Jennifer Pharr Davis

Cushman Lecture Series

Jennifer has hiked over 11,000 miles of Long Distance Trails. She has trekked on 6 continents and currently holds endurance records on the Appalachian Trail, Long Trail and Bibbulmun Track. She is the first woman to be the overall record holder on the Appalachian Trail. She set this mark by hiking the 2,181 mile trail in 26 days, 11 hours and 20 minutes – an average of 46.9 miles per day. In 2008, Jennifer was named Blue Ridge Outdoors Person of the Year. In 2011, Jennifer appeared in the Sunday edition of the New York Times; and on national television and radio shows such as CNN Headline News, the CBS Early Show, and NPR’s Talk of the Nation. She was also named a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year and voted Ultrarunning Magazine’s top female performance of 2011. Jennifer has written for, or appeared within, the following Magazines: Blue Ridge Outdoors, Backpacker, Trail Runner, Men’s Health, Shape and Fitness Magazine. She has also authored four books, including three North Carolina guidebooks and her hiking memoir: Becoming Odyssa.