17/01/2026
You donāt have to be Tara Dower to enter Zingela Trail Run this year. If you have a pair of takkies, a sense of adventure, love great food and have an appreciation of the bush, youāll fit right in! Grab your entry on Howler by following the links from our web site: www.zingelatrailrun.co.za š
54 miles. Every single day. For 40 days straight. Up mountains. Through darkness. On 90-second naps. She just became the fastest person alive to run the Appalachian Trail. August 12, 2024. Mount Katahdin, Maine. Tara Dower stood at the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, staring down 2,189 miles of wilderness stretching to Georgia. Most people take 5-7 months to hike this trail. Walking 10-15 miles per day. Taking rest days. Enjoying the journey. Tara was about to run it in 40 days. That meant averaging 54 miles every single day on America's most brutal trail. Through 14 states. Over 464,500 vertical feetāclimbing Mount Everest from sea level sixteen times. Rocky terrain. Root-covered paths. Sections so steep they require ropes and ladders. Boulder fields where you scramble over rocks like obstacles. And Tara was going to run it. Every. Single. Day. For 40 days straight:3:30 AM: Wake up in darkness
17 hours: Run and hike until 8:30-9:30 PM
90-second "dirt naps": Literally lie down on the trail for rest
A few hours of sleep: Then do it all againImagine running two marathons daily for 40 consecutive days. Except you're not on pavementāyou're climbing mountains, descending rocky slopes, navigating roots and boulders, in rain, heat, cold, and darkness. Between crew meetings at road crossingsāsometimes 20+ miles apartāTara was alone in the wilderness, pushing her body beyond what most humans think possible. But this wasn't just about records. Tara used her attempt to raise over $21,000 for Girls on the Runāan organization inspiring girls to be confident, joyful, and healthy. "I hope more women get out there," she said. "It's not about beating men, it's about finding our true potential. And if you beat the men, that's an extra bonus. "She was chasing two records: The previous overall Fastest Known Time: Karel Sabbe's 41 days, 7 hours, 39 minutes (2018)The previous women's FKT: Jennifer Pharr Davis's 46 days, 11 hours, 20 minutes (2011)Tara was attempting to break both. Day after day, she pushed forward. Through rain in Maine and New Hampshire that put her 100 miles behind pace. Through moments when she cried and begged her crew chief Rascal for fewer miles. Through exhaustion that made every step agony. But Rascal never let up. The crew believed when Tara didn't. They pushed her to 56, 57, 58, 59, even 60-mile days. And slowly, impossibly, she caught up. In the final 129 miles, with the record within reach, Tara didn't sleep at all. She ran through the night, terrified she'd fall and ruin everything her crew had sacrificed for. September 21, 2024, 11:52 PM. After 40 days, 18 hours, and 5 minutes, Tara Dower emerged from the darkness on Springer Mountain, Georgia.2,189 miles completed.
54 miles per day averaged.
464,500 vertical feet climbed.
Countless 90-second dirt naps instead of real rest.
Three showers total in 40 days. Exhausted. Jubilant. Overwhelmed. She fell to her knees and put her hands on the bronze plaque marking the trail's southern terminus: "A footpath for those who seek fellowship with the wilderness. "For 40 days, she'd sought that fellowship. For 40 days, she'd punished her body in ways most people can't fathom. For 40 days, she'd proven something extraordinary. She'd broken both records. Tara Dower was the fastest person in historyāmale or femaleāto complete the Appalachian Trail. She'd beaten Karel Sabbe's time by 13 hours. The first woman to hold the overall record since Jennifer Pharr Davis in 2015.But what she proved goes beyond records: Women don't just compete with men in ultra-enduranceāthey win. The human body, properly trained and supported, is capable of incomprehensible things.54 miles per day for 40 straight days on brutal terrain is humanly possibleāif you're willing to pay the price. The limits we think exist are often limits we've been told exist. The Statistics:2,189 miles
40 days, 18 hours, 5 minutes
54 miles per day average
464,500 feet of elevation gain (16 Everests)
17-hour days
3:30 AM starts
90-second "dirt naps"
3 showers in 40 days
14 states crossed
$21,000+ raised for Girls on the Run
Fastest person in historyTara Dower: 31, Virginia BeachWho woke at 3:30 AM for 40 days straight.
Who ran 54 miles daily on America's most brutal trail.
Who took 90-second "dirt naps" lying on the ground.
Who climbed Everest sixteen times worth of elevation.
Who cried and begged for fewer miles but kept going.
Who didn't sleep for the final 129 miles.
Who raised over $21,000 for girls' empowerment.
Who became the fastest person alive to complete the Appalachian Trail.
Who shattered both the women's and overall records.
Who fell to her knees and touched a plaque about seeking fellowship with wilderness. September 21, 2024: The day Tara Dower rewrote human limits. Try running 54 miles once. She did it 40 times in a row. Through rain. Through mountains. Through darkness. Through exhaustion that made most people quit. "It's not about beating men, it's about finding our true potential. "She found hers. And it was faster than anyone in history.
