I grew up in the northwest corner of New Jersey, running on the Appalachian Trail (AT). The famous white paint blazes of the AT cut through the woods behind my high school campus, and I spent an inordinate amount of time on those trails. On special days, I encountered thru-hikers — travel-weary, mesmerizing figures who had often covered more miles in a day than I had in a week.
I ran the AT on weekends and throughout the summers — ascending and descending muddy trails, tripping, tumbling, scanning the horizon for bears, and retracing my steps when I got lost. I took my non-running friends there on hikes. Eventually, my now-husband proposed to me on my favorite hometown AT summit.
Sabrina Little running the Appalachian Trail with her brother (left) and husband David. Photo courtesy of Sabrina Little.
The point is, I know the AT well — particularly the New Jersey sections from my childhood and now some of the Virginia trails in adulthood. I know that, for even the most vigilant person, it is easy to lose the trail. I know that, even on dry days, your feet are somehow wet, and I know that it is wise to assume that every stick is a snake until proven otherwise.
On the AT, you need a plan to evade loose dogs, and descents often take longer than ascents because roots and rocks are perilous. The Appalachian Trail is one of the most beautiful, varied trails in the world. It is also thoroughly challenging.
If I didn’t know the AT in these ways, I would still be impressed by Tara Dower’s latest trek. But because I know the trail so well, I am captivated by it. No endurance feat in recent memory even comes close.
The Lessons
On September 21, 2024, Tara Dower set a new overall, supported fastest known time (FKT) on the Appalachian Trail. Her time of 40 days, 18 hours, and six minutes eclipsed that of every other human who has ever undertaken the route. In total, Tara traversed 2,197 miles southward, journeying from Mount Katahdin in Maine to Springer Mountain in Georgia. Her trek also totaled 465,000 feet of vertical gain, and she averaged nearly 54 miles per day.
There are many things I could highlight about a feat of this magnitude, and I am sure a physiologist or other specialist would point out different things than I will. As a moral philosopher, I want to draw attention to three things we learn from Tara about character.
Tara Dower, after setting an overall supported fastest known time on the Appalachian Trail. Photo: Pete Schreiner/@schreinertrailphotography
We Depend On One Another
In the wake her success, Tara spoke of “we” instead of “I.” She praised her crew for making the journey possible, and she referred to herself as a “race car.” Her crew chief was the boss (1).
From Tara, we are reminded that the trope of the lonely distance runner is mostly false. We are vulnerable absent each other’s support, and we can travel much further together. This was perhaps especially true in Tara’s case. She had a team of pacers, planners, and people to assist with the logistics of eating and sleeping. But this is true for all of us. We are not self-caused. We depend on the people in our lives who support us — materially and emotionally.
Philosopher Craig Boyd describes an epistemic (knowledge) error that pride sometimes commits: The proud person may imagine she is independent and fail to understand “how one’s life is fragile and dependent on many factors beyond one’s control (2).” From Tara, we see acknowledged dependence and gratitude for the people who made her trek possible.
Tara Dower (right) with her crew chief, Rascal, at the northern end of the Appalachian Trail. Photo courtesy of Rascal.
Striving Can Be Consistent With a Good Character
Something special about Tara’s feat was that she was direct in stating her goal — wanting to set the overall supported record. She confessed she had doubts and knew that things could go wrong (3). Nevertheless, she was forthright in stating that she would attempt the record. This is an important reminder — that striving for great feats can be consistent with having a good character.
The running world (and culture more broadly) has an uneasy relationship with excellence. It seems like we can’t decide whether aspiration is presumptuous or something we should celebrate as admirable. We praise great feats once they are completed. Yet we also sometimes speak as though setting big goals or wanting to be excellent is a bad thing. We speak as if humility requires that we set modest objectives and act as though we have low self-esteem, deflecting compliments and suppressing aspirations (4).
But, considering yourself worthy of the great things that you are, in fact, worthy of is not a vice. It is a classical virtue — magnanimity. If done well, striving is perfectly compatible with a good character.
Love Is a Better Motivator Than Duty
If you are a runner, you have probably been praised for your discipline — for forcing yourself out the door on a daily basis to get a run in. (How unpleasant!) And if you are a runner, you probably feel a disconnect between how your motivations are perceived and what actually gets you out the door most days — a love of the run.
The author running on a frosty section of the Appalachian Trail, near her hometown. Photo courtesy of Sabrina Little.
In one interview, Tara remarked, “A lot of people like to think this attempt was just grueling the entire time. But I don’t think people realize that I absolutely love the Appalachian Trail, and I wanted to be out there (5).”
This is a good reminder for us. Duty and responsibility can take us far, and sometimes they are required to keep us going through low-motivation periods or on difficult days. But it is tiring to have to continually act from a force of will. It is easier to love the right things and let your loves dictate your actions.
Final Thoughts
Learning from exemplars — exceptional people like Tara — is invaluable. Exemplars demonstrate what excellence is and how we might become more excellent ourselves, and they motivate us to become likewise excellent. I am grateful for Tara Dower for her incredible feat. Knowing how tough the AT is, I am certainly impressed, and I know there is a lot more we can learn from her.
Call for Comments
Have you any lessons to add to the above that you took from Tara’s amazing feat?
Notes/References
- Meghan Hicks. 28 September 2024. “Strong Self-Belief and an Even Stronger Crew: An Interview with Tara Dower on Her Appalachian Trail FKT.” iRunFar.com. Web <https://www.irunfar.com/tara-dower-appalachian-trail-fkt-2024-interview> Accessed 3 October 2024. See also Daniel Wu. 2 October 2024. Hiking the Appalachian Trail often takes 6 months. She did it in 40 days. The Washington Post. Web <https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/10/02/appalachian-trail-record-40-days/> Accessed 3 October 2024.
- A. Boyd. 2014. “Pride and Humility,” in Virtues and Their Vices, ed. K. Timpe and C.A. Boyd. Oxford University Press, p. 250.
- Meghan Hicks. 28 September 2024. “Strong Self-Belief and an Even Stronger Crew: An Interview with Tara Dower on Her Appalachian Trail FKT.” iRunFar.com. Web <https://www.irunfar.com/tara-dower-appalachian-trail-fkt-2024-interview> Accessed 3 October 2024.
- See S. Little. 15 September 2021. “The Trappings of Magnanimity.” iRunFar.com. Web <https://www.irunfar.com/the-trappings-of-magnanimity> Accessed 3 October 2024.
- Daniel Wu. 2 October 2024. “Hiking the Appalachian Trail often takes six months. She did it in 40 days.” The Washington Post. Web <https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/10/02/appalachian-trail-record-40-days/> Accessed 3 October 2024
