The Pants of Perspective: One woman's 3,000 kilometre running adventure through the wilds of New Zealand

by Anna McNuff

"When I ran, I ran for pleasure. I didn’t run for times, to win, to impress: I ran for me. When I ran my bum cheeks rubbed together, so much so that if I was going on a long run I’d have to ‘lube up’. I maintained that I was not a ‘real’ runner – I just liked to run so that I could eat cake." Anna was never anything like those ‘real’ runners on telly – all spindly limbs, tiny shorts and split times – but when she read about New Zealand’s 3,000-kilometre-long Te Araroa Trail, she began to wonder… perhaps being a ‘real’ runner was overrated. Maybe she could just run it anyway? Travelling alone through New Zealand’s backcountry for 148 days, she scrambled through forests, along ridge-lines, over mountain passes, along beaches and across swollen rivers. Running up to 52 kilometres in a day, she slept wild most nights, and was taken into the homes and hearts of the kiwi people in between. The Pants of Perspective is a witty, colourful and at times painfully raw account of a journey to the edge of what a woman believes herself to be capable of. It is a coming-of-age story which will lead you on a roller coaster ride through fear, vulnerability, courage and failure. For anyone who has ever dreamt of taking on a great challenge, but felt too afraid to begin – this story is for you.

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel, Adventure, Audiobook, Memoir, Biography, Autobiography

538 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2017

Reviews

[Atlas · Rating 3 out of 5]

* * *
3 / 5

~mini review~

This was a hard one to rate. On the one hand, I loved the descriptions of the lush New Zealand trails as Anna McNuff takes on an epic 3,000km, six month journey to see what the world has to offer on her own two feet. It sounded amazing. I'd love to run the trail myself. On the other hand, there's lots of "oh and today I felt a bit sad so I ate chocolate and then I smiled at some people and arrived at a hut and I felt better". This book is a lot about feeling and not so much about ... running? I'm not sure.

In a way it's a lot about running. She's running virtually every day! She's following trails and ascending small mountains. But I have no idea what shoes Anna McNuff wore, or what kind of backpack it was, or what training she did to prepare to make this trip (other than running to work sometimes). It's portrayed as some sort of "oh I ran for like 2 months and then decided to do this" which would be absolutely insane - running 100km a week with a heavy backpack is NOT going to happen for a novice running without serious injury, so there's something else going on here. What I wanted was more stats - info about elevation, weekly distance, etc.

What I did love was how beautiful she made it sound, the diversity of the landscape, the solitude of lonely long-distance running. But I wanted less of her personal love life and more of the hard running stats!

Read more of my reviews on my blog: http://atlasrisingbooks.wordpress.com

[Anna · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book should have been called 'food I ate and people I hugged' that's about the extent of it. I found her lack of preparation and refusal to even try to be prepared irritating, and totally agreed with her friend's assessment that she doesn't show a range of emotion, it's all exclamation points and 'oh it was a little hard but then I ate scones and hugged people'. I got 70% through and realised I didn't really care whether she was still stuck on a mountain in New Zealand or not so gave up on it.

[Max · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great inspiring story about a woman running a 3000 kilometer trail in New Zealand. It was fun to read, and the writing is good too. If you're into adventures, check out this book.

The only thing I didn't understand from the author was that she often mentioned she doesn't like to be alone. At all. But what do you expect when you undertake something like this? Ofcourse you'll be alone a lot. So that was a bit odd in my opinion. Could also be that that just isn't relatable for me, seeing as I love to be alone.

[Martin Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anna is such an engaging writer it felt like I was running alongside her the whole way. It's entertaining and enlightening. A must read for people interested in adventure and challenging themselves!

[Julia Sarene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved it!
One of my favourites in the non fiction section.

It's not just interesting to runners, but also to people who like to read about adventures, traveling, or even just an awesome woman fulfilling a dream!

The author grew on me right away, and I wish I could go for a hike or run with her - and a pint afterwards!
It was so much fun to follow her around, I devoured the whole book. A perfect mix of outgoing, happy, adventurous, funny, strong, determined and yet honest about the harder parts of her run too.
I wanted to go out and explore right away! Really inspiring and motivating.

Also, the audio book is brilliant! The author narrates it herself, which always makes me wary as most authors are not nearly as good at narrating as they are at writing. But McNuff really nails it! Engaging, entertaining and fun from the first to the last second.

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

So so annoyed at the lack of preparation and equipment to undertake her journey. Maybe there was some but not written. Glad nothing terrible happened but seems irresponsible. Writing is childish. Maybe it’s how everything is approached.

[Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars for The Pants of Perspective: One Woman’s 3,000 Kilometer Running Adventure Through The Wilds of New Zealand (audiobook) by Anna McNuff read by the author.

I just love Anna McNuff’s wonderful adventures. She is a wonderful storyteller. Her wit and personality really comes through and makes me feel like I’m on the adventure with her. But I still get a fair amount of anxiety about her lack of preparation just listening to the story. But for some reason it works for her.

