TUM DirectoryBy The Ultra Minute

Athlete

Tara Dower

Ultrarunner

An ultrarunner and long-distance hiker, also known by the trail name Candy Mama. Her route-running background includes a supported southbound Appalachian Trail FKT completed in September 2024.

55 TUM reports · Published coverage below

Publication history

Coverage over time

37 editorial issues

Distinct issues per publication month. Each issue counts once.

Tara Dower — monthly TUM coverageFrom Jul 2024 through Nov 2026. Highest month: 5 issues. Exact counts are provided in the accessible chart description.Jul 2024: 0 editorial issuesAug 2024: 1 editorial issueSep 2024: 2 editorial issuesOct 2024: 1 editorial issueNov 2024: 3 editorial issuesDec 2024: 2 editorial issuesJan 2025: 1 editorial issueFeb 2025: 4 editorial issuesMar 2025: 0 editorial issuesApr 2025: 1 editorial issueMay 2025: 1 editorial issueJun 2025: 3 editorial issuesJul 2025: 2 editorial issuesAug 2025: 2 editorial issuesSep 2025: 1 editorial issueOct 2025: 1 editorial issueNov 2025: 0 editorial issuesDec 2025: 0 editorial issuesJan 2026: 0 editorial issuesFeb 2026: 0 editorial issuesMar 2026: 0 editorial issuesApr 2026: 0 editorial issuesMay 2026: 1 editorial issueJun 2026: 3 editorial issuesJul 2026: 5 editorial issuesAug 2026: 0 editorial issuesSep 2026: 1 editorial issueOct 2026: 1 editorial issueNov 2026: 1 editorial issue
Jul 2024Peak 5Nov 2026

Monthly editorial issue counts: Jul 2024: 0; Aug 2024: 1; Sep 2024: 2; Oct 2024: 1; Nov 2024: 3; Dec 2024: 2; Jan 2025: 1; Feb 2025: 4; Mar 2025: 0; Apr 2025: 1; May 2025: 1; Jun 2025: 3; Jul 2025: 2; Aug 2025: 2; Sep 2025: 1; Oct 2025: 1; Nov 2025: 0; Dec 2025: 0; Jan 2026: 0; Feb 2026: 0; Mar 2026: 0; Apr 2026: 0; May 2026: 1; Jun 2026: 3; Jul 2026: 5; Aug 2026: 0; Sep 2026: 1; Oct 2026: 1; Nov 2026: 1.

Sponsor mentions, repeated links and polls are excluded. Credits within editorial items may count. Read the supporting timeline ↓

In The Ultra Minute

Newest first

Published in TUM

Accepted 2027 tickets and historical 2025 records

TUM retained Tara Dower’s 2025 Javelina women’s 13:31:47 course record as the benchmark; Jackson’s 2026 win did not break it.

Published in TUM

Dower’s Appalachian Trail memoir and Newlon’s editing account

Gallery Books lists Tara Dower’s Fastest Known Time: 40 Days on the Appalachian Trail for March 30, 2027. The book recounts her 2024 effort. Kelly Newlon of RAD Boulder is identified as her agent and describes reading it through editing.

Published in TUM

Dower’s return to running

TUM linked Tara Dower’s own update about returning after time off and rebuilding trust in her body.

Published in TUM

Derstine writes from Dower’s Hardrock crew

Derstine’s crew account described Dower’s aid-station support, climb over Little Giant and eventual finish.

Published in TUM

Grant-Swamp descent videos

Pictured switching to a seated slide in the Distances+ video; no finish or affiliation is asserted.

Published in TUM

Arnold and Dower complete the Hardrock women’s podium

Third woman at Hardrock in 33:02:04, 13 days after sixth woman at Western States. Altra’s double claim is explicitly restricted to races fewer than two weeks apart.

Published in TUM

iRunFar previews Hardrock and interviews Arnold, Pommeret and Elam

Named in iRunFar’s Hardrock women’s preview.

