On September 21, 2024, Tara Dower set a brand new total supported quickest identified time (FKT) on the two,197-mile Appalachian Path, breaking not solely the previous girls’s file but additionally the boys’s. Her time of 40 days, 18 hours, and 6 minutes had her averaging slightly below 54 miles a day on the East Coast path identified for its mud, rocks, and roots. No stranger to lengthy path FKTs, with a number of to her identify, Dower can be an completed ultrarunner, having received the Run Rabbit Run 100 Mile in 2023 and positioned fourth at Hardrock 100 earlier this summer time. She’s one of many few ultrarunners who has efficiently built-in lengthy path FKTs and shorter race efforts right into a single summer time.
In an in-depth cellphone interview six days after her end, Dower talks extensively about how her effort unfolded, how invaluable her crew was to her success, the ladies who’ve acted as her function fashions, and the way she desires to encourage different girls to set massive targets. The transcript of this interview has been gently edited for readability.
Tara began this effort with the aim of elevating $20,000 for the nonprofit Women on the Run. As this text is printed, she’s almost doubled that. You’ll be able to nonetheless donate to her fundraiser.
Study extra about Tara’s run in our information article about her FKT.
Tara Dower smiling with a pacer whereas on the Appalachian Path. All pictures courtesy of Tara Dower until famous in any other case.
iRunFar: Hello. Tara, how are you?
Dower: Good. I really feel drained. I miss the path. Particularly with being again right here in Virginia and positively lacking all the things.
iRunFar: You grew to become fully normalized for path life; your physique and thoughts tailored to it.
Dower: And being across the crew all the time, having any individual round the entire time. Lots of people within the thru-hiking neighborhood discuss a post-trail melancholy. I positively really feel that, “I want I used to be again there.” Not doing as many miles, although. [laughs]
Tara Dower, after setting an total supported quickest identified time on the Appalachian Path. Picture: Pete Schreiner/@schreinertrailphotography
iRunFar: That’s a fantastic place to start out this interview; you set the aim beforehand of setting an total supported FKT. This required you to hike and run a mean of about 54 miles every single day, till it’s finished. You had a fantastic function mannequin in Jennifer Pharr Davis being a girls’s chief within the thru-hiking neighborhood and a previous total supported Appalachian Path FKT holder. I’d like to find out how you determined to go for the general FKT.
Dower: I used to be empowered to set such a lofty aim due to the ladies function fashions I’ve had. I’ve been so fortunate to have girls who’ve come earlier than me. I imply, even going again to Ann Trason, and even additional. Those that I take probably the most inspiration from have been Jen Pharr Davis, Courtney Dauwalter, and Heather Anderson. They path blazed, and that’s given me — and I do know plenty of different girls — confidence to go for these robust targets and to even contemplate them attainable.
I believe wrapping my head round that, it’s simply this blind confidence. I do know, clearly, I’ve an understanding of the Appalachian Path, and I’ve plenty of expertise on the path, in addition to endurance races and endurance feats. However I believe it takes slightly greater than that, particularly with such a protracted file, something may occur. I wasn’t 100% assured. I’m not going on the market, “I’ll set the file.” I do know Karel Sabbe [the men’s supported Appalachian Trail FKT holder and prior holder of the overall supported FKT] went on the market like, “I’m gonna’ set the file it doesn’t matter what.” I didn’t have that confidence.
It was because of my crew that I made it by means of and made it in that point. I ran it, however I didn’t do lots apart from working. They did all the things. They did all of the logistics — my mother and Rascal [Megan Wilmarth, whose trail name is Rascal]. Rascal is the Supervisor of Chaos, as she likes to say. They have been those with the grasp plan to get me to the tip, and for lots of it, I sort of misplaced autonomy. I didn’t make any selections for myself. I didn’t select what I used to be going to eat or what number of miles I used to be going to do. I might beg Rascal for one or two fewer miles in a day, and generally she would entertain that, however nothing was as much as me. I didn’t make any choices.
iRunFar: iRunFar readers are extra conversant in the crewing side at an ultramarathon the place it’s over in six hours, 12 hours, or 30 hours, versus 40 days. Would you name it really a multi-pronged effort the place each prongs carry the identical quantity of weight to make a file occur? Crew in ultrarunning offers important help however not as strongly as I believe you’re inferring right here.
