generously receive 20% off their first order of Momentous by using the promo code CITIUS at checkout on LiveMomentous.com. That's CITIUS at checkout for 20% off your first order of plant protein, whey protein, sleep formula and more. 📈 Support for this episode comes from WHOOP. WHOOP is offering 15% off with the code “CITIUS” at checkout. Go to WHOOP and enter “CITIUS” at checkout to save 15%. Sleep better, recover faster, and run faster. Get to the start line healthy with WHOOP. https://join.whoop.com/citiusmag HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST 🎙️ Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. 💵 Pledge any dollar amount to us on Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG 👕 Pick up merch from the CITIUS MAG store to show your support for the podcast and website. 📧 Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG Newsletter

28 Apr 20211h

Nikki Hiltz on Coming Out As Transgender, Non-Binary & Making A Safe Space in Sport For Everyone

Nikki Hiltz on Coming Out As Transgender, Non-Binary & Making A Safe Space in Sport For Everyone

"I was talking to my mom the other day and she said, 'It's important to be who you are so that the right people love you.' I was like, 'Yeah. That's what it is.' I just felt like it is really important to continue to show up as myself in all areas of my life so the right people are on my side, the right people are following me and I can lean into that more than anything." Nikki Hiltz is now a two-time guest on this show. Our first episode together April 17th, 2019 during the Boston Marathon weekend. For this one, I’m joined by David Melly, the host of the Run Your Mouth Podcast, for another crossover episode. April 2019 was just the start of Nikki’s hot streak that year. They finished third at the U.S. Championships and qualified for the world championships. They went on to make the final in Doha and ran a personal best of 4:01.52. Expect Nikki to be in the mix for that Olympic team in the 1,500 meters, which is shaping up to be one of the must-watch events at Hayward Field during the Trials. We touched on Nikki’s recent announcement that they identify as trans non-binary on Transgender Day of Visibility, which was March 31. Now if you caught us using multiple pronouns for Nikki during this episode, it’s because Nikki explains that they now use she/they as personal pronouns.  We also touch on plans for the 2021 Pride 5K, Olympic Trials training and much more. 💪 Support for this episode comes from MOMENTOUS. I've been able to try Momentous' ArcFire Strength Recovery Proteinas one of the newest additions to my training regimen. Try it for yourself. CITIUS MAG Podcast listeners will generously receive 20% off their first order of Momentous by using the promo code CITIUS at checkout on LiveMomentous.com. That's CITIUS at checkout for 20% off your first order of plant protein, whey protein, sleep formula and more. 🥇 Support for this episode also comes from the Eugene Marathon. Register for the 5k, Half Marathon, or Marathon today and use code CITIUS25 to save 25% on your race entry! ✍️ FULL SHOW NOTES + MORE QUOTES ON CITIUSMAG.com HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST 🎙️ Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. 💵 Pledge any dollar amount to us on Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG 👕 Pick up merch from the CITIUS MAG store to show your support for the podcast and website. 📧 Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG Newsletter

19 Apr 20211h 4min

BYU's Conner Mantz and the Making of an NCAA Cross Country Champion

BYU's Conner Mantz and the Making of an NCAA Cross Country Champion

Conner Mantz is a junior at BYU and just won the NCAA Cross Country Championships last month. Right from the start of the race, he went with the hot pace established early by Iowa State’s Wesley Kiptoo and eventually pulled away to win by 22 seconds. Mantz is the first American man to win the NCAA individual title since 2008. He was BYU’s first champion since 2006. Just two weeks or so after that race, he went on to run 13:24.78 for 5,000 meters in the men’s 5000m at the Hayward Premiere – the first meet held at the newly renovated Hayward Field. The time is a school record and a U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier. Hear more about his development at BYU (and way before that since he ran his first half marathon at 12 years old), his plans for the rest of the season, thoughts on turning pro and much more. 💪 Support for this episode comes from MOMENTOUS. I've been able to try Momentous' ArcFire Strength Recovery Proteinas one of the newest additions to my training regimen. Try it for yourself. CITIUS MAG Podcast listeners will generously receive 20% off their first order of Momentous by using the promo code CITIUS at checkout on LiveMomentous.com. That's CITIUS at checkout for 20% off your first order of plant protein, whey protein, sleep formula and more. 🥇 Support for this episode also comes from the Eugene Marathon. Register for the 5k, Half Marathon, or Marathon today and use code CITIUS25 to save 25% on your race entry! You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also on Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! ✍️ FULL SHOW NOTES + MORE QUOTES ON CITIUSMAG.com HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST 🎙️ Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. 💵 Pledge any dollar amount to us on Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG 👕 Pick up merch from the CITIUS MAG store to show your support for the podcast and website. 📧 Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG Newsletter

16 Apr 20211h 23min

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