Published in TUM

Dower and Brady’s Western States accounts

Dower described hamstring trouble and running with Abby Hall. COROS’ Brady story covered a patient runner-up effort and managing sensory overload, blurred vision and vomiting; symptoms remain attributed.

Published in TUM

Western States women’s podium and top ten

Tara Dower: Named women’s top10. Dated June 29 reporting; other editions and later outcomes remain distinct.

Published in TUM

Freetrail’s Western States previews and interviews

Tara Dower: Pre-race interview. Dated June 25 reporting; historical context, plans and later outcomes remain distinct.

Earlier coverage (45)
Published in TUM

Singletrack’s Western States media

Tara Dower: Linked interview or conversation. Dated June 25 reporting; historical context, plans and later outcomes remain distinct.

Published in TUM

Western States women’s preview

Tara Dower was named in the Women of Distance Western States preview segments.

Published in TUM

Dower’s double-race preparation

Tara Dower shared uphill treadmill preparation for Western States and Hardrock using a simulated-altitude setup. Training does not establish an ascent, race start or finish.

Published in TUM

The 2025 Javelina course-record podiums

TUM reported Tara Dower: Women’s win · course record 13:31:47 at the 2025 100-mile Javelina Jundred.

Event date: 2025 · TUM publication: October 30, 2025

Published in TUM

Dower’s 2025 Long Trail and Javelina sequence

TUM recalled Tara Dower’s August Long Trail FKT and earlier Mammoth stop before her 2025 Javelina win and seventh overall finish.

Published in TUM

Golden Tickets and a dated eligibility report

TUM reported Dower earning a Golden Ticket after her 2025 Javelina win.

Published in TUM

Singletrack’s Javelina reaction and Dower interview

Singletrack released a 2025 Javelina reaction episode and a Tara Dower interview. The speakers’ weather theory remains attributed analysis.

Published in TUM

Dower’s 2025 Long Trail FKT

TUM reported her 2025 Long Trail overall FKT of 3d18h29m.

Published in TUM

Morgan abandons the FKT goal

TUM cited Dower’s AT mark as the target Morgan had conceded.

Published in TUM

Dower’s Long Trail start precedes her result

TUM reported her supported Long Trail attempt starting in August 2025; retain this beneath the later finish.

Published in TUM

Different Long Trail support categories

TUM previewed a 2025 supported Long Trail attempt before its later result.

Published in TUM

Garmire starts the 2025 AT attempt

TUM compared her supported AT mark with a separate self-supported category.

Published in TUM

Dower’s 2025 award

TUM reported Tara Dower receiving the 2025 Amelia Earhart Pioneering Achievement Award for her Appalachian Trail FKT.

Published in TUM

A planned Mammoth 200 meeting

TUM reported Rachel Entrekin’s plan to race Mammoth 200 against Tara Dower. An entry/plan is not a final result.

Event date: 2025 · TUM publication: July 4, 2025

Published in TUM

Dower’s dated pre-race health report

TUM linked Tara Dower’s self-report of a cold before Western States 2025 and Corrine Malcolm’s preview assessment. Neither prediction nor sports analogy establishes a result or current diagnosis.

Event date: 2025 · TUM publication: June 27, 2025

Published in TUM

Kelly’s earlier Appalachian Trail checkpoint

TUM reported John Kelly beyond 1,700 miles in June 2025, with Sean Cate comparing his pace to Tara Dower’s benchmark. The later 1,882-mile stopped attempt qualifies this progress snapshot.

Event date: 2025 · TUM publication: June 24, 2025

Published in TUM

Mammoth’s 2025 go-ahead

Appeared on the 2025 Mammoth entrant list before her later stop in that edition.

Event date: 2025 · TUM publication: June 6, 2025

Published in TUM

Subertas finishes fifth

Haroldas Subertas told Tara Dower on Cocodona’s second day that he had pushed too hard early; he went on to finish fifth overall in 2025.

