Conversations with the Inspiring Samantha Wood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Wood.

Samantha, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I grew up in a small Texas town in what I like to call “backwoods” style, meaning I hunted, fished, and trapped animals for a hobby, and yes, to eat for dinner. My world was small for a long time. At age 13, I didn’t fully understand the concept of college. Being from a rural community, I thought college was a place people went to learn how to farm. At age 14, I started running cross country and track and this is where I began to “earn my confidence.” Ten years later, I had finished college and was commissioning into the US Army as a 2nd Lieutenant to begin physical therapy school at US Army-Baylor. While in graduate school in the Army, I continued to run and began to expand my running distances up to 50-miles. A few months following the completion of my physical therapy doctorate, I was deployed to Afghanistan to serve as the PT for a combat brigade.

The deployment was a whirlwind of emotions and learning quickly on my feet but the one steady thing I could do was run a tiny, rocky loop within the confines of my forward operating base, 50-miles a week. Upon my return, I continued to compete for the Army in the marathon, cross country, orienteering, and obstacle course racing. On the side, I continued to run ultra-marathons and began expanding to the 100-mile distance. Today, I am racing and representing the California Army National Guard. Through all my endeavors, representing the military in sport has been my favorite.

Some of my more interesting endeavors include running the Leadville 100-mile trail run in a pair of sandals in 2016, placing 3rd with team “Commanding Officers” on the NBC show, “Spartan: Ultimate Team Challenge,” and being one of the top female Spartan racers in the world for the past four years. In 2018, I won the Leadwoman Challenge (fastest total time for 5 races including running and mountain biking and totaling 282 miles) and placed 15th at the Spartan World Championships just a few weeks later. This year, I earned the podium at the Leadville 100-mile trail run placing 3rd female in 23:52:04. I’m hoping to pick up biathlon later this year as a new sport competing for the Guard.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I am fortunate that I learned at a younger age, that confidence in one’s self is something that is earned. I had to work very hard for my scholarships to fund my undergraduate education as my parents did not have much money saved for my college. I joined the military for the experience and opportunity but having my first physical therapy job be in a combat zone right out of school was a huge challenge for me. Continuing to navigate my military career and finding new ways to serve and contribute has had its challenges as well. As many of my fellow service members can attest, military life often requires you to be flexible and very giving of yourself to accomplish the greater mission. Burn out is high in the military and healthcare fields.

In my athletic career, I ran relatively injury-free until age 25 and then began to have injury after injury for the next five years. I had to completely change the way I ran in order to run pain-free again. Out of that long and frustrating experience, I became much more knowledgeable on running technique and body mechanics which has allowed me to help fellow runners more effectively and has brought me much greater success and longevity in my athletic career. It was a lesson for me that our greatest failures can lead to our greatest successes if we use those failures as a learning opportunity.

My best advice to younger women is to find good mentors and role models, find the person you want to become and learn from him or her. Always do your best. Failure is a necessary part of life, learning, and growth. Embrace it as life’s best learning tool. Lift up those around you and give back to others. If you’re only helping yourself, you’ll take all your successes in life with you to your grave. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else. Your focus should be on doing your best and no other human on earth but you actually knows if you did your best. Remember that just being alive is a privilege. Enjoy your life.

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I am a physical therapist and Major in the California Army National Guard. I’m also a PT in the civilian world. I think I am best known for magically healing people (kidding). Actually, I feel as though I am part of many communities which has been a joyful experience and a source of opportunity and connection. As a physical therapist, I’ve worked with every kind of patient imaginable from high-level athletes, special forces, the “average’ soldier, children, geriatrics, etc. My military PT experience sets me apart from the average PT in that I’ve worked in very acute settings where I’ve relocated joints, splinted unstable fractures, and worked out of a backpack for days. In the running world I am known for my barefoot escapades, running long distances in sandals, and well, just plain running long distances. I think many good qualities can be cultivated over the course of our lives. One character trait I highly recommend developing is grit. Grit is your ability to endure despite obstacles (including a goal that takes a loooong time to realize).

It would be great to hear about any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve used and would recommend to others.
Podcasts: Impact Theory, Found My Fitness, Moving2Live, The Movement Movement

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/woodultra/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wood.ultra

Image Credit:
Spartan Race, Eric Chin

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