Barefoot runner Anna McNuff completes 3,700K #BarefootBritain journey

Anna McNuff has run the equivalent of 90 marathons in her quest to run the length of Britain barefoot. McNuff’s journey began in June in the upper reaches of Scotland (the Shetland Isles, to be specific) and ended in London in unicorn tights earlier today. Along the way, McNuff gave speeches to Girl Guides and other groups on the power of pushing yourself to achieve difficult things, and depended on the kindness of inspired strangers to cook her some dinner, put her up for the night and transport her luggage from one location to the next.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4-gZptnlmp/

In all, McNuff visited 143 towns and cities, and more than 2,000 runners joined her along the journey at various times and for various distances. “I’ve been blown away by the beauty of our forests ? clifftops, rivers, lakes, dales, moors and beaches,” McNuff said in her final #BarefootBritain Instagram post. “I’ve danced over smashed car mirrors, cut myself on glass, and squelched through every kind of poo imaginable ?(and there are many more types than I had imagined). I’ve even stood in a dead rabbit. But I wouldn’t change a second of it…

“…Because it allowed me the space and time to share adventure stories with over 1,700 @girlguiding youngsters. And if even one of them finds it within themselves to take on a new challenge or head off on an adventure because a crazy lady with bare feet and pink hair?‍?once told them it was possible–then it’ll be mission accomplished.”

RELATED: Olympians’ daughter running the length of Britain, barefoot

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4sZedCnpHk/

In the end, McNuff didn’t reach her original goal of 100 marathons, but after sustaining several injuries and infections, she decided she would end her journey today regardless of how far she had run.

In early November, for the first time, McNuff showed she might not be superhuman after all, admitting to exhaustion, brain fog and lack of motivation to keep going. But she did keep going.

RELATED: Barefoot UK runner Anna McNuff has reached Leeds

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4dUWD9nXC9/

In spite of the setbacks, McNuff maintained an almost impossibly cheerful disposition and social media presence. So if you need some cheering up, you could do worse than to peruse her website or watch her TED-X Talk. 

A bonus for Canadians: McNuff has a Canadian connection. In the late fall of 2017 and winter of 2018 she accompanied her partner, British ultrarunner Jamie McDonald, on a cross-Canada tour to promote the book he wrote about his unassisted cross-Canada run in 2014. They travelled in a Dodge Caravan. (McDonald set a new 7-day treadmill record (833 kilometres) in Gloucester, UK in May.)

Stay tuned for our in-depth interview with McNuff, coming up on November 19.