What’s to not love in regards to the movie, “Path Folks: The Story of Tara Dower?” Actually, what’s to not love about Tara Dower?
The movie follows Dower by way of a lot of her 2025 working season, beginning together with her win on the Black Canyon 100k, a drop on the Western States 100, a profitable quickest identified time try on Vermont’s Lengthy Path, and extra. The movie captures her ups and downs, each in racing and life. For Dower, it was a yr stuffed with each. Regardless of the downs, the movie stays gentle, reflective of Dower’s character and method. The intimate and close-up digital camera angles have the impact of oozing pleasure, and it’s laborious to not root for Dower.
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[Editor’s Note: Click here to watch the film on YouTube.]
The movie begins off with a menagerie of characters and mates describing Dower in their very own phrases: “Tara Dower makes me wish to do laborious issues. Tara Dower is the folks’s path champ … A muthafu#!ng beast … A glitter queen … A mountain wizard.” Her coach, Megan Roche, says, “Tara goes to do issues within the sport that reset historical past.” In her brief ultrarunning profession up to now, she has confirmed all this stuff true.
In most path working movies, there’s a sturdy deal with attractive and sweeping surroundings. This movie doesn’t have that. As an alternative, it has one thing extra intimate and more durable to seize, one thing that may solely be achieved when filmmakers have a deep understanding of the topic, in addition to the dynamics of all of the characters within the story. Of their storytelling, Emily Cameron and Anna Brannon — a uncommon all-female filmmaking duo — have achieved one thing distinctive. The 22-minute runtime looks like a full-length film, nevertheless it passes by within the blink of an eye fixed, because it’s inconceivable to not get immersed in Dower’s world.
Dower helps filmmaker Emily Cameron placed on glitter.
Dower’s quirkiness and incapability to take herself significantly are highlighted all through the movie. When requested to easily say her title and that she is knowledgeable ultrarunner, she doesn’t acquiesce. “Ultrarunner sounds so … official,” she says as she acts out the “slay-hand” gesture. “I’m a path particular person. Path folks!” she states. From Dower’s childhood, we see dwelling movies that show her goofiness in addition to her aggressive nature. Not a lot has modified within the 32-year-old Altra athlete. The variety of foolish faces Dower makes all through is astounding.
Dower and Rascal clowning round.
All through the movie, Dower’s character is additional mirrored in interviews, the place she refers to her mates by self-created titles, together with “Creator of Pants Pizza” and “Anti-Arthritis Advocate.” I’m incorrectly titled the “Mayor of Durango,” as I can guarantee you I’m not concerned in politics, native or in any other case. It’s obviously and delightfully evident that Cameron and Brannon perceive Dower’s character and didn’t shrink back from letting it shine.
Dower together with her crew in the course of the 2025 Western States 100.
The flick ends with one final cameo by Mad Tom, or the “Spirit of Vermont,” after Dower units a new total quickest identified time on the 273-mile Lengthy Path. He says of Dower, “That is what I name world-class high quality, and I can’t wait to see what the following problem is.” The next scene exhibits Dower sprinting to the end at Javelina 100 Mile as the primary feminine, smashing the course document in 13:31. With a season finish like that, we are able to’t assist however marvel what’s subsequent.
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