Dower: I might name it a crew effort throughout. With out them, none of this may have been attainable. I can see myself in a 100-mile race; if one thing occurred to the place the crew couldn’t meet me, I may in all probability survive off the help station meals and possibly simply grit it to the tip. That wouldn’t be satisfying. I want the crew, and I want the pacers throughout a 100-mile race, and I respect all their assist as a result of they assist me get there far more effectively. However, for such a lengthy, supported file, it is just attainable to do it with a crew, particularly the general file.
I imply, I didn’t have full confidence that I may do it. I simply knew I ought to go on the market and check out my finest. When it obtained robust and once we have been behind, if it was as much as me, I’d in all probability be like, “All proper, we tried.” We have been 100-something miles behind at one level, and Rascal didn’t bat a watch. She was like, “It’s okay. We’ll get again there. We’ll make a plan.” And that’s precisely what she did. She put miles on my schedule that I used to be very intimidated by, and she or he informed me, “I do know you are able to do it, however I want you to know that you are able to do it,” and I didn’t consider it for the longest time. However day after day, I used to be doing 58s and 60s and 57s [miles per day], and I used to be like, “That is attainable.”
Tara Dower is taken care of by her crew at a street crossing.
iRunFar: I like the way you’re bearing on each the bodily help {that a} crew provides and that psychological help along with your self-belief system.
Dower: Yeah. They conjured the suitable phrases to get me to the tip. They stored me fed properly, which helped my temper and in addition helped me bodily. They simply stored the temper gentle and straightforward, which made it easy to get pleasure from it extra. It’s a crew effort, 100%. I do know that sounds foolish after I say, “I simply ran,” however they did all the things else.
iRunFar: That’s wonderful. To backtrack, the individuals who comply with you on iRunFar know you most by means of your extremely exploits, however you will have plenty of thru-hiking expertise. Are you able to place this expertise for iRunFar readers? I believe it’s in all probability each extremely expertise and your expertise with lengthy trails that got here collectively.
Dower: Actually, my total path profession began with the Appalachian Path. Once I was a freshman in school, I watched a documentary referred to as “The Appalachian Path” by “Nationwide Geographic,” and I made a aim to thru-hike it after I graduated. I had run the mile and cross nation in highschool, and I used to be good, however I didn’t wish to go off and do something nice with it. It was simply an satisfying expertise. I like working lengthy distances.
So in 2017 I began my thru-hike, and I made about 80 miles. I had an nervousness assault at Bly Hole and obtained off the path. It was sort of a traumatic expertise, having a panic assault within the woods on my own. I had a migraine, and I couldn’t get my breath underneath management. After two years of engaged on my nervousness and attending to a spot the place I felt wholesome once more, I went again out and thru-hiked the path in 5 months and 10 days, and it was the most effective expertise. I made so many mates. That’s the place I met Rascal in Pennsylvania, and that began our total friendship, and my friendship with so many different individuals.
I used to be entrenched on this neighborhood, too, and in order that’s one other side of this. I’ve met them throughout all my exploits on the Appalachian Path. All of them simply got here collectively for this file, so I’m grateful for them.
I needed to do one other thru-hike and thought in regards to the Mountains to Sea Path, which is 1,175 miles throughout North Carolina. Then COVID-19 occurred in 2020, and I made a decision I needed to do it in a much less impactful method. I used to be working for Jen Pharr Davis as a backpacking information and hostel caretaker, and she or he impressed me to go for the FKT. So I did it with slightly quarantine crew, and we simply traveled down the path. I set the FKT on that, and that started all the things. I knew that Diane Van Deren was a 100-mile athlete and a The North Face athlete. She set the file earlier than me, and I used to be like, “Okay, if she will be able to do 100-mile races, possibly I may do 100-mile races.” And that’s the place the ultramarathon obsession began.
iRunFar: We are able to blame/thank Diane Van Deren?
