On September 21, Dower became the fastest person in history to complete the Appalachian Trail, a 2,189-mile path through the eastern United States.
Minutes before midnight on Saturday evening, Tara Dower emerged from the forest on Springer Mountain in Blue Ridge, Georgia. Trudging through the darkness, the 31-year-old wore a headlamp to navigate the last section of the Appalachian Trail—a beacon in the homestretch of a legendary journey. With thousands of miles behind her, Dower fell to her knees and put her hands on the finish, a bronze plaque that reads, “A footpath for those who seek fellowship with the wilderness.
“I had this huge crew that was with me that was putting everything into this, their time and money, and bodies into this effort. I was nervous I would fall and mess it up,” Dower said while describing how she bounced back from several tumbles on the trail. “I didn’t believe would happen until the last three miles.”To help distract her, Dower asked her pacers to talk to her about anything other than the record.
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