SHENANDOAH NATIONAL PARK, VA (Rocktown Now) — 31-year-old Tara Dower of Virginia has set the record for fastest known time (FKT) hiking the Appalachian Trail.
The Virginia native hiked the 2,168-mile trail in 40 days, 18 hours, and 5 minutes. That distance usually takes a person 5 to 7 months to complete. The total elevation climbed equals to about 16 Mount Everests.
Dower started her journey on August 12 in Maine at Mount Kathadin and finished on September 23. She averaged about 51 miles a day, which is 2 full marathons, and beat the record that was previously held by Karel Sabbe in 2018 by 13 hours.
Tara would begin running at about 3am every morning and run until as late as 10pm a night. She says her 90 second dirt naps would get her through the days.
The 31-year-old didn’t do this just for the title though, she wanted to raise money for Girls on the Run, a nonprofit program that inspires girls from all backgrounds through running. Her goal was originally $20,000 and ended with $21,076.