Dower: She began all of it. I simply felt like possibly this might be my subsequent problem. A 12 months later, I did my first 100 miler, and I went from there. I actually beloved the 100-mile distance and by no means seemed again. I might say the Appalachian Path began all of it.
Autumn begins to indicate its colours on the Appalachian Path with 400 miles to go.
iRunFar: You efficiently cross forwards and backwards between working ultras and doing these longer FKT efforts. That is not like a number of ultrarunners who’ve come earlier than you, the place they take up lengthy path mountain climbing after ultrarunning to attempt one thing completely different. You’re integrating them.
Dower: For positive. It’s a aim of mine to do an extended path yearly. I might say a 20o-plus-mile path yearly. It may be an FKT or a thru-hike. I wish to see what number of trails I can get.
iRunFar: I assume, that’s a examine mark for this 12 months. [laughs]
Dower: Yeah, I believe we’re good for this 12 months. [laughs]
iRunFar: I’m questioning if we are able to parse out your effort slightly bit. I do know 40 days is a very long time to summarize in a single interview, however the path itself has segments. When you can break it into segments, how does your thoughts digest all of it?
Dower: Yeah, I might say southern Maine and New Hampshire have been probably the most difficult components of the path. It’s simply actually tough. All the Appalachian Path, they don’t consider in switchbacks, however there, it’s even worse. It’s simply relentless rocks. I struggled by means of there, fell behind on file tempo, and was fully exhausted. I might say the most effective phrase to explain that part was simply demoralized. Additionally, the climate wasn’t good, making going quicker on these trails even tougher. Even simply three miles per hour is tough; two miles an hour was just about what I used to be sitting at. I might say the Northeast was actually tough.
Then you definitely get into Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, and it’s flowy. However then in Pennsylvania and New York, you get these rocky parts that break up the movement and make it exhausting to maintain a stable tempo. It won’t be loopy mountains, nevertheless it’s rocky and exhausting to maintain a stable tempo. I used to be in a position to make up a while on this part. We realized in that space that I must put down some big-mile days to catch as much as Karel Sabbe’s file tempo. And that’s the conclusion, and I wasn’t fairly assured in my talents then. So I might say I used to be simply discovering, “What is feasible? What can I do?”
Then you definitely get into Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia, which will get actually flowy. And a few sections are tough, some fairly gnarly mountains just like the Priest and Three Ridges, nevertheless it’s fairly flowy, and we are able to make up plenty of time in that space. Virginia is certainly one of my favourite states, too.
Then we obtained into Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia. And that’s the place we have been pushing fairly exhausting, and you possibly can scent the barn. However, for me, I by no means allowed myself to even get to the purpose of considering I might get the file and even come near the file. It wasn’t till three miles out that I stated, “Oh, this can be a risk.” That’s why after I completed and noticed the response, I wasn’t, like, getting ready myself. Once I noticed a response. I used to be like, “Gosh, that is intense.” I didn’t even put together myself for the file.
1,293.6 miles to go to the end.
iRunFar: You talked in regards to the Northeast having the psychological challenges after which stepping into the bodily challenges of placing in a number of further miles day by day to get again on file tempo. After which, what’s it in ultras, you scent the barn after mile 90 or mile 95 in a 100-mile race? However was it per week of beginning to scent the barn if it’s a 40-day effort?
Dower: Yeah. I simply knew the tip was coming, it doesn’t matter what. I knew it was going to finish. I don’t assume I knew, “I’m gonna’ be the quickest time,” as a result of I may have gotten injured or sick. However I knew, “It’s coming to an finish it doesn’t matter what.”
iRunFar: Talking of accidents, did you are feeling issues approaching at any time?