[Claudia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I warmed up to the narrator, the story focussed too much on all the people she met rather than her inner journey which was randomly spotted throughout. Like Mark Beaumont, there’s a lot of company and help provided on the way, and I personally prefer adventures of people coping alone in the wild!

[Vicky Boyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

She writes with honesty and humour, and it's s pleasure to get to know her, and join her on her journey.

[Sarah Cullen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An inspiring tale of endurance set in my favourite country. What's not to like? Yes, Anna does a lot of hugging strangers and eating chocolate, as noted in one or two reviews, but it was fascinating to follow her mental and physical battles on her epic solo journey through the wilds of New Zealand. Having spent my own happy times there (without the extreme running), reading this got me feeling all sorts of nostalgic for the scenic views and the towns she visited - I was even googling pictures of the hillside huts she stopped at along the way. Anna would definitely get a place at my fantasy dinner table. I am quite in awe.

This was a Christmas gift of escapism (thanks Beck!) that I picked up just as my mind needed to wander off into the bush. Totally motivated to plan an imaginary hiking holiday for when we're all allowed to roam free again. Or maybe a run round the block.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A truly amazing tale and I loved Anna’s optimism and courage. I want to hike the Te Araroa now! Just feel that the book could have done with a bit more editing!

[Kathryn de Carvalho · Rating 5 out of 5]

On a book roll at the moment! Wasn’t sure this would be my thing but loved it.

Total honesty about the emotional and physical rollercoaster of running a route like this. Great characters that feature on the way. And a heart-pumping adventure that makes you want to explore NZ’s backcountry!

“All I will know is that I have placed myself in a state most fragile, so that I might see the world at its most beautiful, and its people at their most kind” Anna McNuff

[F. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved following Anna as she ran the 3000km long Te Araroa trail in New Zealand. I have truly taken a new perspective on some things away from this. Often thoughts that seem so obvious now that I wonder why I never thought of this myself.

A great achievement to run and a great story told!

[Sara Sutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow what a fantastic adventure, achievement and thoroughly enjoyable read!

[Sophy H · Rating 1 out of 5]

One word springs to mind with this book...............BELLEND!

This book annoyed the shit out of me!!

So here it is.................

"Oh gosh, I've never run before, not properly, erm I'm just the lowly daughter of two Olympian athletes, hmmm where should I run, erm I know, across New Zealand. I'll just pack random items two days before I go........................ People said I could do with a GPS system, wow golly, I didn't know I'd need that or how to get hold of one even because golly I'm just a dizzy fun lovin blonde who just hash tag loves life!!! I love getting naked in front of strangers in the middle of nowhere, flirting with randoms who wow, golly gosh by jove why would they like little old me with my withering blister encrusted feet and fucked up hips and back from running, I'm just a regular girl from tea drinking Britain".

Oh just eff off McNuff, enough!

I'm all about women conquering, going the distance, proving their mettle. But McNuff is just a bellend I'm sorry. No planning, no thought, no regard for potential problems. That's just bellend territory. And she literally ran through some of the most beautiful scenery in the Southern hemisphere yet it gets a sentence mention before it's all "BACK TO ME NOW, golly gosh I just love life me, and oh gosh my back really hurts from running with a backpack on"!

Nope, I cannot be doing with airhead, look aren't I pretty but really gritty and lovely because I'm doing this for charity and I'm just mad, me type goons!

Just no. Eugh!

[Cindy Dyson Eitelman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I cannot resist a travel story--and this is no slouch of a travel story! Don't know what to do with your life? How about running up the length of New Zealand?

Along the way she makes a lot of wonderful traveling--and stationary--friends. And sees some amazingly gorgeous scenery. And fights fatigue and injuries, loneliness and joy.

There were times when I had a little trouble picking the book back up, but I can't put a finger on exactly what was wrong with the writing. Possibly it was me--I was reading this while on vacation and maybe I rushed through too fast. Or possibly it was just the simplicity of the style--here is an example,
Pounding away and picking up the pieces with Paloma by my side, I was struck by how dense the forest was. I didn't think I'd ever been in a forest like this before. The ones in the UK tended to have a lot of space between the trees, but in this one there were very few gaps on the ground, or even in the canopy. The trail was easy enough to follow in the first mile or so of Longwood Forest. It was part of a well-trodden tourist pathway....

It went on in this style for one very long paragraph. I'd have made at least three paragraphs out of this. So I think my issue was simply with the writing style--kind of run-on. Like a bunch of bulleted lists crammed together in a paragraph.

However, the source material--her journey and her adventures and her internal struggles--those were spot on. With a little better writing, this would be a masterpiece.

[Ellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I may have given this a higher score had I not read it immediate after reading Jamie McDonald’s Adventureman. Both books are about epic solo runs across countries, and McNuff frequently refers to Jamie in her book (understandably given that they subsequently became a couple), so I do find myself comparing them, and finding McNuff’s book falling a little short. She is undoubtedly a better writer than McDonald, but the latter’s book felt more raw, more real, more warts and all, whereas McNuff’s perpetually upbeat personality tends to mask even the hardest points of her journey. It also is very much more focussed on McNuff herself, whereas McDonald’s always felt more about the reasons for him doing his run. I never really understood, from the book, why McNuff was doing the trail, other than as a vanity project.

