In 2027, The National Running Show will mark its 10th anniversary and as part of the celebrations we are featuring an in-depth series with key brands - Miles & Milestones: 10 questions for running brand success.
“The National Running Show is hugely important to us...As an ecommerce brand, you don’t often get real-time conversations and feedback from your community, so those interactions are incredibly valuable to us.”. Hannah Walker-Howard, Founder Bimble and Bolt.
Avid runner Hannah Walker-Howard couldn't find running gear that stayed up during marathon training, so she created her own. Meet Bimble & Bolt, the UK-based activewear brand changing the game for women on the run. We caught up with Hannah to learn more about the brand and her design philosophy.
1. What was the specific moment during a run that made you realise, “I need to stop training in these and just make my own”?
Rather than one specific moment, it was a series of cumulative moments. Leggings slipping down, shorts riding up, leggings being too long for me… it was a constant stream of little frustrations on runs. Eventually, I reached the point where I thought, 'Surely, this can be done better!'
2. How do you ensure your clothing caters equally to runners doing a social 5k and runners chasing a marathon PB?
For us, it’s all about fit and features. We’d use the exact same high quality, compressive fabric for someone training for their first 5k as we would for someone chasing a marathon PB or even an ultra. Every runner deserves supportive materials, practical features, and plenty of pockets.
We don’t design for a pace or a distance, we design for runners.
The trickier part is fit, because everyone’s body and movement are different. Getting the right fit is so important for both comfort and confidence, which ultimately impacts performance. That’s why we focus heavily on helping runners find their perfect fit, and why we offer four different lengths in both our shorts and leggings.
3. Your leggings are 2025 Women’s Running Award Winners. What is the most common feedback you get from women who have switched to your gear?
Material-wise, the feedback is always that they feel super soft while still being supportive. Feature-wise, it’s always the pockets! Our large, low side pockets sit away from movement zones, so you genuinely forget you’re carrying anything.
Fit-wise, “shorts that don’t ride up” is mentioned in almost every review. But that really comes down to helping customers find the right size and length for them, that’s such a huge part of what we do.
4. How does your community impact improving your products?
The community has a huge impact. Early on, we were constantly asked, “Can you do this length?” or “Can you make a shorter version?” and that’s a big reason why we expanded into multiple lengths. I see all the feedback, any suggestion someone makes. I always plan it out to see if it would improve the product without taking anything away.
5. As a fast-growing, independent, and ethical brand, what has been the biggest challenge in balancing high-performance technical fabrics with sustainability?
Honestly, finding the right suppliers and manufacturers.
When we first started, finding trusted partners who could deliver the level of quality we wanted was the biggest challenge. We’re happy with who we work with now but getting there took time.
We don’t settle for second best when it comes to design or fabric. If we’re not genuinely confident in and proud of a product, we simply won’t release it. We’ve been developing our new 2-in-1 shorts for around 18 months, and we’ve only just reached the point where we’re ready to place the bulk order.
We never want to release something just to add another product to the range. At the end of the day, they’re “just” shorts and leggings, but we take them very seriously!
6. You emphasise that your gear is designed by runners, for runners. What’s the most extreme “run-it-to-destruction” test a prototype has gone through, and what did it teach you?
Whenever we receive a new sample, myself and the girls in the office go through what we call a “live in it” phase. If it’s suitable, we wear it for absolutely everything, every run, race, dog walk, workday… basically anything possible.
The goal is to get as much real-life wear and as many wash cycles into the product as we can to properly test the fabric and features.
We’re also lucky to have some hardcore Bimble fans who help test samples for us. It’s incredibly important to get feedback from lots of different runners.
7. What’s the most unusual item you’ve heard of a runner carrying in the ‘Peaky Pockets’ during a race?
Not during a race, but one customer sent us a hilarious video of herself stopping mid-run to grab some essentials for tea, then running home with a bottle of soy sauce and a bottle of sriracha stuffed into the pockets!
8. The brand mission is to make women feel ‘unstoppable’. Beyond the clothes, how do you hope the Bimble and Bolt community changes a woman’s relationship with her running journey?
I hope it helps women feel comfortable and confident.
We want to be a brand that women feel they can come to for support, encouragement, or advice regardless of whether they’re brand new to running, experienced runners, or despite their reasons for running.
9. What has been your proudest moment seeing the brand ‘in the wild’?
Honestly, any time we spot someone wearing Bimble feels special.
One moment that really stood out was at a club relay race I was running. There were so many women wearing Bimble shorts that I ended up asking everyone for a photo. Seeing 30+ pairs of Bimble shorts at a relatively small event really made me realise how far the brand has come.
10. How long have you been involved with The National Running Show and why is it important to you?
It’s hugely important to us because it gives us the opportunity to meet customers face-to-face. It's great to see the same runners who visit us each year and meet new runners too.
I still remember customers from our very first year when we had a tiny 4sqm stand! As an ecommerce brand, you don’t often get real-time conversations and feedback from your community, so those interactions are incredibly valuable to us.