Published in TUM

Kelly’s northbound AT plan

TUM cited her 2024 record-setting route as opposite Kelly’s planned northbound direction.

Event date: 2024 · TUM publication: April 9, 2025

Published in TUM

Red Hot’s separate race results and DNF Diaries

Volunteered at Red Hot Ultra, then won the 15K with a reported course record of 1:06; also launched DNF Diaries.

Event date: 2025 · TUM publication: February 27, 2025

Published in TUM

Dower shares her Black Canyon weekend

Published a Black Canyon 100K race-weekend video after her second-place Golden Ticket finish, discussing her approach to suffering.

Published in TUM

Dower’s 8:25:08 second place in the women’s category

Finished second in the women’s category at Black Canyon 100K in 8:25:08, under the prior record; TUM recalled her earlier overall AT fastest known time.

Event date: 2025 · TUM publication: February 14, 2025

Published in TUM

The coaching detail behind two fast finishes

Ran 8:25:08 below the prior record and was coached by Megan Roche in this February 2025 account.

Event date: 2025 · TUM publication: February 14, 2025

Published in TUM

Dower shares her Black Canyon playlist

Shared the linked Comatose at Black Canyon 100K playlist after her runner-up race.

Event date: 2025 · TUM publication: February 14, 2025

Published in TUM

Women of Distance’s Black Canyon interviews

Women of Distance linked two pre-race interview episodes with Emkay Sullivan, Heather Jackson, Tara Dower, Mary Denholm, Abby Hall and Jane Maus.

Published in TUM

Jornet’s attributed 2024 inspirations

TUM summarized Kilian Jornet’s personal list of inspiring 2024 athletes, including Ludovic Pommeret, Katie Schide, Elhousine Elazzaoui, David Roche andTara Dower. Fans noted Jasmin Paris’s omission. This is an attributed opinion list, not an official ranking or a new race result.

Event date: 2024 · TUM publication: January 2, 2025

Published in TUM

iRunFar’s 2024 retrospective

TUM linked iRunFar’s 2024 story roundup, mentioning Tara Dower, Jasmin Paris, David Roche, Katie Schide andCourtney Olsen. The retrospective is not a freshly completed performance and does not refresh their source clocks.

Event date: 2024 · TUM publication: January 2, 2025

Published in TUM

Dower’s announced 2025 ambitions

Tara Dower announced a 2025 Long Trail FKT ambition and hoped to earn a WesternStates GoldenTicket. TUM’s suggested training sequence was commentary; neither the plan nor that interpretation is an actual start or completion.

Event date: 2025 · TUM publication: January 2, 2025

Published in TUM

Seashore’s overall and women’s winners

Mike Kapetanakis won the Seashore 50K overall in 3:39:58. Tara Dower was the first woman and second overall in 3:45:17, her first race reported since her Appalachian Trail FKT. These source-year results stay below later racing.

Published in TUM

Dower’s reported Altra renewal

TUM relayed a December 2024 report of Tara Dower’s multi-year Altra renewal. The stated compensation was an outside estimate, not a disclosed verified contract amount; no amount is promoted into her biography.

Published in TUM

Dower’s reported fundraising milestone

TUM reported a $100,257 milestone for her Appalachian Trail fundraiser benefiting Girls on the Run, including $45,000 from Altra.

Published in TUM

Dower recalls her first Appalachian Trail outing

TUM recommended Dower’s beginner-focused throwback to her first Appalachian Trail outing.

Published in TUM

Chase examines Dower’s Appalachian Trail data

Chase’s linked analysis examined Dower’s prior Appalachian Trail FKT and her daily time moving; this is analysis, not a new attempt or current-record recheck.

Published in TUM

Dower shares her Appalachian Trail FKT experience

Shared a video about her experience setting the Appalachian Trail FKT.

Published in TUM

Dower at the Appalachian Trail finish

The caption placed Tara Dower at Springer Mountain’s southern terminus after her reported record finish and credited her exact @tara.dower account.

