Episode Details

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 attempt?

00:24:25 - Were you tough growing up?

00:26:45 - What inspired you to want to continue pursuing FKTs?

00:29:55 - Tell us about the John Muir Trail

00:31:20 - What part of running do you dislike the most?

00:32:30 - Tell us about the Benton MacKaye Trail FKT

00:34:40 - Tell us about the Colorado Trail FKT

00:36:20 - Discussion about support classifications

00:40:25 - How do you deal with critics?

00:44:30 - How did the Colorado Trail change your outlook on future FKTs?

00:46:00 - When did you decide to go after the AT FKT?

00:48:38 - Did you initially plan to beat the overall record?

00:50:08 - Were you intimidated by others who tried and failed to beat the record?

00:51:30 - Did you notice a transition in social media as you were running?

00:55:18 - Why did your anxiety influence which direction you went?

00:57:20 - How long before you started was the Hard Rock?

01:00:00 - What was it like going through Mahoosuc Notch at FKT pace?

01:01:44 - Tell us about being behind pace at first

01:05:27 - How did your crew chief motivate you?

01:07:03 - Did you ever disagree about decisions?