Dower: I had a decent hamstring by means of Pennsylvania and the Shenandoah mountains. We needed to stretch that out a bunch. I had some Achilles ache in southern New Hampshire and Vermont. It’s quite common for people who find themselves doing the Appalachian Path FKT to get shin splints, and I believe I satisfied myself a few occasions I used to be getting shin splints, however it could go away.
Aside from that, I simply fell lots, and it was actually violent. I’m simply clumsy. I had plenty of falls that have been terrifying. I used to be all the time satisfied on these falls, I might break my kneecap or dislocate my shoulder, and it could all be over. My job was so easy. All I needed to do was run and eat. My crew is doing all of those different issues, and I used to be fearful that I might spoil my half on this by falling as soon as. I simply obtained reduce up and bruised however by no means obtained severely injured throughout a fall.
Falls have been terrifying, however bloody knees have been the worst that got here of them.
iRunFar: To shut out your FKT effort, you probably did a remaining nonstop push of round 100 miles? What was that like?
Dower: It was 129 miles and 43 hours.
iRunFar: Wow. That has develop into a fairly customary characteristic of those lengthy path pace efforts, is that individuals got down to run X miles per day, after which end out with this massive, remaining effort on the order of 100 miles. In your case, virtually 130 miles. What’s it prefer to set out on one thing that’s by itself an extremely on the finish of a month-long extremely?
Dower: Yeah, it’s humorous. I thought of that one after I completed 30 miles in that push. I obtained to the 100 miles to the tip, and I checked out my time, and I used to be like, “Okay, that is Hardrock. It’s a 100-mile race, and I’ve a 48-hour cutoff,” so I may simply take a look at it like that and simply end.
But it surely’s fully completely different as a result of the tempo is a lot slower, and all the things and everybody is targeted on you. When in a race, it’s like you’ll be able to go into the background a bit extra and discover that interior encouragement. I used to be inspired by everybody there, however everybody’s so centered on you. They’re all simply saying, “Good job, Tara. You are able to do it. You bought this.”
iRunFar: Ultrarunners, path runners, and thru-hikers are all fairly humble beings. They’re individuals who similar to to be out on trails or roads for a very long time and inside their heads or with their mates. What was it prefer to have a lot consideration coming to some extent, taking a look at you as you might be in that remaining push, watching your tracker, seeing you on the path, and following your end?
Dower: Yeah, I ended up popping out of the Smoky Mountains — I believe it’s three or three-and-a-half, 4 days earlier than the tip — and I deleted Instagram, Fb, and all social media off my cellphone. So I wasn’t even taking a look at that. There have been lots of people at Neels Hole recording me. I bear in mind feeling slightly overwhelmed with that.
Fortunately, my crew, they’re nice, and we simply have enjoyable collectively. When the main focus was on me, I tended to deflect and attempt to be like, “However take a look at Rascal! Have a look at all the things she’s doing. She simply paced me for, I don’t even know what number of miles she paced me total, nevertheless it was a lot within the final 43 hours. And take a look at JP Giblin, who paced me for the final 30 miles of all the factor. Or take a look at Hunter Leininger, who paced me in a single day and hand-fed me all the method.”
I are likely to deflect, as a result of I hate to say that is my FKT. I want I may placed on the Quickest Identified Time web site, that the file was set by Staff Chump Change. That was a giant focus of mine earlier than. I needed to lean closely on the crew side and make jobs. So my job was, we stated, race automobile or runner. After which Rascal is Crew Chief/Supervisor of Chaos; just about, she’s the boss. My mother was Camp Mother. She does laundry and this and that. We made very clear jobs and tried to encourage as a lot as attainable, “This can be a crew effort.” Lengthy story brief, I attempted to deflect and be, “Have a look at all these nice individuals over right here.”
Tara Dower had a slew of pacers from her Appalachian Path neighborhood accompany her on her run.
iRunFar: You make a very good level, and possibly the parents on the Quickest Identified Time web site are listening. Perhaps sooner or later, there might be alternatives to determine the crews which are part of these lengthy, supported FKTs. As you stated, there are such a lot of various things that they’re dealing with. And the distinction between unsupported and supported FKTs — they’re two completely different sports activities. You’re by your self within the unsupported effort, and it’s actually a crew within the supported effort.
