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In her deeply inspiring memoir, the ultrarunner who covered more than fifty miles a day on the Appalachian Trail for forty straight days tells the story of her gutsy, transcendent, and record-shattering odyssey.

Tara Dower shocked the endurance running community when she set what’s referred to as the Fastest Known Time on the Appalachian Trail. It was 2024, when she was a little-known athlete who still worked at her local REI. Everyone wanted to know: how did this young woman just redefine what was considered possible for one of world’s hardest and most respected physical challenges, beating everyone who’d tried it, men included?

Fastest Known Time is Dower’s day-by-day account of her incredible feat. It includes the highs of living on her favorite trail, experiencing stunning sunsets and breathtaking views with friends by her side. It is raw and honest about the lows, including blisters so bad they should go by a different name and hallucination-inducing fatigue. But at its heart, it’s an emotional journey.

Shortly before leaving for the trail, Dower’s marriage began to disintegrate. She didn’t let that stop her. With her crew of trusted friends and family, she set out from Maine and put one foot in front of the other. By the time she reached Georgia she had not only proven her grit and determination, she’d shown the world that with the right people supporting us, we all have the capacity to overcome doubt, push through discomfort, and achieve our dreams.

The Benton MacKaye Trail is a 289 mile path that runs from the Great Smoky Mountain National Park to Springer Mountain in Georgia. A more secluded trail compared to its much longer brother, The Appalachian Trail. After learning of its history and novelty, Tara Dower asked the usual question common amongst trail runners “how fast can I complete it?” This question sparks her pursuit to set the Fastest Known Time (FKT) on the BMT. The adventure that follows gives insight to the requirements of setting an FKT. Long days and nights, violent thunderstorms, search parties, broken down cars and hallucinations are only a few of the hurdles Tara and her crew have to overcome in order to achieve the goal set before them. This book includes two forms of storytelling. A short story written by Dower as she recounts her adventure hiking an average of 60 miles per day, as well as stunning photography from Pete Schreiner. The photos give a glimpse into the complexities of FKTs, beauty of the Benton Mackaye Trail, and persistence of an athlete and her crew.