Artwork for Borderlands Trail and Ultra Running

Borderlands Trail and Ultra Running · August 20 · 40 min

With Tara Dower | Built Different

Ultra running rewards obsession, but Tara Dower seems wired for something beyond results. She wants to solve hard problems, chase the best competition, run faster, and keep finding out what she’s capable of. Tara joins me to talk Western States, her planned Pacific Coast Trail attempt, why she hasn’t raced UTMB, learning from Karl Meltzer, and her evolution with Altra from the Lone Peak to the new Vanish Carbon 3. Underneath it all is a bigger question: as Tara becomes one of the defining athletes of modern ultra running, what parts of herself does she want to keep? For ultra runners interested in the people shaping where the sport goes next. Please give us a follow, rate the podcast, and give a review. If you’re new to Borderlands, start here. This episode is in partnership with Altra for the release of its new super road shoe the Vanish Carbon 3 - a light, responsive, and efficient race day shoe made for PRs. Topics / Timestamps 00:00 Introduction 02:54 Tara Dower Has Always Been Stubborn 07:07 The Problem Solving Mind of Tara Dower 09:06 Results vs. A Life of Interesting Running 13:38 Why Tara Dower Hasn't Raced UTMB 17:54 The Problem with Pro Trail Running 20:07 Why Ultrarunners Want to Run Fast | Altra Vanish Carbon 3 30:31 What Speedgoat Taught Tara 36:40 What Tara Dower Wants Her Legacy to Be Resources / Links Altra Vanish Carbon 3 Tara Dower Lives Between Two Worlds by Bryce Carlson Salt Lake Foothills Trail Races Borderlands.cc Thumbnail Photo by Pete Schreiner Related Episodes Ultra Running isn't Just Running Presented by Kiprun. ---- Borderlands explores trail running through culture, media, and the forces shaping it. Watch on YouTube Read on Substack

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Tara joins me to talk Western States, her planned Pacific Coast Trail attempt, why she hasn’t raced UTMB, learning from Karl Meltzer, and her evolution with Altra from the Lone Peak to the new Vanish Carbon 3. Underneath it all is a bigger question: as Tara becomes one of the defining athletes of modern ultra running, what parts of herself does she want to keep?

For ultra runners interested in the people shaping where the sport goes next.

Please give us a follow, rate the podcast, and give a review.

If you’re new to Borderlands, start here.

This episode is in partnership with Altra for the release of its new super road shoe the Vanish Carbon 3 - a light, responsive, and efficient race day shoe made for PRs.