Tailwind's New UK Distributor Is a Red Bull Athlete and Adventure Racer
Published: September 2026 | Written by Andy Hood
It's a product that has an almost cult following in the UK, and when news broke that Tailwind's UK distributor was pulling out, there was an outcry of "what are we going to use now?" I broke that story on this blog, and it's since been read by tens of thousands of you.
A week after I hit publish, and just as I was heading into the gym for a strength session, my phone rang. On the other end was Nick Gracie, adventure racer, fellow runner, and, as he told me confidentially, the new UK distributor for Tailwind. Our worlds were to collide again just ten days later, when we both found ourselves in Chamonix for UTMB week.
Table of Contents
Is Tailwind Still Available In The UK?
If you're just here for the headline: yes. Nick's company, UNNU, is taking over Tailwind Nutrition distribution in the UK and Ireland from mid-September 2026. Nick was upfront that there may be a short window of low stock in some stores while the supply chain switches over from the old distributor to UNNU, but the plan is to get product back on shelves as fast as possible, including an extended range.
Who Is Nick Gracie?
If the name Nick Gracie doesn't mean anything to you, it will to anyone who's spent time in the adventure racing world. He's been racing for close to two decades and is a former captain of GODZone Adventure Team, widely regarded as the UK's most successful adventure racing outfit.
He got hooked at the Adrenaline Rush race in Inverness back in 2003, finishing second and never looking back. By 2009 he had an Adventure Racing World Championship title to his name, won at the Portugal XPD race racing for Team Helly Hansen Prunesco alongside Warren Bates, Nicola MacLeod and Tom Gibbs, a genuine underdog win over a stacked Nike team. A European title followed in Turkey in 2014 racing as adidas Terrex, successfully defended in Ireland the following year.
His real love affair, though, has been with South America. He's a four-time winner of the Patagonian Expedition Race (often called the toughest race of its kind on the planet) and has won five of his six starts at Expedicion Guarani in Paraguay. By his 50th birthday he'd racked up 54 expedition races and 14 Adventure Racing World Championship appearances, both thought to be record numbers, and had just added a South American Championship title in Chile. He's a confirmed Red Bull endurance athlete, and the brand has featured him repeatedly as a go-to voice on adventure racing, from race prep to gear.
Before UNNU, Nick raced for years on Nuun, one of the products he'd go on to distribute himself. That's the pattern with a lot of the best people in this industry: they start as the end user, then go on to build the business around a product they already trusted.
What Is UNNU?
UNNU is a Bristol-based distributor that's been operating since 2007 and has grown into one of the UK's largest endurance sports nutrition and sporting essentials distributors. Alongside Tailwind, the company distributes around ten other endurance fuel brands, including Hi5, SiS and Torq, and supplies a large number of specialist running and sports stores across the UK.
Nick founded the company, and the leadership team has recently expanded: Vikas Sharma has come in as Managing Director, with Nick moving into the Sales Director seat, Anna Gilsenan continuing as Head of Operations, and Neil Turton heading up the Health & Wellbeing side. UNNU has also recently teamed up with Smarter Capital, aimed at growing export markets and building UNNU's presence in new sales channels.
Meeting Nick In Chamonix
Nick and I spoke a couple of times on the phone before a brief in-person meeting in Chamonix, where I also got to meet Tailwind founders Jeff and Jenny, both welcoming and genuinely interesting to talk to. Their stand at the UTMB Village seemed to be doing brisk trade every time I walked past.
Nick's trip to Chamonix was a whirlwind 48 hours. He's already got his eye on working the full UTMB week in 2027, and has ambitions of running UTMB itself one day, which is what got us talking about running stones, entering the UTMB and that a tail wind on UTMB would definitely beat a headwind up those climbs.
Chamonix was time well spent for him beyond the catch-up with me, too: he came away with conversations started with two other nutrition brands he's looking to add to the UNNU range.
Have you tried Tailwind?
Yes
No
Q&A: Nick Gracie On Taking Over Tailwind UK
The news that Tailwind would keep being available in the UK was always going to travel fast through the usual channels. I was more interested in Nick himself: his read on the running nutrition market, how the average runner actually chooses a product, and what made him want to take this on.
Andy: Why did you want to distribute Tailwind in the UK?
Nick: I've used the product myself, and it naturally complements the range of around ten other endurance fuel brands we currently distribute, including popular brands like Hi5, SiS and Torq. The brand has a strong following in the UK and a loyal, passionate community around it. It's got a clever name too: Jeff originally designed it for the MTB crowd, who definitely prefer a tailwind to a headwind.
Andy: Will there be shortages while the distributor changes over?
Nick: That's a real possibility, as the previous distributor winds down their stock and we bring in our first shipment, we could see some tightening of availability. But we're on top of it, bringing in all the products we know sell well in the UK. Around the same time we'll be launching a new UK Tailwind website, linked directly from the US site. And despite a lot of talk in the media about price increases, I can confirm there are no plans to raise prices for the foreseeable future. We have to be sensible about it, there can be global headwinds on raw material availability and pricing that need reviewing, but as we launch, I can commit to no price increases. We'll also be bringing Tailwind Rapid Hydration to the UK for the first time. We're not just committed to the range that's already been available here, we want to expand it for the Tailwind community.
