Summary: “If people feel inspired, that inspires me and spurs me on and causes this huge rolling stone effect. I just love life.” – Anna McNuff The Bucket List Life Podcast #38 - Adventurer Anna McNuff In our inspiring podcast #38 of The Bucket List Life with Kenyon Salo, we meet British born female adventurer, writer and speaker, Anna McNuff. On her life long hunt for new and exciting endurance challenges, she became a member of Great Britain's Women's Rowing Team, has completed an 11,000 mile unassisted tour of all 50 states of the United States and as of this writing is poised to leave on a 2,000 mile unassisted run across the stunningly beautiful country of New Zealand, which some call the adventure capitol of the world. We catch up with Anna, in New Zealand, as she anxiously awaits the start of this new and challenging adventure. Highlights of their podcast conversation: 5:30 In thinking back on her life and what inspires her, Anna tells us what adventure means to her. “Adventure is kind of freeing yourself of everyday obligations, of everyday life and sorta letting go.” It is pointed out that people can define adventure in their own terms. Just walking on the beach can be their definition of adventure. 6:50 Anna shares her thoughts about “Screen time vs Green time”. How technology is a wonderful thing, which she uses all the time but it shouldn’t be the only option to flop a child down in front of a screen. “We need to get them outside. If they loose their passion for the planet and their passion for adventure what is going to be left for the future generations?” 17:30 Anna discusses her solo cycle journey of 11,000 miles across the United States in 2013. 19:15 Anna shares her excitement regarding her ambitious 2,000 mile, five month unsupported run from one end of New Zealand to the other. “I’m a bit obsessed with traveling on your own two feet because I think there is something incredibly primal about it. It’s what we were given and it doesn’t require too much equipment.” 23:30 Anna explains that an “unsupported” run means “All your possessions on your back, no one is carrying your food, your water, no one is there if you get lost. Just me the whole way through being self sufficient, I guess.... I love being unsupported. I think it means you get yourself in a lot more pickles and you have to get yourself out of them as well. It’s more rewarding to do it yourself.” 29:40 The benefits of ‘giving back’ of the energy and lessons Anna will learn along the way during her New Zealand adventure is great motivaton for her. What benefits are the most important to her? “It’s through the kids. That’s what I am trying to do.” Hear how she plans to visit schools along the way of this epic trek, stop, go in and remind the children about how beautiful their country is and how it is their own back yard and to go out and explore it. She hopes to answer their questions and help them to think differently about going out and exploring. The next huge benefit is the opportunity to raise funds for disadvantaged kids, another exciting and inspirational way she will give back. 43:30 Anna gives us an overview of what her daily life might look like on this 2,000 mile run. “It’s a dream. All I have to do is run.” She plans on running 15 – 20 miles a day. She might “crack it out” by the afternoon and relax the rest of the day or do ten miles in the morning and ten miles in the evening. Terrain has a lot to do with her timing. It’s her idea of a “perfect wonderful life” where you exert your body, deal with the immediate problems in order to survive and meet some awesome people along the way. 50:30 When Kenyon points out how inspiring she is and how she will impact so many people along the way, maybe even change the life of a child, how that child might decide to live a life of adventure because of her; Anna tells us “That is the dream. Even if it is one kid. If I could bring that to one kid, then happy days!”
