Matt Johnson spent years working with professional cyclists at the Tour de France. He watched riders gain real advantages over their competitors through better nutrition. The difference showed up most in the final 20% of races, when legs burned and lungs screamed for air. The athletes who fueled properly held their form. The ones who did not fell apart.
This observation stuck with Johnson. He knew recreational runners and amateur athletes faced the same problem as professionals. Finding the right nutrition products, learning when to use them, and avoiding the trap of buying entire boxes of flavors you hate. These small frustrations add up. They keep people from performing at their best.
So Johnson, along with professional cyclist Bryan Smith, started The Feed. Their goal was to build a place where endurance athletes could find everything they need, buy it in the quantities they want, and actually learn how to use it. Based out of Broomfield, Colorado, sitting between Boulder and Denver, The Feed has grown into something worth paying attention to. Over 200,000 athletes have ordered from the site in the past 8 years. Trustpilot shows 1,497 reviews and counting.
Here is why runners looking for nutrition products should know about this store.
Built by People Who Actually Run and Ride
The Feed operates from Colorado for a reason. Boulder sits at the geographic center of endurance sports in America. Hiring people who understand running, cycling, and triathlon is easy there. The staff lives this life. They train in the mornings before work. They know the difference between energy gels that go down smooth and ones that sit in your stomach like glue.
This matters when you shop online. The people answering questions and curating products have tested them during their own workouts. They have sweated through long runs in summer heat and shivered through early morning bike rides in winter. That firsthand knowledge shows up in the product selection.
The company has tested over 400 brands. They stock products from roughly 150 of them. Everything else got cut. The bars that taste like cardboard? Gone. The protein powders that mix into chalky sludge? Not on the site. Every product available has been taste tested and put through real training conditions.
Single Servings Change Everything
Johnson had a specific complaint that drove him crazy for years. If you wanted to try a new energy gel, you had to buy a box of 12. Same with bars, chews, and drink mixes. This forced runners into an all-or-nothing choice. Buy the box and risk wasting money on something you hate. Or stick with what you know, even if something better exists.
The Feed solved this by selling almost every product as a single serving. You can buy 1 gel, 1 bar, 1 packet of drink mix. This lets you test things without commitment. Find out if that new electrolyte formula works for your stomach before investing $40 in a case.
The approach makes sense when you think about how runners actually train. Your body gets tired of the same flavors. Eating the same bar for the 47th time stops being appealing. Variety keeps nutrition interesting, which means you actually consume it when you need it. That consistency matters more than most runners realize.
The store carries over 300 brands. More than 15 of those are exclusive to The Feed, meaning you cannot find them anywhere else in North America . Science in Sport Isotonic Gels, for example, are only sold through The Feed for North American customers.
Free Coaching Support
Figuring out nutrition can feel confusing. How much should you eat before a marathon? What about during a half marathon? When do you use gels versus chews? The answers depend on your body, your pace, your goals, and even the weather.
The Feed offers free coaching support to help sort this out. You can email hello@thefeed.com with details about your sport, what you are training for, and your preferences. The Feed Coaches respond with personalized recommendations.
This service works for runners at any level. If you have never used energy gels and need to learn the basics, they help. If you are a seasoned marathoner tweaking your race day plan, they help with that too. No charge. No sales pitch. Actual useful guidance from people who know the products.
The Athletes Who Trust The Feed
The company has partnerships with some of the best endurance athletes in the world. Courtney Dauwalter is one of them. In 2023, she became the first person to win Western States 100, Hardrock 100, and UTMB in the same calendar year. Three 100-mile races, all won by the same person, in a single season. That had never happened before.
Dauwalter said she partnered with The Feed because it functions as a one-stop shop for nutrition and recovery tools. She appreciates that the company focuses on helping all athletes train and perform at their best.
Taylor Knibb also joined The Feed's High Performance Team. Knibb won a 70.3 distance race in Finland shortly after securing a spot on her second Olympic team. The Feed became her exclusive nutrition sponsor. She pointed out that The Feed offers access to products she cannot get from other places, along with support and education from expert nutrition coaches.
These partnerships are not random endorsements. The athletes who work with The Feed rely on the products during actual competition.
Partnerships with Major Sports Organizations
USA Triathlon partnered with The Feed in 2024. Members of USA Triathlon receive an $80 credit to spend at TheFeed.com when they join the program. This gives triathletes access to nutrition from over 300 brands without paying out of pocket.
The relationship started smaller in 2022 and 2023. Based on positive feedback and member engagement, both organizations decided to extend the partnership through 2025.
USA Cycling members also receive benefits through The Feed. Quarterly credits, free online nutrition support, educational webinars, and a personalized water bottle come with membership. The Feed has become an Official Membership Benefit Provider for USA Cycling.
The National Interscholastic Cycling Association, known as NICA, works with The Feed as well. Student-athletes in the program receive $60 in annual store credit. They can choose from a recommended nutrition pack or build their own custom mix.
These partnerships matter because they come from organizations that vet their sponsors carefully. USA Triathlon and USA Cycling stake their reputations on the companies they promote to members.
How The Store Actually Works
The Feed operates entirely online. No physical stores exist. You browse the website, read about products, and build a custom box tailored to what you need. Everything ships from the company's warehouse in Boulder.
The site lets you set up subscription boxes. If you go through the same bars and gels every month, you can automate those orders. This prevents the situation where you reach for fuel before a long run and find an empty shelf.
The company keeps only a few weeks of inventory on hand. This ensures products stay fresh. Nobody wants a protein bar that has been sitting in a warehouse for 6 months.
Feedback from athletes has shaped how the platform works. Over 200,000 customers have provided input over 8 years. That data helps The Feed refine recommendations and improve the shopping process.
The business has been growing 60 to 70% each year. The team has explored brand acquisitions and invested in robotics to speed up order fulfillment. The growth suggests runners and other endurance athletes keep coming back.
Natural Products and Real Testing
The Feed leans toward natural products. When evaluating new brands, the team favors ingredients you can pronounce. This does not mean everything is organic or free from all processing. It means the company pays attention to what goes into the products they sell.
Every item gets tested in two ways. First, someone actually eats or drinks it. Taste matters. If something is unpleasant to consume, it does not matter how effective the formula might be. Second, products get used during real workouts. The team answers practical questions. Does this gel deliver energy when promised? Does this hydration mix sit well in your stomach during hard efforts?
Products that fail either test do not make the cut.
Why This Matters for Runners
Running burns through fuel. Long runs deplete glycogen stores. Hard workouts stress muscles that need proper recovery nutrition. Even easy runs benefit from good hydration. The difference between a mediocre run and a good one often comes down to what you consumed before and during the effort.
Finding products that work for your body takes trial and error. The Feed makes that process less expensive and less wasteful. Single servings let you test. Free coaching helps you learn. A curated selection means you are not sorting through garbage to find something decent.
The company was started by people who saw how professional athletes gained advantages through better nutrition. They built The Feed to make those same advantages accessible to everyone else. Based in the heart of American endurance sports, staffed by athletes, and trusted by some of the best in the world, the store delivers on what it promises.
If you are a runner looking for nutrition products, The Feed deserves your attention.
