Crossing India in pursuit of quality education

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Meet the ultra-marathon athlete about to run 4,000 kilometres across India for charity.

Imagine you are about to go for a run.

Your shoes are on, you've done some stretching, and then you take the first step. Then another. Then another. Now do that five million more times.

That's the task facing Melbourne lawyer-turned-ultra-marathon runner, Samantha Gash, as she prepares to run 4,000km across the width of India in just 77 days.

For those still doing the maths, that's an average of about 50km a day.

Is she nervous? Definitely.

"I'm very nervous. I try to not dwell on how nervous I am," she told ABC News Breakfast.

So why do it?

Samantha has partnered with World Vision on its 50th anniversary for the epic journey to raise funds and awareness for educational needs in India.

She will start from one of the driest deserts on Earth, Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, and end in Shillong, along the way seeing first-hand how people live and what challenges and opportunities they face.

All up, Samantha will visit 18 World Vision projects on the run.

"I realised the power of endurance running as a vehicle for change," she said.

"I get to run across one of the most diverse countries that is incredibly contrasting the whole way across it.

"What I think is important is I get to experience how these contrasts affect not just the development needs, but the development responses."

Samantha has recently visited parts of India to prepare for the run and to get some sense of what she will experience when she begins on August 22.

She has already raised more than $56,000 for projects in the country that tackle issues such as malnutrition, access to water and sanitation, underage marriage, and gender bias.

"Every time I train I visualise myself in India and I know that any discomfort I could possibly experience will pale in comparison to many of the situations I will see," she said.

"A real highlight for me will be meeting the people and visiting the communities along the way."

While the distance is definitely formidable, this isn't Samantha's first foray into running lengths that seem simply impossible.

She was the first female and youngest person ever to complete the RacingThePlanet 4 Deserts Grand Slam Challenge — an event considered one of the hardest in the world.

In 2012, she became the youngest Australian woman to run 379km non-stop across the Simpson Desert and two years later she ran 1,968km over 32 days across South Africa. These two runs raised funds for children's education.

It's an issue that particularly resonates with Samantha.

"I think the most striking thing is I came from a background where I thought formal education was the most important," she said.

"But education is about the basic things we take for granted.

"Children in places like India would do anything to get this education. This project is a platform to share the stories that are so often untold."

World Vision said that in India today, 4 per cent of children never start school, 58 per cent don't complete primary school, and 90 per cent fail to finish high school. And given more than 67 million Indian youths live on less than $1 a day, the barriers to education are immense and complex.

Samantha is quick to point out she's not addicted to running. Instead, she's drawn to the feeling of calm and perspective she feels and the sense of mental strength that comes from completing a run.

And it can be traced back to eight years ago.

"I did the Melbourne Marathon in 2008 when I was really unfit and nearly pulled out of the race at the 32km mark and just thought I couldn't go on."

"I hit the wall in a big, bad way.

"I had a friend who pulled me through. She's helped me so much more than she would know.

"I think my own mental weakness surprised me and I wanted to be stronger."

Samantha will have a core team following her throughout the India journey that will look after everything from security to planning and emotional support.

In an effort to comprehend the mammoth task, she has mentally broken the trip into three categories: "Tough love" at the start to kick-start the journey; "Head" in the middle, to make sure she's mentally up for the task; and "Heart" at the end, where support from family will become crucial.

"You can't do this sort of stuff on your own," she said.

"The heart part will have the feminine energy. By that point I think I might need that energy."

To coincide with Samantha's run across India World Vision is launching the 12 Week Challenge and is inviting runners and walkers of all ages to form teams and track their distance against the trip and raise funds.

Australians can register teams of up to 10 people and donate directly to the cause.

Samantha welcomed the support for the gruelling trip.

"It is the longest run that I have ever undertaken and the preparation from training to logistics to fundraising has taken over two years with several trips to India," she said.

"However, I know from experience that you can never plan for everything, especially with India's formidable weather and landscapes."

To donate directly to the cause or to join the 12 Week Challenge visit www.runindia.org.au

Topics: athletics, sport, charities, community-and-society, foreign-affairs, india

First posted