Bengaluru: The absolutely petite woman who introduces herself as Samantha Gash is a far cry from what one would expect when one is waiting to see an avid ultra-marathoner.
Diminutive but full of fire, 31-year-old Samantha (she could pass for 20), who was in Bengaluru for the Australia India Youth Dialogue 2016, has taken on the most extreme territories in the world, running in some cases for worthy causes and in others simply for the challenge.
She is the youngest person and the first woman to have done all four desert ultra-marathons within the course of a year.
“I did the driest desert - Atacama, the windiest, which is in China, the hottest — the Sahara and the coldest — Antarctica,” she said. The hottest and the coldest deserts took place after a gap of only four weeks, because the window for racing through Antar-ctica is so small.
Ultra-marathoners carry their sustenance in their backpacks, including food, sleeping gear, etc.
“I’m not the tallest person in the world, I’m under five feet,” she laughs. “When you are on an ultra marathon, you pack everything you need. I ran through the Sahara desert carrying 20 percent of my body weight on my back! It boils down to the smallest details — I cut off the handle off my toothbrush and carry only the bristles because that saves me a good 10 grams. Everything counts,”
she added. In August, she will embark on a 4,000-km run across the breadth of India, to further education amongst women. The proceeds will go to World Vision, a global NGO working with poor children.
“In Rajasthan, for instance, there are communities which send off daughters to the sex trade. If they don’t, the girls are married very young. I’ve learned one thing, though — it’s not all black and white.
“It’s easy to say child marriage is awful, but if flesh trade is the alternative, which would you choose?” she says.