I’m also a slightly, and irrationally, annoyed that she opted to follow an easier route rather than tackle some sections of the trail. Irrational, because she’s done far more than I would ever dare, but if you say your going to run the Te Araroa trail, you could at least do the whole trail!

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Initially I was a bit disappointed. The blurb on the back sounded like Anna was a regular non-athlete who decided to run the length of NZ. Quite quickly you find that she’s nearly been in the Olympic Games, has Olympian parents and goes for family runs at Christmas time. So I didn’t find that as inspiring as I’d hoped. In the first section of the book I also noticed a few factual errors, things like incorrect place names, that made me question a lot of the other facts and stories.
But as the run moved north and the book progressed it got a lot better, and ended up being quite enjoyable, and it turns out it is inspirational, and has got me motivated to go running.

[Marla · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Anna McNuff's enthusiasm for life is unmatched and very clear from the first moment of her narrating the audiobook. I don't think I could have read her voice with that much energy by reading physically.

This book focuses less on the journey itself and is more about the emotions and relationships with other people throughout her travels. My only critique is that the writing in each chapter doesn't flow well and the preparation for the trek was minimal and gave me anxiety for Anna. But she's very personable and it makes me want to listen to more books by her.

[Katy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid 3-3.5 for me. Still the niggling question of... “but why should I care?” running through the narrative for me.

McNuff’s struggles and insights were interesting and I liked her handling of self talk, but there is a hanging level of privilege pervading this book. It takes a level of comfort to be able to leave your job and run for a charity that I think is also a rather privileged one?

I related and was also annoyed with this one 🤣

[Sjj · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author's accomplishment of running NZ's Te Araroa Trail was amazing. Often her story as told in this book was interesting and heart-warming. The completion of the run was quite a feat. However, as others have noted, some things just don't "add up." The preparation and planning and training and contacting all of the people that she "met up with" and stayed with, etc. HAD to require a lot of advance planning ... which she said she didn't do (except sometimes she said she did plan out for the next two weeks at least). The descriptions of scenery were beautiful. I thought her personal struggles were interesting, and I enjoyed her sharing of those struggles -- although sometimes I just wanted to say "you should have planned better!" Nonetheless, in the end, I did enjoy the book and learned some things about NZ along the way.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Generally, I dislike stories of endurance feats staring women who start out woefully ill-prepared because it gives readers a false sense of "I can do this too!" Not because I think these kinds of things are out of reach for people, but because it isn't SAFE or SMART to do these things without being fully prepared. Sure, lots of people do and are fine, but even more who do end up getting injured or sick or end up in very difficult and dangerous positions. *cough*WILD*cough*

But, with that caveat out of the way, I loved this story and I really loved Anna! She did train for a few months before doing it, so there's that. but she also recognizes and is upfront about what she did "wrong" in preparing (or not) for certain aspects of it. I'll definitely be reading more of her adventure books!

[Wendy Leo-Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspiring and compelling
From page one Anna’s writing had me so enthralled I felt like I was taking every stride of this mammoth 3000km challenge alongside her. I particularly enjoyed the magnificent scenery she ran through and meeting all her fellow “trampers” on the way. However my enthusiasm waned half way through, thus 4 stars, but proving that Anna really is, to use the Kiwi word, a “Game” girl. As for the finale it was incredible proving beyond doubt Anna is exceptionally resilient and determined.

[Isobelle Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! If you like long distance adventures / New Zealand back country or easy autobiographical reading. Was impressed with how easy it was to stay engaged despite the subject matter being repetitive, because Anna adds a personal side to the story and gives details and humour. If you live in NZ (like me) it’s a great read as she loves the backcountry and describes it well, so it’s great to picture!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to understand just what the human body and mind can withstand, look no further. An epic adventure with a stunning backdrop. Travel along the trail with Anna and wonder if you would have the same mental toughness in adversity. When you're injured and alone, would you be able to drag yourself to your feet and carry on? A total warrior!

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. Anna seems like the friend everyone would love to have. Her optimism made me smile multiple times throughout the book. I wish there was a little more introspection or emotional vulnerability to match the physical vulnerability described in the book but I recognize that's not everyone's thing.

[Ella Milan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*

Not my normal genre but glad I ventured for this, took me about half as long to finish as it did for Anna to run New Zealand but this did mean I had longer to sit with each section of her trail.

Now just dealing with big fat FOMO, somebody give me a new body so I can run the longitude of a country thanks x

[Maya Gopalakrishnan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amaaazing

It's been a truly amazing journey with Anna on the trail. She takes you through the highs and lows and laughter and tears that you feel like you know her really well. Highly recommended. 6 stars.

[Jennifer Hogg · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me, it was more the story of one incredibly social and gregarious creature meeting and connecting with many people and delighting in it. Coming from an introvert, that sounded more daunting to me than her run did.

[Kara Folkerts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book and being able to relate so much to through my Iceland adventures. Solitude, natural beauty, challenges, and the immense kindness of strangers on a solo adventure ❤️