Published in TUM

Dower’s completed Appalachian Trail record

Completed the Appalachian Trail in 40 days 18 hours 5 minutes in the September 2024 report, surpassing the cited overall benchmark.

Published in TUM

Dower’s Girls on the Run fundraiser

TUM linked Dower’s fundraising for Girls on the Run and described the nonprofit’s work empowering girls through physical activity.

Published in TUM

Outside’s Dower record coverage

TUM linked Outside’s article on Tara Dower’s backstory and Appalachian Trail record.

Published in TUM

iRunFar on Dower’s crew and mission

TUM recommended iRunFar’s coverage of Dower’s crew support and her mission to inspire girls and women.

Published in TUM

Trappe examines the record’s marketing potential

Her achievement was the subject of Trappe’s marketing analysis; no new contract was announced.

Published in TUM

Altra announced matching funds

TUM identified Altra as Dower’s sponsor and reported its announced match of her Girls on the Run fundraising.

Published in TUM

Melanson interviews Dower on Singletrack

Finn Melanson interviewed Tara Dower in an approximately 90-minute Singletrack episode after her record report.

Published in TUM

Dower’s linked video channel

TUM recommended Tara Dower’s @taratreks YouTube channel.

Published in TUM

Dower’s interim Appalachian Trail progress

TUM reported Dower with 500 miles remaining on her Appalachian Trail FKT attempt, based on an update three days earlier. This is an interim checkpoint, preceding her later completion.

Published in TUM

Dower’s 2024 Appalachian Trail start and fundraiser

The August 12, 2024 issue announced her Appalachian Trail FKT start that morning and a Girls on the Run fundraiser; the later completed outcome is separate.

Repeated links & other mentions (2)
Repeated link

Repeated Dower book link

The most-viewed module repeated the link to Dower’s Fastest Known Time book; it did not report a new route result.

Repeated link

Derstine’s Hardrock crewing account — repeated link

Repeated link to Liz Derstine’s account of crewing Tara Dower at Hardrock, distinct from a new race result.

Connections

Connection in this dated account

Kelly Newlon

Gallery Books lists Tara Dower’s Fastest Known Time: 40 Days on the Appalachian Trail for March 30, 2027. The book recounts her 2024 effort. Kelly Newlon of RAD Boulder is identified as her agent and describes reading it through editing.

Source

Memoir publication planned March 30, 2027

Gallery Books

Gallery Books lists Tara Dower’s Fastest Known Time: 40 Days on the Appalachian Trail for March 30, 2027. The book recounts her 2024 effort. Kelly Newlon of RAD Boulder is identified as her agent and describes reading it through editing.

Source

Connection in this dated account

Liz Derstine

Wrote about her first experience crewing a professional runner, supporting Dower through Hardrock’s aid stations and finish.

Source

Crew essay describes reaching the finish

Hardrock 100

Derstine’s crew account described Dower’s aid-station support, climb over Little Giant and eventual finish.

Source
Sources & notes

Facts above link directly to their sources. Published TUM dates and public-source check dates describe different things.

Public background sources checked October 16, 2026. The selection contains 127 published issues.

TUM describes time moving; Chase’s analysis defines the daily Strava measure as elapsed time from the start to the end of each GPX recording. It is not verified as pure moving time.

Interface icons: Lucide · ISC license.

Public background & sources Checked October 16, 2026

Career context from two original public sources. TUM’s dated reporting appears below.

  1. 2019

    From thru-hiking to ultrarunning

    Dower traces the Candy Mama trail name to her 2019 Appalachian Trail thru-hike, before her later focus on ultramarathons and FKTs.

    Tara Dower Undated athlete biography

  2. September 21, 2024

    An Appalachian Trail FKT

    The FKT record lists her supported southbound finish at 40 days, 18 hours and 6 minutes. This is the registry’s dated result.

    Fastest Known Time / Tara Dower Finish September 21, 2024; publication timestamp not stated

This is a limited career snapshot, checked October 16, 2026. Source publication dates and event dates are shown separately.

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