Samantha Gash Biography – Samantha Gash Wiki
Samantha Gash is an Australian professional endurance athlete, social entrepreneur, and motivational speaker. As an endurance athlete, Gash focuses on long-distance expedition runs and adventure races. She is an ambassador to numerous organizations and events including World Vision, Lululemon Athletica, Run Melbourne, and Travel Play Live. She is a former Australian Survivor contestant on the 2017 series and Blood V Water seasons of the reality TV show Australian Survivor (season 9 – 2022) and World’s Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji.
In 2010 at the age of 25, she became the first woman and youngest person at the time to complete the Four Deserts Grandslam, four 250 km desert ultramarathons completed in four deserts in the world (Atacama, Gobi, Sahara, Antarctic) in one calendar year. At the time only two male athletes had completed this challenge. Gash and three other ultra-marathoners were the subjects of the 2013 documentary film called Desert Runners, which followed their journey throughout the four races and looked at the mindset of endurance athletes.
She has used her ability to run long and connect it to social change projects that link to female empowerment and access to education programs. In 2012, she ran 379 km non-stop across Australia’s Simpson Desert. She raised around $32,991 to fund a Save the Children education initiative in Australia. In 2014, she collaborated with UK ultra-runner Mimi Anderson and together they founded Freedom Runners. It was an initiative that combined a fundraising and awareness campaign around the high cost of feminine hygiene products for women in Sub-Saharan Africa and its link to female absenteeism in school. Over 32 days they ran 1,968 km across South Africa’s Freedom Trail and raised over $55K for a Save the Children program. They ran an average of 64 km every day and had no rest days.
In 2016, Gash became a World Vision Ambassador and collaborated with the not-for-profit on a concept to run from the West to East of India and use it as a means to explore the barriers to quality education. The campaign was called Run India and raised over $150,000 to support six World Vision education-focused programs across the country. Gash, as the solo runner supported by a crew, ran 3,253 km over 76 days, visiting 16 communities that World Vision support. This included visits to schools, a malnutrition clinic, and a self-defense program in the urban slums; economic development projects in the Himalayas, and home visits in the desert.
In the past, she worked as a lawyer at the international law firm Baker & McKenzie for just under a year, later working in a boutique financial advisory firm owned by one of her friends (Wealth Enhancers) and in communications. She is now a motivational speaker on the speaker circuit and has written and published her first book with Macmillan Roaring Brook Press.
Some of the awards she has received include: Finalist – Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards: Agenda Setter Category (2016), Delegate – Australia India Youth Dialogue Conference (2016), Finalist – Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards: Inspirational Leaders Category (2013), and was also Nominated for the Pride of Australia Medal.
Samantha Gash Age
She was born on October 14, 1984, in Bendigo, Australia.
Samantha Gash Husband
She is married to her husband, Mark Wales whom she met during the production of Australian Survivor. They married on December 14, 2019. They have one child.
Samantha Gash Children
With her husband, they have one child, a son named Harry Locke Wales born in March 2018.
Samantha Gash Instagram
Her Instagram handle is @samanthagash.
