13 Years of Fueling Adventure: The Story of Tailwind

Thirteen years ago, Tailwind Nutrition was born out of a problem that endurance athletes everywhere know all too well—gut bombs, bonking, and a lot of guesswork. Co-founder Jeff Vierling experienced it firsthand, at the Leadville 100 when he suffered through a long day with a revolting stomach and had his head in the trash can puking at the finish line instead of celebrating. So, he did what any determined endurance athlete might do: he decided to fix it.

Tailwind started not as a business plan, but as a kitchen experiment—a custom blend of electrolytes and carbs designed to be easy on the stomach and simple to use. With a little help from local athletes and friends at weekly group rides willing to test early batches, the formula started to take shape. And when those athletes came back asking for more, Jeff and his wife (co-founder) Jenny knew they had something special.

From the very beginning, Tailwind has been grounded in its roots: the mountain town of Durango, Colorado. What started as hand-filling bags (and hand cranking!) in a garage bay has grown into a full-blown production facility—but one that still mixes in-house. We’re proud to say that every stick pack, every scoop, and every shipment still comes straight from the hands of people who live and breathe the same active lifestyle our customers do.

We’ve come a long way in 13 years, but our values haven’t changed. We’re still very much in the mission of making sports nutrition simple. We still listen to our customers like they’re teammates. And we still get giddy every time we hear about someone using Tailwind to crush a goal—whether it’s a podium finish, a personal best, or a first-ever 5K.

One of our favorite memories? Being invited into a local bike shop (big shout out to Mountain Bike Specialists!) to give a talk about this new and upcoming powder to athletes and it was there that we knew we had something special. From sampling our first four flavors (Lemon, Mandarin, and Berry) and going back to home base to make more from running out early in the moning. We’re so grateful for this community and the races that happen here to continually be part of, we couldn’t have done it without them. 

Now, with products like Rapid Hydration and High Carb Fuel joining our original Endurance Fuel, we’re proud to offer athletes a full system that supports them from start to finish, every day. We’ve launched limited edition flavors, collaborated with incredible athletes, and stayed committed to sustainability and community through every step.

To our customers, partners, community, and friends—thank you. Whether you’ve been with us since those first stick packs or just discovered Tailwind on your latest adventure, you’re part of this story. Here’s to the next mile, the next trail, the awesome adventure ahead!