What’s not to love about the film, “Trail Folk: The Tale of Tara Dower?” In fact, what’s not to love about Tara Dower?
The film follows Dower through much of her 2025 running season, starting with her win at the Black Canyon 100k, a drop at the Western States 100, a successful fastest known time attempt on Vermont’s Long Trail, and more. The film captures her ups and downs, both in racing and life. For Dower, it was a year full of both. Despite the downs, the film remains light, reflective of Dower’s personality and approach. The intimate and close-up camera angles have the effect of oozing joy, and it’s hard not to root for Dower.
[Editor’s Note: Click here to watch the film on YouTube.]
The film starts off with a menagerie of characters and friends describing Dower in their own words: “Tara Dower makes me want to do hard things. Tara Dower is the people’s trail champ … A muthafu#!ng beast … A glitter queen … A mountain wizard.” Her coach, Megan Roche, says, “Tara is going to do things in the sport that reset history.” In her short ultrarunning career so far, she has proven all these things true.
Tara Dower. All photos are screenshots from the film “Trail Folk: The Tale of Tara Dower.”
In most trail running films, there is a strong focus on gorgeous and sweeping scenery. This film does not have that. Instead, it has something more intimate and harder to capture, something that can only be achieved when filmmakers have a deep understanding of the subject, as well as the dynamics of all the characters in the story. In their storytelling, Emily Cameron and Anna Brannon — a rare all-female filmmaking duo — have achieved something unique. The 22-minute runtime feels like a full-length movie, but it passes by in the blink of an eye, as it’s impossible not to get immersed in Dower’s world.
Dower helps filmmaker Emily Cameron put on glitter.
Dower’s quirkiness and inability to take herself seriously are highlighted throughout the film. When asked to simply say her name and that she is a professional ultrarunner, she does not acquiesce. “Ultrarunner sounds so … official,” she says as she acts out the “slay-hand” gesture. “I’m a trail person. Trail folk!” she states. From Dower’s childhood, we see home videos that display her goofiness as well as her competitive nature. Not much has changed in the 32-year-old Altra athlete. The number of silly faces Dower makes throughout is astounding.
Dower and Rascal clowning around.
Throughout the film, Dower’s personality is further reflected in interviews, where she refers to her friends by self-created titles, including “Creator of Pants Pizza” and “Anti-Arthritis Advocate.” I am incorrectly titled the “Mayor of Durango,” as I can assure you I am not involved in politics, local or otherwise. It is glaringly and delightfully evident that Cameron and Brannon understand Dower’s personality and did not shy away from letting it shine.
Dower with her crew during the 2025 Western States 100.
The flick ends with one last cameo by Mad Tom, or the “Spirit of Vermont,” after Dower sets a new overall fastest known time on the 273-mile Long Trail. He says of Dower, “This is what I call world-class quality, and I can’t wait to see what the next challenge is.” The following scene shows Dower sprinting to the finish at Javelina 100 Mile as the first female, smashing the course record in 13:31. With a season end like that, we can’t help but wonder what’s next.
Call for Comments
- What did you think of the film?
- Do you have a Tara Dower story you can share with us?
