Someone from Altra reached out and asked if Borderlands could support the release of a new road super shoe. Road shoes are not really my lane here, so for it to work I needed an angle that worked for the trail running world.
So I asked if Tara Dower have any connection to the new Altra Vanish Carbon 3?
She did.
And with UTMB season here it felt like a much more interesting reason to talk.
Most of the sport is looking toward Chamonix right now. Tara is not racing UTMB, but she has strong opinions about the organization, the level of competition there, and why she still expects to run it someday despite not loving what UTMB has become.
We talked about that and Western States, the PCT, Karl Meltzer, road speed, Altra, stubbornness, and what Tara wants her career to mean when all of this is over.
The shoe is in there becuase I think it naturally fit into her current story of optimizing for speed and durability without losing her sense of self. But this is really a conversation about the kind of runner Tara Dower is becoming.
My read from her is that she not only wants to be a great runner but she also takes her role as role model seriously.
Her legacy is as much about greatness as it is inspiring greatness in others.
Watch the full episode on YouTube: