From Central Park to coaching the next generation: Samantha’s Stawell legacy

Date: 17th March 2026

Twenty years ago, Samantha Barrow produced the run that placed her name in professional running history.

In 2006 she sprinted into history at Central Park, winning the Women’s Stawell Gift in a year that marked two major milestones – the 125th anniversary of the famous race and the first time the women’s event was contested over the professional distance of 120 metres rather than 100 metres.

Two decades later, the memories of that Easter weekend remain vivid.

Sam, who competed as Samantha Brailey in 2006, remembers the months leading into the 2006 Gift as a period with a few injuries that required persistence more than anything.

Her training was guided by respected professional running coaches Paul and Shanie Singleton. “I remember going to a lawn farm so we could have enough space for a 120m gift distance to practice racing off our handicaps. “Unbeknown to me, my coaches, and several others in the squad were aware of how well I was running, but they kept it from me so I didn’t become overwhelmed.”

She also enlisted the help of sports psychologist Barry Brown. “The strategy we landed on was so simple in concept, yet powerful in practice. I would place a small, silver, star-shaped sticker on the back of my right hand just prior to marshalling for my race, and as the starter called ‘Walk to your blocks,’ I would peel the sticker off, which would give a light scratching feeling on my skin and this triggered me to focus only on my own lane, to have tunnel vision, and block out all other external distractions so I could drive out on the ‘B’ of the bang from the start gun.

“I practiced this in the lead up training sessions, and it somehow cemented into my pre-race routine.”

When the heats began at Central Park that Easter weekend, Samantha immediately felt the rhythm of the track. “I remember racing in the heat and felt fast. I was in one of the early heats and had a good time. Then I qualified for the semis with the fastest heat time.”

The meaning of a sash

For Sam, the moment she was handed the famous sash remains one of the proudest moments of her life. “To win on Central Park at Stawell is one of the highest honours in professional sprinting. “The history and tradition of professional foot racing in Australia is incredibly rich, and to have your name added to that honour roll is something that stays with you forever.

“Wearing the sash connects you to generations of athletes who have stood on that same grass, chasing the same dream.I feel incredibly blessed to have had that moment in my life. It’s a snapshot in time that can never be taken away.”

Life after the Gift

Winning the race was only the beginning of the next chapter. Shortly after her victory, Samantha stepped away briefly from racing as her life shifted towards family. Her daughter Pippi was born in 2007.

While her focus turned to motherhood, athletics never disappeared from her world. “Pippi essentially grew up at athletics and she did Little Athletics, Nippers, and later competed in pro-races here in Victoria, where we now live.”

Her return to competition in 2010 would ultimately lead to something even more life-changing. “My experience at Stawell was so positive that I felt drawn back to the sport, this time as a mother, returning to the track in 2010.

“One very special Stawell Gift carnival was in 2013. I decided to push the pain barrier and contest the 800m women’s event, but the pain was worth it because that’s where I met my now husband, Marty Barrow.”

Barrow himself has deep roots in elite athletics. “Marty represented Australia in the 110m hurdles in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and won his own Stawell sash in the Open 550m in 2014.”

The pair have continued competing in Masters ranks while also returning to beach sprinting. “Pro-running, with its handicap system, creates incredible longevity. It allows athletes to compete beyond what is traditionally considered their ‘peak’ years.”

A family and community legacy

Today the ripple effect of that journey reaches far beyond her own racing career. Her family is deeply involved in surf lifesaving competition through Mordialloc Life Saving Club, where both Sam and Marty coach a large squad of athletes.

“Our teenage children began competing on the national stage in 2021 for Mordialloc Life Saving Club at The Aussies – Surf Life Saving Australia’s premier event.

“After some strong results, Marty and I were asked to coach the Beachies squad in sprints, flags and relays. What began as a personal sporting journey has evolved into a family and community passion.

“We coach a squad of 40 athletes, from 10-year-old Nippers through 70-year -old Masters sprinters. Each year our athletes are selected to represent Victoria at Surf Life Saving Interstate competitions and most recently, one of our athletes has represented Australia.”

The group is now known as the Barrow Beachies sprint squad. Each Easter they make the pilgrimage back to Stawell. 

Among those set to compete at Stawell in 2026 are Harrison Scurrah, the Under 18 men’s Stawell Gift winner in 2025, Ballarat Gift Under 18 winner Archie Minster, Caden Barrow who will contest the U18 100m and Marty Barrow himself in the Masters events.

“There will also be a handful of the Nippers who do Little Aths who will enter the Stawell Little Athletics events.”

For Samantha, returning now as a mentor rather than a competitor chasing the sash is a powerful experience.

“Bringing the team to Stawell now is incredibly special. I’ve experienced it as an athlete chasing a dream, and now I get to witness that same excitement and nervous energy in the next generation. Watching them walk onto Central Park, hearing their names announced. There’s something powerful about helping them understand that they’re stepping into something much bigger than just one race.”

Twenty years on

Two decades after that historic sprint down the Central Park straight, Samantha’s legacy is no longer defined by a single race.

It lives on in the athletes she now coaches, the family she built through sport, and the young runners who still arrive at the Powercor Stawell Gift each Easter chasing the same dream she once captured.

The sash may have been won in 2006. But the impact of that moment is still running strong.

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