# @outdoor_life on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DBcoq8OswK6
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/24236750-outdoor-life-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/e45773e7fd.jpg
- **Posted:** 2024-10-23T01:00:23.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Outdoor Life (@outdoor_life) — https://gondola.cc/outdoor_life

## Caption

Tara Dower completed the AT in 40 days, 18 hours, and 6 minutes, setting the fastest known time for the 2,189-mile trail that includes 465,000 feet of vertical gain.⁠
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A typical day for Dower started at 3 a.m. “Rascal, the crew chief, would wake up and start feeding me whatever breakfast she made the night before,” Dower says. Megan “Rascal” Wilmarth, is a fellow AT thru-hiker and ultramarathoner who took the lead on the logistics of Dower’s record-setting run. “And as she’s physically feeding me, I would slap Leuko tape on my feet and get my shoes and socks on. It would be about 30 minutes to get prepared and warm up for a couple minutes.” She was on trail by 3:30 a.m., often with a pacer who would carry her food and water. Dower would meet her crew about six times throughout the day at different road crossings to refuel.⁠
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Tap the link in profile for the full story 🔗⁠
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#hiking #thruhiking #appalachiantrail #hiker #trailhiking #outdoors #nature #outdoorlife⁠
📷: tara.dower⁠
Story by: Laura Lancaster

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 2,654
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## Tags

outdoors, nature, hiking, hiker, appalachiantrail, trailhiking, thruhiking, outdoorlife

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