Tara Dower Made History on the Appalachian Trail (AT FKT)

Tara Dower is a trail runner and thru-hiker from Virginia. Last week, Tara Dower managed to lower the overall Fastest Known Time on the Appalachian Trail (AT), previously held by the legend Karel Sabbe, by 13hrs. This is her first appearance on the podcast.

Topics discussed:

Tara’s background
Her failed attempt to thru hike the AT in 2017 and her struggles with anxiety
Her relationships with former record holders like Karl Meltzer & Jenn Pharr-Davis
Her decision to go southbound instead of northbound
Doing Hardrock only three weeks before the attempt
Her slow start and need to make up a lot of time
We talk about her crew known as chump change and her crew chief Rascal
The saying that “the trail provides” and what that means practically
Compare and contrast her strategy with Karrel Sabbe’s
The character of the trail itself, what makes the AT different
We talk about the practical tactics of sleep and self care
A lot more!

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