Running with the Barefoot Princess

Where do I start with this one? If you have never come across Anna McNuff before I suggest you take a few minutes to watch the Tedx talk she gave in 2015 where she touched on her 1100mile ride around America and her run through New Zealand. Or better yet, check out her books, both of which have 5 star ratings on Amazon.

With a few impressive adventures under her belt already, Anna’s latest feat (or should that be "feet" 😋) is running all over Britain, covering the equivalent of 100 marathons in 6 months. And, for reasons probably unknown to herself, she is doing it all barefoot. I couldn’t do justice to the Barefoot Britain challenge in the same way that she can, so please check out her YouTube channel for her ups and downs so far on route.

What I can tell you about is what happened when I joined her for a tiny portion of her run.

I had spent the week thinking I was going to go up into Northumberland for the excellent little Powburn Show fell race. I had even been trying to twist a few arms into coming with me. But then another opportunity arose. Anna had arrived in Newcastle on Thursday and was planning to set off from the Newcastle Quayside at midday on the following Saturday. Do I go to a race I really enjoy but have done for a few years and can do another time, or do I spend the afternoon running with a truly inspirational adventurer? It didn’t really take much thought to be honest.

With my original plan being a 4 mile fell race I wasn’t sure how far I would end up running with Anna but shortly before midday my wife and I arrived at the Pitcher and Piano to find a small but eager bunch of runners already gathered in the sunshine. After a little bit of chat and a few more people joined us, someone spotted a shock of electric pink hair weaving through the Saturday crowd by the river.

My first impression of Anna was of someone gifted with the ability to make everyone around her feel important. Welcome hugs were exchanged, Anna delighted in meeting everyone and spoke with great energy to the kids from the local Girl Guides that had come to cheer her away. After a quick chat about the route we set off over the Millennium Bridge.

For the next four hours our merry little gang ran to Durham, eight of us completing the full stage and a few others hugging their goodbyes at various points along the way. I ended up running all 16 miles simply because I was having such a good time. I chatted with Anna and the other runners as we wove our way through Gateshead to the Angel of the north for a photo op, then on to the historic City of Durham. The pace was “conversational” all the way, but of course that’s different for everyone so there was the occasional regroup, only once to allow Anna to stop and pick some glass out of her foot. 

Barefooters loving the Angel

Anna spent the time between Birtley and Chester-Le-Street craving a milkshake and being taught how to pronounce “Chester-le-Street”, so when we arrived in the market town she tracked down the nearest Morrisons like a trained blood hound. After a few minutes break to refuel with Yazoo, scotch eggs and sausage rolls, the fuel of champions I am sure, we were off again, just less than half distance to go. We laughed at ourselves climbing the hill away from the shopping centre like robots, legs having stiffened up while we stopped.

I couldn’t really tell you much detail of what we spoke about during the run. We talked about the surprising resilience of feet, the extra considerations when you don’t have shoes, and as is the wont of runners’ chat on a long run; life the universe and everything! The highs of celebrating an accidental dead end in a housing estate and the lows of being away from loved ones. 

I love my running, as you might have guessed, but I am struggling to remember precisely another occasion where I have been genuinely disappointed that a run has ended. I have had some amazing runs, usually in the fells and most often with great company, but by the end of the run the overwhelming feeling is of calmness and contentment as well joy. When we were making our way through Durham one of the others said they were sad to be finishing. I realised then that sadness was the odd one out of the feelings I had. Just consider that for a moment, being sad to successfully complete a 16 mile run and looking for a pub. This wasn't a normal sort of sadness though, caused by a poor performance or exhaustion, this was born of the subconscious knowledge that days like this are very few and far between and this particular one was almost over.

The word inspirational can get overused, but in this case its liberal use is fully justified. Anna might not be driven by breaking world records or pushing the boundaries of human achievement but sets out to find her own limits and have a good serious chat with them about how they should move a bit further away. The inspiration she provides doesn’t come from the mind boggling feats she accomplishes but the way she goes about them. I challenge anyone to watch her videos, her talks, or spend some time in her company and not feel a little taller, and already starting to plan an adventure of your own. 

Cheeky selfie after a well earned pint in Durham

As I waddled around ASDA getting myself a pizza for dinner that evening, feeling a bit of chafing (quick nip down the other aisle for Sudocrem!), a few small blisters on my feet and a 16 mile ache I stopped my train of thought in it’s tracks. It must barely be a patch on what Anna is feeling, and she has four months of this left to go, stop your whinging boy!

Check out the Barefoot Britain website to track Anna's movements, learn more about the crazy adventure and find out how you can support her.

If you are on Instgram (and don't mind a few pictures of manky feet!) make sure you find Anna on there as well!

Follow me on Instagram @runningthebreeze and Facebook as I take on the Nepal Impact marathon with @hantoddie! 

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