Survivor star Samantha Gash’s tips for trail running
It doesn’t involve a ball and is ‘more of a mental thing’, says endurance runner Samantha Gash. Here she shares her tips for those keen to start running.
During a year of saying “yes” to new experiences, Samantha Gash found herself signing up to do a marathon.
Samantha had enjoyed cross country at school, but it was the first time she had pushed herself to complete an endurance event.
“One of my girlfriends asked me if I wanted to join her, so I signed up and did a training program that I found online,” Samantha says.
“I started to make a new community of friends that I would join on weekend runs.
“It’s not this romantic story of ‘this was really easy’ — it was actually really hard — but I remember getting to the finish and feeling like anything was possible.
“It was a massive turning point in my life.”
What Samantha has achieved
Since that initial marathon, Samantha, 37, has covered more than 35,000km and completed runs on every continent.
“In 2010 I was the first woman to do what is called the 4 Deserts Grand Slam, which was four 250km desert ultra-marathons in Chile, China, Egypt and Antarctica,” she says.
Her commitment to endurance challenges has also seen her compete in two seasons of the television show Australian Survivor.
During her first appearance, in 2017, she met husband Mark Wales.
After welcoming son Harry, the couple returned for their second crack at the title in the 2022 series, which Mark won.
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Why running could be the sport for you
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“I was actually quite an unco-ordinated kid and I wasn’t very good at sports,” Samantha admits.
“But I could kind of run, because it didn’t involve a ball! Running felt like more of a mental thing.
“Even if you don’t feel like you’re physically talented, if you can deal with a bit of discomfort and put one foot in front of the other then you can do it.”
One of the main reasons Samantha loves trail running and endurance events is getting out in nature.
“The restoration you get from green spaces and being on the trail is so important,” she says.
Interested in giving running a try? Samantha Gash shares her tips for getting into running:
1. Remember to stretch
“Stretching is critical,” Samantha says.
“As you’re building up your running, whether you’re a beginner or an advanced runner, doing mobility training as a core component of your training program will keep your muscles strong and healthy.
“It will remove some of the tightness you create, too.”
Before each run, Samantha does dynamic stretching — moves such as leg swings or glute activation exercises.
“Post-run, it will be more static holds and longer stretches, and that is to get that nice, deep stretch, particularly into the areas that really need it,” she says.
2. Focus on your core
Running isn’t just about your legs, it involves your core, too.
“The body works as a chain; it’s not just (about) running with your legs – you’re actually running with the strength that you hold in your torso and core,” Samantha explains.
“If you’re really tight in your back, core and chest, it becomes hard to do the motion of running correctly.
“Mobility and stretch work is a way of being able to run more efficiently.”
3. Listen to your body
After Samantha and Mark competed on the 2022 series of Survivor, she eased back into life at home with hikes in the Dandenong Ranges in Victoria.
“On Survivor, I lost 12 per cent of my body weight and had significant muscle deterioration,” she says.
“So afterwards I just got back to really restorative exercise.
“It was summer so I went hiking and it was about family connection and slowness.”
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Keen to find out about trail running?
During the pandemic, Samantha and trainer Bec Wilcock established Her Trails, a holistic online training program for women looking to experience trail running.
“We also do in-person group runs around Australia,” Samantha says.
“There is something so powerful and empowering about a group of women, of all different ages, running on the trails with their hydration vests, or hiking up the hills and bantering with each other.
“A lot of people get nervous joining a group run, but the idea is it’s meant to be fun and we keep that as a point of integrity for our runs.”
Find out more on the Her Trails website.
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Written by Erin Miller.
Skyline image: @lululemonaustralia
