In less than two weeks I get to take on the Delirious West 200 miler for the seventh time, ( https://www.deliriouswest200miler.com.au/ ) currently sitting on one DNF (my first) and five top ten finishes. This has to be my favourite race due to the distance, company and the food, truth be told mainly the food, you also get to ride on a jet ski. (albeit it depends on what state of the tide when you get to the water crossing and the ride itself last less than twenty seconds, enough time for a photo)

Company wise I’m ably supported by Mark (Warwick Crapper) Lommers and in 2026 he’ll be joining me for the fifth time.  Mark just knows when to be quiet, when to be encouraging and when to kick my ass and push me out of the comfort of my recliner. He also cooks a mean spaghetti bolognaise (for Wednesday night) and an incredible steak and onions which gets better every year! (Thursday and Friday nights)

The company on this event is absolutely top-notch, like-minded runners, crew and supporters all working towards the goal of getting as many runners as possible from the start, in Northcliffe, to the finish line in Albany, over three hundred and forty kilomtres apart.  I cannot talk this up enough, from the bogan run on Tuesday afternoon in Northcliffe to the post event celebrations on Sunday evening in the Earl of Spencer Pub in Albany it is just a runners dream.  So many stories and memories that will last a lifetime, this is why I keep coming back year on year.  It’s also good for a post or three as a lot happens in a week.  I would highly recommend you spend time reading through all my previous posts on the event, that should keep you busy for a few hours.

Before Delirious is the race that stops a small town, i.e. Northcliffe , the infamous Bogan run where the crew of the competitors are put through their paces on what can only be described as an alcohol fueled suffer feast . No one has any idea of the rules or coarse and the crew are just let loose to run amok around Northcliffe while consuming as much beer as humanly possible. All joking aside it does bring the small town to a grinding halt albeit truth be told it’s hard to tell the difference between normal traffic and a grinding halt. My crew has excelled year on year but so far all we have to show is one win, with many podium places.

Another big bonus of a 200 miler is running through the night and coming across all sorts of architecture, flora and fauna. This varies from bridges that seem to just disappear into the blackness to animals that would seem more at home in a horror movie. You also need to remember that in Australia everything, no matter how small, can kill you!  The witching hours allow you to relax from the heat of the day and you can just concentrate on the small bubble of light that show you the way. Personally, I love this time and being alone in the wilderness, kilometres from the next soul, is liberating. How often do you find yourself alone, I mean really alone? Trust me it is a cleansing experience.

Right next we have the beaches. These are some of the best in the world and normally you run them alone, albeit this year could be a different experience as Shaun and his gang at UltraSeries WA have organised the event to coincide with the school holidays?  On the bright side most of the beaches are inaccessible by normal two-wheel drive vehicles so I’m hoping they won’t look like a scene from Baywatch, albeit a Pamlea Anderson type lifeguard chasing me down the beach could be cool. (being happily married I wouldn’t let her catch me of course?)

The race is run completely on the last two hundred miles of the one thousand kilometre Bibbulmun Track from Perth (Kalamunda) to Albany.  ( https://www.bibbulmuntrack.org.au/ ) How cool is it to have a one thousand kilometre trail from Perth to Albany running through pristine forests, beaches and the best Western Australia has to offer.  We are totally blessed and we even have a version for mountain bikes called the Munda Biddi which is also from Perth to Albany, double blessed.  ( https://mundabiddi.org.au/ )

Sunsets and sunrises, being a two hundred mile race you get to see many sunsets and sunrises and each one indicates a new stage of the event. Each one is spectacular and unique. Each time I try and capture the moment using my iphone but never do it justice, you just need to be there, ‘in the moment’, and let it wash over you. These are my favourite parts of the day, being early morning, after being enveloped in a light bubble for hours, or transitioning into evening and sanctuary from the heat of the day.

