Jennifer Pharr Davis sporadically receives a familiar phone call. It’s usually from an accomplished ultramarathoner, calling as a part of an unwritten rule in Appalachian Trail lore.
If you are going to attempt the trail’s supported thru-hike speed record, you need to let the current record holder know.
Davis called veteran hiker Andrew Thompson in 2011 before she descended Mt. Katahdin in Maine, crossed 14 states, averaged 47 miles a day, and crushed the existing record by more than a day—completing the 2,189 miles in 46 days, 11 hours, and 20 minutes.
record-breaking Appalachian Trail thru-hike.
In May, Scott Jurek continued the tradition. “I was actually on the Appalachian Trail when he called, but he left a very nice message,” Davis told Runner’s World Newswire.
Jurek left Springer Mountain, Georgia, on May 27. Now, 41 days into his own record attempt, the accomplished ultramarathoner is closer than anyone has ever been to besting Davis’ time.
Davis, an author, trail guide, and mom living in Asheville, North Carolina, didn’t know exactly how close Jurek was to her record when she spoke with Newswire. “Where is he right now?” Davis, 32, asked last week.
She admitted she hasn’t kept close tabs on any of the previous record attempts over the past four years.
“I am at peace with someone else breaking the record,” she said. “But you can really get sucked into a rabbit hole following the hike day to day. When it happens, it will happen.”
And Davis will be glad to pass the torch, because she said her epic 2011 hike wasn’t just about records.
“It was such a fulfilling journey,” she said. “They have this expression on the trail that, ‘the trail gives you what you need.’”
In 2011, the trail gave Davis a closer bond with her husband Brew, who supported her for the entire journey. She said the record was just a small part of what she earned.
That is why Davis supports others, like Jurek, who strive to beat her time. But she fears these attempts could become too high-profile, ruining the experience for other people.
“What I really don’t want to see is one person’s record attempt negatively impact other people on the trail,” she said. Davis added that she supports the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s decision to not officially recognize records.
“There’s no trophy at the end,” she said. “It is an amateur pursuit based on the honor system, and that makes it pure and unique in our culture. I love that it is an underground sport, but I don’t know that it will stay that way.”
Instead of any fame or publicity that comes from beating her time, Davis hopes the new record holder will become an ambassador for the trail.
“It’s such a luxury and dream come true to do the trail all at once,” she said. "Yes, what you are doing is hard and deserves some attention, but I don’t think it’s any better than section hiking or getting out there with your kids. I think ultrarunners like Scott are pretty good at encouraging everyone in their own journey.”
As of Monday, Jurek was just over 250 miles away from finishing his attempt. With only five days left to beat Davis’ record, it was going to be close. If he does manage the feat, Davis has a message for him.
“Let’s go celebrate, Scott,” she said. And she has an invitation for the known plant eater. “If he does break it, I will take him out for a vegan dinner. Although if he doesn’t break it, maybe we will have to go get barbecue.”
Kit has been a health, fitness, and running journalist for the past five years. His work has taken him across the country, from Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, to cover the 2016 Olympic Trials to the top of Mt. Katahdin in Maine to cover Scott Jurek’s Health & Injuries in 2015.
