Tara Dower on Her Appalachian Trail FKT, Falling 200+ Times, and Her Crew

In today's episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, brought to you by Topo Athletic, we're joined by Tara Dower, the new holder of overall Fastest Known Time on the Appalachian Trail. Tara gives us the low down on every aspect of her recent record-breaking trek, including how she fell wildly behind pace after the first two states, her nutrition, her sleep habits (or lack thereof), how vital her crew was in her success, the criticism she's faced for "hiking too fast", running a 100-mile race just a few weeks prior to the attempt, and much more. Tara also goes into more depth on her backpacking and FKT background and we subject her to a pair of brutally awkward fornicate, marry, kill questions. Fun times all around.   We wrap the show with our triple crown of guilty pleasure songs, a stupid thing of the week (Zach hurts himself again), and the most unrealistic thing we thought we could be when we were kids.

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Interview with Tara “Candy Mama” Dower

• Tara's Instagram
• Tara's Website
• Tara's Youtube

Time stamps & Questions

00:05:55 - Reminders: Support us on Patreon for exclusive bonus content, join us in Denver on December 7th and apply to be a 2025 blogger!

00:07:55 - Introducing Tara

00:09:29 - Are you still recovering?

00:10:45 - What mantras did you have?

00:13:00 - What was your origin story in the outdoors?

00:17:12 - When did you decide to pursue the Mountains to Sea Trail FKT?

00:19:00 - Did you impress yourself at that moment?

00:21:30 - Tell us about getting off the AT because of anxiety

00:23:05 - How do you manage anxiety during an FKT att