In 2011, North Carolina’s Jennifer Pharr Davis became the first woman to set the Appalachian Trail speed record, completing the 2,185-mile trek in 46 days, 11 hours and 20 minutes. Her feat helped land her a coveted spot among National Geographic’s 2012 “Adventurers of the Year.”
Her record has since been broken several times over (it now stands at 41 days, 7 hours and 39 minutes), though Pharr Davis still holds the record for fastest female time. Still, she says she doesn’t like to claim it.
“That’s not the record I went for,” the 36-year-old says.
The AT taught her to think outside the confines of society; more specifically, what society told her she could accomplish as a woman.
In order to achieve the AT speed record, Jennifer Pharr Davis had to maintain an average of 47 miles per day.“The trail doesn’t treat anyone special. It doesn’t care who you are. The trail is truly limitless,” she says.