Dower: Yeah, it’s within the identify. There are some FKTs you possibly can in all probability get away with, I imply you might be supported, nevertheless it’s not as essential. However I genuinely consider in these lengthy, supported FKTs, the crew is all the things.
iRunFar: Your story on iRunFar is the preferred information story within the final two years. I anticipate that you’re getting an infinite quantity of consideration. You made it clear that you simply have been doing this to elevate cash for the nonprofit Women on the Run and to attempt to unfold confidence amongst girls athletes. You have got an enormous platform to do this proper now, with lots of of hundreds of individuals listening. What do you wish to say?
Dower: I’m no scientist, however I consider girls have this particular reward of endurance that we haven’t absolutely tapped into but. I believe we’ve made enormous strides in that course. With Ann Trason and again, additional than her, these girls have been constructing on prime of one another simply seeing what is feasible, and it’s thrilling to assume we’re scratching the floor at this level. I’m inspired to see, earlier than I did this FKT, all the ladies pushing the bounds and all of those course information taking place in ultramarathons. So simply with Katie Schide, issues are getting loopy for ladies in endurance, and I’m so excited to see what is going to occur.
However I believe, going out right here, a giant aim of mine was to encourage and encourage. It’s tough for me to say, “I’m inspiring girls.” I don’t know why. I’ve to recover from that, nevertheless it was a giant aim of mine to indicate girls that we are able to get these total information.
I’ve heard that the longer the space, the extra even the enjoying discipline for the genders, and that’s simply thrilling for me. It’s not about beating the boys, however it’s about discovering our true potential. And there’s that benchmark with males, what they’ve finished in historical past, and it’s thrilling to see us constructing as much as that and seeing what girls are able to.
I hope that extra girls exit and do this robust aim. It doesn’t should be in working or endurance efforts, however I’m actually excited to see extra girls go after that Appalachian Path FKT and see how we are able to decrease that bar. So, I’m hoping that I encourage extra girls to go for that file or go for a run and see how far they’ll go.
Additionally, Women on the Run, I partnered with them for a cause, to have a direct affect on these communities of younger ladies. I bear in mind being a younger woman and virtually having this sense of, “I can do something,” after seeing Mia Hamm. “I wish to be a professional soccer participant like Mia Hamm.” I’ve benefited significantly from girls function fashions, and I hope to present again in that method and present those that issues are attainable. It’s a cool time to be in endurance sports activities as a lady.
Tara Dower stands on the Massive Bald highpoint, on the border of North Carolina and Tennessee.
iRunFar: You realize the Appalachian Path higher than anyone else at this actual second. You have been simply on it, and also you simply did it in a really condensed interval. So you will have consumed all of it just lately. What do you assume, down the street 5 years, 10 years, 15 years, what is feasible for a lady on the Appalachian Path?
Dower: That’s a fantastic query. I don’t know, however let’s see. Let me perform a little math right here. [laughs, pulls out calculator]
Okay, so I believe 37 days is feasible. That could be very aggressive. However I didn’t know, after New York, New Jersey, the place Rascal stated to me, “We’re bumping up the mileage.” So, at that time, I’m doing 57s, 58s, 59s, 60s [miles per day], and just about back-to-back, over and over. We have been relentless. Once I obtained to that time, I didn’t assume that was attainable in any respect, however we did it, and I did it with the encouragement of my crew. However who is aware of, 59-, 60-mile days, that might be attainable, particularly 15 or 20 years down the road. But in addition, I’m no scientist.
iRunFar: I believe these things is equal components science and instinct, and you’ve got plenty of instinct for this. Apart from, there isn’t any science for half these things proper now. Congratulations, Tara. I do know someday you’re going to really feel snug saying that you simply encourage individuals as a result of that’s already a reality. You encourage me, and you’ve got impressed many.
Dower: Thanks. I respect that.
