Tailwind Nutrition athlete Annie Hughes wins Moab 240

Win Kicked Off a Big Week for Tailwind as Six other Tailwind Athletes Prepare for Big Dog Backyard Ultra

Photo credit Howie Stern

DURANGO, Colo. (Oct. 13, 2021) - Tailwind Nutrition athlete Annie Hughes, 23, won the Moab 240 endurance run in the women’s category over the weekend, with a time of 68:50:02. Annie finished 7th overall. The Moab 240 is a single loop footrace through some of Utah's most stunning and challenging terrain, starting and ending in Moab, with 29,467 feet of elevation gain.

This is Annie’s second major win this summer, after finishing first at Life Time’s famous Leadville Trail 100 run in August with a time of 21:06:58.

“My favorite part was probably the entire first day, which is the big desert section. It was incredibly gorgeous and remote, and I made some really wonderful friends,” said Hughes. “It felt exciting as well as a little overwhelming as it was so early in the race, but I was also enjoying every step and just thinking about how grateful I was to be running my dream race.”

Hughes looks back on the weekend and is thankful for having nice, cool weather, even a bit of rain, making hydration less of an issue. Tailwind’s high salt content as well as electrolytes and lots of calories were what she relied on most throughout her race. Specifically, her favorite Endurance Fuel flavors over the weekend were Mandarin Orange and Lemon.

“I first heard about the Moab 240 and Courtney Dauwalter after she had such an incredible performance there in 2017. I became fascinated with the race and inspired by Courtney. A year later, I started running ultras in 2019, and ran the Moab 240 in 2021, which is crazy to think about! The 200+ mile distance is definitely my new favorite! 100 milers are over in a day, but with a 200 it’s much more of an adventure because SO MUCH happens over the course of multiple days with little to no sleep, etc. 200 is definitely the new 100 in my book!,” exclaimed Hughes.

In other, timely, Tailwind Nutrition athlete news, six athletes, including Maggie Guterl, Tailwind’s Athlete and Events Manager will take on the Big Dog Backyard Ultra in Tennessee this Saturday, October 16. “Big’s” is a race with the tagline of “there is no finish.” Maggie won Big’s in 2019, becoming the first woman to win in the race’s history. In 2019, Maggie finished 250 miles in 60 hours. Gary “Laz” Cantrell, the founder of the Barkley Marathons, created Big’s, which is considered to be one of the hardest races in the world. How it works is that runners complete a 4.167 mile loop every hour on the hour for as long as it takes until there is only one person left in the starting corral.

“I am so excited to return to the Backyard for my fourth year,” said Guterl. “I am hoping we finally have the group to push past the 100 hour mark. I see this not as a competition to beat each other but as a team effort to break what seems like an impossible barrier.”

Maggie isn’t the only Tailwind athlete to have found success at the Backyard Ultra format. Tailwind athlete John Stocker from the United Kingdom beat the world record earlier this year, running 337 miles in 81 hours at the Suffolk Backyard Ultra.

Courtney Dauwalter, who earlier this summer won the women’s division of the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) while setting a new course record, was the second to last person to drop at Big’s in 2018, just one lap shy of the winner, Johan Steene. Courtney as well as Harvey Lewis, who assisted Courtney in 2018, making it 67 hours, will also be competing at Big’s this weekend. Chris Murphy from Australia, Katie Wright from New Zealand and Matt Shepherd from Canada will round out the Tailwind Nutrition athletes toeing the start line this Saturday.

Many athletes struggle to find a sports drink that works best for them. Tailwind’s gluten-free, vegan, non-GMO, and soy-free Endurance Fuel products mix with water and are designed to be used during training and racing to meet all of an athlete’s calorie, hydration, and electrolyte needs, without upsetting the stomach.

For more information on Tailwind Nutrition and to keep up with Tailwind Nutrition athletes, please visit: www.tailwindnutrition.com, Tailwind’s blog and follow their adventures on Instagram (@tailwindnutrition) and Facebook.

About Tailwind Nutrition

Since 2012, Tailwind Nutrition has been manufacturing all-natural endurance nutrition products that are free of GMOs, dairy, soy, and gluten, are easy to digest, and support an athlete’s fueling and recovery needs during exercise. Owned, operated, and manufactured in Durango, CO, Tailwind Nutrition’s specially formulated drink mixes help athletes perform and compete at their highest level without the worry of food allergies or sensitivities. Tailwind is all you need, all day. Really. For more information visit tailwindnutrition.com.