Tailwind Nutrition’s story starts with Co-founder Jeff Vierling’s head in a trash can, losing his breakfast after the Leadville Trail 100 MTB. Following years of dealing with gut issues during endurance events, and having exhausted just about every sports nutrition product on the market, Jeff and his wife, Jenny, did what every frustrated endurance athlete would do — they designed their own. Tailwind products are now some of the most popular fueling options for trail runners and mountain bikers alike, so we had Jeff on the show to hear all about how he went from mixing powders in his kitchen to outgrowing one production facility after the next.  

TOPICS & TIMES:

• How Tailwind Nutrition was born (1:44)
• Jeff’s background & “kitchen chemistry” (9:53)
• Why nailing flavor is so important (14:10)
• How Jeff turned his idea into a business (18:27)
• Tailwind’s tie to Durango, Colorado (22:23)
• Tailwind’s Hospital Support Program (25:26)
• How many pounds of product do they ship a year? (31:06)
• Why runners deal with “gut bombs” (31:50)
• Tailwind’s current line of products (37:05)
• Advantages of powder-based products (42:52)

OUR OTHER BLISTER PODCASTS:

• Blister Podcast
• GEAR:30 podcast
• Bikes & Big Ideas podcast

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