She Averaged 60 Miles a Day for 40 Days Straight to Set an Overall Appalachian Trail Speed Record
4 min read · RealCase summary
Tara Dower, 31 and from North Carolina, failed her first attempt at the Appalachian Trail in 2017, dropping out after just 80 miles following a panic attack. She returned in 2019 with her husband and completed a thru-hike over more than five months, earning the trail name "Candy Mama."
In her fastest-known-time attempt, Dower covered the trail's full 2,197.4 miles — with 464,500 feet of elevation gain, equivalent to climbing Mount Everest 16 times, across 14 states from Maine to Georgia — averaging roughly 60 miles a day, supported by a two-person core crew and 40-50 pacers along the way.
She finished on September 21st at 11:53 pm with a supported FKT of 40 days, 18 hours, and 5 minutes, breaking the previous overall record (set by Karel Sabbe) by more than 13 hours and claiming both the women's and men's records outright.
"Doing an FKT requires a lot of self-motivation," she said. Along the way, she also raised over $29,000 for Girls on the Run, well past her $20,000 goal.
Key takeaways
- ›Covered the full 2,197.4-mile (3,536 km) Appalachian Trail across 14 states in a single continuous push
- ›Averaged roughly 60 miles (96.5 km) a day, climbing a cumulative 464,500 feet (141,579 m) — about 16 times up Mount Everest
- ›Finished in 40 days, 18 hours, 5 minutes on September 21, 2024, breaking the previous overall (not just women's) record by more than 13 hours
Original source
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