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

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.