Like many devoted runners, Luke Sears’ mind tends to wander as he logs mile after mile on the road. Once, in fact, Sears’ thoughts swayed to creating a performance running apparel line. When he returned from his run and told his wife, Emma, about his daring vision, she didn’t think it so obscene.

Emma Sears, after all, possessed a background in fashion design while Luke Sears claimed fashion operations experience. Yet more, upstart brands like Tracksmith and Bandit presented a compelling model to follow, each churning out high-quality running apparel and gaining notoriety in an uber-competitive landscape over recent years. Both companies also delivered an unmistakable nod to place with their apparel: Tracksmith embracing its New England roots with its vintage-inspired styles and Bandit repping Brooklyn’s cool, trendy vibe with its goods.

 For the Columbus, OH-based couple, there seemed to be an intriguing – and unexpected – entrepreneurial opportunity before them. 

“There was no indie running brand speaking to runners here in Columbus,” says Sears, who like his wife was raised in the U.K. before proudly calling central Ohio home.

Today, Uncommon Runner is aiming to fill that void by blending well-crafted running apparel with unapologetic Midwestern grit. On May 18, the Searses introduced Uncommon Runner to the world, debuting seven performance pieces – three for men, three for women and a unisex tech tee – in its inaugural collection.  

Transforming Idea Into Reality

Pushing from concept to arrival took the Searses more than two years and brought them into conversations with potential partners in their hometown and around the world. 

Early on, Luke Sears initiated conversations with Columbus Running Company (CRC) co-owner Matt DeLeon. The run specialty retailer shared his thoughts on market trends, run shop customers and apparel sales in the specialty run channel. Later, DeLeon helped the couple gather perspectives on running apparel from members of the CRC community, including participants in its general marathon program and sponsored elite team.

 “They had a general vision and were taking the time to see if that vision had cohesiveness in our market or elsewhere,” DeLeon says of the local duo.

For sourcing materials, the Searses turned to Italy, home to some of the world’s top clothing mills. The couple hand-selected technical, yet luxurious fabrics for their first performance collection.

With materials in hand, the couple then sought producers experienced in high-end garments, particularly those capable of crafting performance running apparel in small batches. They investigated manufacturers across Europe and the U.S., getting into advanced talks with a domestic partner before eventually teaming with a specialist manufacturer in Portugal.

In the lead up to Uncommon Runner’s May 2025 debut, the Searses collaborated with Columbus area running crews, such as the South Side Run Club and the German Village Run Club, both of which provided product testers, models and advocates to propel product design and local awareness.

High Hopes for Uncommon

The result, Luke Sears says, is a debut collection of staple pieces speaking to no-nonsense Midwesterners who brave the elements to chase their own finish line. It’s a concept represented in Uncommon Runner’s waving flag motif, unpretentious wordmark and elements like the checkerboard detail found on the brand’s TempoTech Tee. 

“Competition is stiff, but we’re still at the forefront of brands repping geographic locations and there’s a real grit to our products reflecting the Midwestern ethos,” Sears says, adding that the early collection’s straightforward black and white colorways resist the all-too-common urge to “make runners look like energy drinks.”

DeLeon says he appreciates the Searses’ ambitious effort. He also expresses excitement around Uncommon Runner’s potential.            

“There are some interesting trends in the running apparel industry at the moment and I hope Uncommon Runner is able to make their mark,” he says.

While certainly new to the game, Luke Sears is optimistic about what Uncommon Runner can be. He touts plans to roll out a customization program enabling consumers to add their own personalized elements to Uncommon Runner products and also teases the development of a winter collection. 

And though Uncommon Runner has planted its flag in direct-to-consumer sales to start, Sears sees opportunities to eventually get involved with wholesale to run specialty shops.

 “All things in time,” he says. “For now, we’re focused on nailing our e-commerce and getting out and about in local markets, so people can see and feel the products because we know it’s one thing to tell people we have the best fabrics around and something else for them to touch and feel them.”