Aidan Walsh

Is Ridgewood’s own Racefaster about to be the next Lululemon? If you’ve ever thought Racefaster was just another running store, think again. Owner Aidan Walsh started as a running coach in town who was having remarkable success–getting 4-hour marathoners down to 3, even sub-3–and at the suggestion of his future wife, whose family had experience with Chinese suppliers, got into designing his own line of apparel. Now Racefaster is a coaching business, a fast-expanding retail chain, and the organizer of multiple area races. We talk about navigating the pandemic, why he came to Fairleigh Dickinson for college as an Irish high school track star, and why he loves New Jersey. And it turns out, Racefaster is also behind some of the incredible success Ridgewood High School running teams are enjoying. Aidan tells me about his worst ever job, why he didn’t move back to Ireland, how his carpentry training came in handy, and who his business heroes are.