Andy: Walking around the UTMB Village in Chamonix, I counted more than 20 nutrition companies pitching to the running community. What's your take on market saturation? (See my earlier piece on why runners are being asked to fit 110 brands into one stomach.)
Nick: The market's insane, possibly too vast, which makes it hard for the consumer to choose. The reality is a lot of these products are almost identical: a blend of sugars in different concentrations with added flavour and new packaging. They all do the same job: delivering energy. It's similar to the running shoe market, with new brands entering constantly, all with their own sponsored athletes and influencers. It's hard to make a choice. I believe the specialist running store is still the best place for a runner to go, a store run by knowledgeable, experienced runners that stocks products they actually use and believe in. That kind of advice is valuable. But I get that plenty of people will turn to online stores like Amazon and just get baffled by choice.
Andy: I noticed Xmiles recently launched an online nutrition recommendation tool. When you need something like that on your own website, doesn't that say the shelves are already too full?
Nick: I don't disagree. Look at how 18-to-20-year-olds are making decisions, I've got a young family myself, and they may well turn to AI and ask what to use. It'd be interesting to see what it recommends.
Funny he should mention that, because I'd already been running exactly that experiment. I put three different marathon gel questions to a popular AI assistant this week: "I'm running my first marathon, what gels should I buy?", "what are the best running gels to buy for a marathon", and "what are the best running gels in the UK". The results were genuinely interesting, and a little revealing about where the market's heading. Across all three answers, the same three brands kept rising to the top, in more or less the same order: Precision Fuel PF 30, Maurten Gel 100 and SiS Beta Fuel. Neversecond, HIGH5 and TORQ showed up as the next tier down, but those top three were consistent no matter how I phrased the question. Not a single Tailwind product appeared in any of the three answers.
There's a lot more worth unpacking in those results, including price, ratings and why the AI kept steering toward Precision Fuel specifically, so I'll be writing that up properly as a follow-up piece.
Nick: Take a look at neutral-flavour gels too, from the likes of Precision and Maurten. I never saw that product coming, and initially thought "who would want that?" but it's been a remarkable success. The ranges from existing nutrition companies keep growing, on top of all the new entrants.
Andy: At UTMB it was good to see Tailwind athlete Courtney Dauwalter competing. What are your plans for athletes in the UK?
Nick: I'm looking to engage with athletes to help grow the brand here, but also with the wider community, it was clear during my brief time in Chamonix how passionate the users are about the product, and I'd like a programme that speaks to the everyday runner too, not just a focus on paid athletes. I'm excited to get going with Tailwind, breathe a new lease of life into it, take it out on the road, and we'll be at the National Running Show.
My Take
Talking to Nick, it was clear that racing still holds a firm place in his heart, and that passion comes through in how he runs UNNU and approaches the market. For me, there's no better type of person to run these companies than someone like Nick, someone who's lived the sport, not just marketed it. I'm genuinely excited to see what the future brings for Tailwind in the UK.
I'll be working with Nick over the coming months, looking at some of the products UNNU distributes, trying a few out and writing honest, first-hand reviews. Just don't give me a Veloforte product to review, that one might come out laden with more expletives than Google can index.
FAQ
Who is the new UK distributor for Tailwind Nutrition?
UNNU, a Bristol-based endurance sports nutrition distributor founded by adventure racer Nick Gracie in 2007, is taking over as Tailwind Nutrition's UK and Ireland distributor from mid-September 2026.
Will Tailwind still be available in UK shops?
Yes. UNNU plans to expand availability across more specialist sports and running stores, alongside the existing Tailwind website and other retailers like Amazon.
Is Tailwind increasing its prices in the UK?
Nick Gracie has confirmed there are no plans to raise Tailwind prices in the UK for the foreseeable future, though he's noted global raw material costs are something the company keeps under review.
Will there be a UK Tailwind stock shortage during the changeover?
There may be a short period of tighter stock as the previous distributor winds down and UNNU brings in its first shipment. UNNU says it's prioritising getting the most popular products back on shelves quickly.
Is Tailwind Rapid Hydration coming to the UK?
Yes. UNNU has confirmed Tailwind Rapid Hydration will be available in the UK for the first time as part of the handover.
Who is Nick Gracie?
Nick Gracie is a British adventure racer and confirmed Red Bull endurance athlete with close to two decades of racing experience, a former captain of GODZone Adventure Team, a 2009 Adventure Racing World Champion, a four-time winner of the Patagonian Expedition Race, and the founder of UK sports nutrition distributor UNNU.
What other brands does UNNU distribute?
Alongside Tailwind, UNNU distributes around ten other endurance nutrition and sports brands, including Hi5, SiS and Torq.
Where can I see UNNU and Tailwind in the UK in person?
UNNU says it will be showcasing Tailwind products at events including The National Running Show (January 2027) and the TCS London Marathon Expo (April 2027), plus various grassroots running and cycling events.
Which gels do AI tools recommend for a marathon?
Testing three different marathon gel questions with a popular AI assistant consistently surfaced the same three brands at the top of the results: Precision Fuel PF 30, Maurten Gel 100 and SiS Beta Fuel, with Neversecond, HIGH5 and TORQ appearing as the next tier down.
About the Author
Andy Hood is an ultra and endurance runner, cancer survivor, and unapologetic advocate for men's health and Runna Ambassador.
Follow his runs, read his race reports, and grab a pair of Check Ya Balls at runningwestwardho.co.uk.
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