Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Pooja Bansal. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Pooja, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
Our mission at Swift Running is to make high-performance running shoes more accessible, and the story behind that mission started with my own life.
I got into running almost a decade ago, during a time when life was full, work, parenting, responsibilities, and barely a minute to myself. Running became my outlet. It gave me clarity, strength, and a way to reconnect with myself. Even now, I don’t run with music or Air Pods, I like to listen to my breath, my steps, the world around me. It’s how I slow down.
As my running journey grew, so did my mileage, and with it, my need for better shoes. But every time I looked for performance footwear, the price tags were shocking. Shoes with carbon plates or real cushioning started at $200+. I asked myself, why does performance have to be this expensive? What about the everyday runner who’s trying to show up consistently, or the young athlete who’s just starting out?
That’s what sparked the idea for Swift Running. We spent over two years researching, testing, and developing a line of carbon-plated running shoes that could deliver on performance, without the luxury price tag. As an RRCA-certified coach, I brought that real-world runner’s perspective to every step of the process, and we tested our designs with professional track and field athletes, everyday runners and coaches to make sure they held up.
This mission is personal because I know what running can do for someone. It’s not just about fitness, it’s confidence, mental clarity, time for yourself. If Swift Running can help more people feel that way, without having to worry about cost, then we’re doing what we set out to do.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Swift Running is a performance-focused athletic footwear brand built to make high-quality running shoes more accessible. We specialize in carbon-plated shoes that use elite-level technology, like responsive midsoles, engineered mesh uppers, and durable outsoles, at prices everyday runners can afford.
At the heart of it, Swift Running is for the everyday runner, the weekend walker, jogger, the high school athlete, or anyone training for their next race.
We launched as a direct-to-consumer e-commerce brand and offer free shipping and easy exchanges across the U.S., so people can get great running gear delivered right to their door, without the extra hassle or markup.
What sets us apart is our belief that performance shouldn’t come with a high price tag. Whether it’s someone’s first carbon-plated shoe or their go-to for daily miles, we’re proud to be part of their journey. We’ve come a long way, and we’re just getting started, building a brand that puts performance, value, and real runners first.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
One of the biggest tests of resiliency has been navigating brand awareness as an e-commerce business. After all the effort we put into designing, testing, and building a product we believed in, the reality hit: no one knew who we were. We didn’t have a retail footprint. We weren’t backed by big-name sponsors or massive ad budgets. We were just a small, independent brand with a website, trying to earn people’s trust in a very crowded space.
There were moments where we questioned everything, if people would even find us, let alone choose us over the big brands. We had to be scrappy and creative. We showed up at local races, wellness events, school track meets, anywhere we could talk to people, let them try on our shoes, and share our story face-to-face. We leaned on genuine word of mouth, customer feedback, and staying consistent, even when traction felt slow.
It’s not the fastest way to grow, but it’s been the most rewarding. Every time someone tells us they found us through a friend, or shares that our shoes helped them enjoy running again, it’s a reminder that building trust takes time. And that staying patient, focused, and close to our community is what keeps us moving forward.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
We’re still in the early stages of building our audience on social media, and honestly, it’s been a slow, organic process. We didn’t go viral, and we don’t have a big marketing team behind us. Just us, sharing our story, showing up consistently, and trying to connect with people who care about movement, performance, and accessibility.
Beyond social, we’ve leaned into in-person events, local races, community events, school meets, where we set up raffles and giveaways to get people excited, try on our shoes, and engage with us beyond the event. We encourage folks to follow us on social media, tag us in their runs, and sign up for email updates so they can stay connected and be the first to hear about discounts, and product news.
Recently, we’ve started collaborating with people who genuinely connect with our mission, influencers from the running community, high school coaches, local athletes, moms who are passionate about running, and dads who sneak in evening miles after work. These aren’t paid partnerships with fancy scripts. They’re real people who tried our shoes, believed in what we’re doing, and wanted to share their experience. We’ve learned that it’s not always about reach, it’s about relatability. When someone sees themselves in the person wearing our shoes, it resonates.
My advice to anyone just starting: Don’t chase numbers. Focus on building real trust. Share the messy parts, not just the polished ones. Be consistent, be yourself, and talk to people like you would in real life. When the story is genuine, people feel it, and that’s what sticks.
We’re still growing, still figuring it out, but every connection we make feels earned.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.swift-running.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swiftrunningus/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/swiftrunningus
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/swift-running/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SwiftrunningUS
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@swiftrunningus