After all the running you get to one of my favourite past times, the ‘shoey’, a very Australian thing. Basically, drinking beer from your footwear, it filters the alcohol through the sand and whatever else you have hanging about in your shoes. I’m always doubly impressed by Warwick Crapper who drinks beer from my footwear, that is a mark of a dedicated crew, or maybe an alcoholic one? Either way I do enjoy a good shoey, even for a non-drinker ( bar two pints of Guinness post Delirious in the Earl of Spence pub )

After the shoey it’s time to shower , for the first time in days, and then return to the finish line to cheer in the rest of the field. You’ll see some sights as the clock ticks towards one hundred hours plus. Runners totally broken and then rebuilt into better versions of themselves, the finish line is a magical place to see how far runners can push themselves. We also normally grab a pizza on Saturday evening, and it tastes incredible, as all food does after running two hundred miles.  That’s another bonus of running ultra marathons, the aid stations food just tastes so much better, there must be an explanation for this, maybe the tastes buds are heightened (is this a thing?), either way all food tastes incredible.  I remember at Conspicuous Cliffs one year they were handing out cheese and ham toasties, a simple recipe right, not so it seems. Adam and Dav, my two mates, virtually wet themselves and begged for another portion.  They still talk about to this day nearly four years later. I must admit to having a few favourites when it comes to the aid stations captains, you know who you are.

Aid stations at Delirious are just next level, a little oasis of calm in the chaos that is a 200 miler, with great food, incredible volunteers and locations that you will never forget.

Once again a shout out to my favourite trail store Tribe and Trail in sunny Leederville, Perth.  ( https://www.tribeandtrail.com.au/ ) Wayne and his crew are passionate about all things running and with their expertise will make sure you have all the right equipment to get you to wherever you need to go.

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Big shout out to fisiocrem , this product is just incredible for tired and aching legs. I use it daily and have noticed a vast improvement in recovery.

Bix hydration is just ace, a product brought to life by Vlad Ixel a professional ultra runner who knows a thing or two about hydration. ( https://www.bixvitamins.com/ )  The best thing about Bix is it tastes good with many different flavours and you never get sick of drinking it, this is a big plus as Maurten and Tailwind (both great products)  can be difficult to digest later in the event.  From the website :-

As an Australian elite multiple trail running champion, with wins in over 40 ultra-marathon races across Asia, recovery from training and races has always been my top priority. 

In searching for a solid recovery and hydration supplement, I recognized that critical vitamins and minerals – both in diversity and quantity – were missing from almost all supplements on the market. I had the feeling that in an effort to maximize their bottom-lines, companies in the hydration space, failed to deliver a product that could meaningfully assist athlete performance. 

In order to address this, I began the development of a hydration product. After two and a half years of development alongside a leading German sports scientist, BIX Recovery, an advanced, high-quality recovery drink was born. 

BIX boosts 12 active ingredients scientifically balanced to replace lost electrolytes and assist in immune function. It’s designed with quality vitamins and minerals, in quantities that work! 

BIX is a recovery solution for everyone, that will get you to the top of your game!

What can I say about HumanTecar,  ( https://athleticus.com.au/ ) it looks great, smells great and is awesome for recovery or even pre-run/workout. Read about the science behind it first and then try the products. The compression bandages are just magical after a long event. Put these on and the next day you are recovered, I have used them on a number of occasions and they never fail to astound me albeit the family poke fun at me as I look like a ‘mummy and smell funny’ !

Fractel ( https://fractel.com.au/ ) have your performance headgear covered. I love the colours and the functionality of these hats, I guarantee there is one model you’ll fall in love with.

Shokz headphones, let you keep in touch with the world around while losing yourself in quality tunes or podcasts. ( https://shokz.com.au/ )

T8 running apparel is the best you can get, second to none. Designed for the ultra humid Hong Kong conditions the owners live in.  It is light and does away with any chaffing worries. T8 is the name given to the highest typhoon warning in Honk Kong,  storms and typhoons with gusts exceeding 180kph, which explains the branding. ( https://t8.run/)

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