A 5TH DELIRIOUS WEST

Contributed by Glen Smetherham, AURA member (BUTLER, WA)

DELIRIOUS WEST 200 & 100 MILER, SOUTH WEST WA, 8-12 February 2023

Just over a week ago, I completed my 5th Delirious WEST 200 mile race. I have been fortunate enough to be at the starting line for every event, and even more fortunate to make the finish line each time.
Every year is a different experience, and some years have a bigger range of experiences within the race.

The first year was all about just getting it done. There were lots of unknowns being the first time and while I did struggle a lot with sleep, I never felt like I wouldn’t finish. 

The second year was a struggle. I had stomach issues early, throwing up frequently from just after the 50km aid station until it settled around 130km in. Then I felt great for a while before straining a quad muscle around 200km in, then a hip flexor at 252km. I didn’t run a step for more than a day that year and seriously thought I wouldn’t finish. I improved enough to have a strong hike and a few short run sections. I also had some bad hallucinations and my vision was pretty messed up towards the finish but I was extremely satisfied to grind out a finish after a tough few days.

My next Delirious was the October race (the February event was postponed due to Covid) in much cooler conditions and on a modified course. Everything went really well and I didn’t have any really low points. I enjoyed this race as it felt like more of an adventure, with a lot of the trail requiring us to hike through shin to knee deep (sometimes higher) water.

Race number 4 was a late course change due to fires near Denmark the week before the race. We ran an out and back course from Northcliffe to the Tree Top Walk and back. This race was a struggle for me mentally, rather than physically. I had a few mini break downs when thinking about our unwell daughter and felt it was best to run with or near others during the run.

• Our eldest daughter (Lily)has severe Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME). This is a complex disease that effects many parts of the body with a wide range of symptoms, the most common being extreme fatigue, sensitivity to noise/light and widespread pain in muscles and joints. In Lily’s case it has been a gradual onset over years and she is currently bedridden and unable to feed herself. At no point during any of my 5 Delirious finishes have I ever been anywhere close to the level of fatigue Lily experiences every day.
• My wife (Deb) also has a chronic auto-immune disease and fatigue/pain is a daily occurrence so while we usually share the load, placing it all on her for a week was very tough.
• Our youngest daughter (Chloe) is extremely helpful and also does a lot at home.

Big thanks to Darlene, who I ended up running the majority of the race with in 2022. I had a few sleep issues again as I chose company over sleep a few times and that ended up with me feeling like the walking dead for a while. We got it done and I was very pleased to get finish number 4.

This year’s race was another completely different experience. I wasn’t 100% sure I’d be running it this year and also my training had quite a few interruptions and was different to previous years training. I limited my time away from home by not doing any very long or hilly runs that required travel. I also did most of my runs from the door and didn’t get in as much trail time as usual. However, I did have a 10km loop from home that could have anywhere from 500m to 1.5km of sand running.

Training tip… For an event like Delirious, it isn’t necessary to do a huge amount or very long runs/hikes on sand. You need to do enough to feel comfortable on sand and maintain that during your training. Too much sand running increases injury risk and takes away training time that can be better spent working on overall running efficiency.

I was also very conscious of my non-training stress and the effect it has on training.

A very simplified way of looking at training for these long events is that low intensity training almost always makes a deposit into your base fitness, and building base is the #1 goal.

Higher intensity sessions (and very long easy runs) make a withdrawal from this base fitness, but you get to spend that to gain some extra advantages when it comes to racing. The main advantages are improving top end speed and increasing the exercise intensity above which, working just a little bit harder means having to stop a lot sooner.

Other things that can make withdrawals from this base fitness include frequent racing, very long races, illness, and stress. The problem with non-training stress is that it makes a withdrawal without giving you any of the gains.

So, with my current high non-training stress I needed to make sure I got the balance right and reduce the number of higher intensity sessions relative to my easy sessions (I needed to make more deposits to counter the non-beneficial withdrawals). When I did do higher intensity sessions I felt I really got the best out of them. I also still kept regular short speed work such as strides and short hill sprints after some easy runs.

If I didn’t adjust my training this way, I would have either broken down at some stage, or ended up on the start line feeling a bit faster but with a bankrupt base that would probably have resulted in a slightly quicker day one but much slower as the race went on. Before the race, I predicted it would go the other way. A slightly slower day one but feel better than usual later in the race. Luckily, this is exactly what happened

In the weeks leading up to the race, I had Shon offer to crew for me. This made a huge difference as it meant I was able to relax a bit more leading up to the race without needing to plan drop bags. I find that before a big race, CALM loading is much more important than CARB loading

It also meant I didn’t need to carry as much, as I was planning on making a video of the race and could leave camera batteries/gear with him that I would have otherwise had to carry the entire way. Thank you Shon.

I also had Lea offer to pace me before volunteering. It worked out really well that she was able to pace me from Denmark to Lowlands. It was a section that I’m certain would have been slower without company. Thank you Lea (for the pacing and volunteering).

Race morning I was up after a fairy good night’s sleep. A short drive from Pemberton and we were at the carpark near the start getting the last few things ready. I was pretty relaxed and glad it was a little overcast.

We started the race with the usual out & back (a tradition since almost everyone took a wrong turn just after the start of the first year’s race). A few hundred meters in, I jumped up on a log to record everyone running past then started from the back of the pack, gradually passing a few people and chatting along the way.

I enjoyed a pretty relaxed first section. The humidity was high in places and I definitely felt it wasn’t worth pushing the effort at all. It’s always great to see a group of runners at the first few aid stations. Those that have been running just out of sight in from or behind you suddenly appear at the aid station together and you can chat about how things are going. At this stage, as expected, everyone felt and looked great.

I ran all of the next leg with Charmaine who was back to get her second Delirious finish after completing the race in 2020 (She had a great run and it was fantastic to see her cross the finish line). We enjoyed the breeze coming into Lake Maringup but were definitely feeling the humidity in places. I had one cramp during this leg when climbing over a log. Probably a result of some tightness in my hamstring after I had a fall during the first leg. It didn’t bother me again.

Chesapeake East aid station was the first time I saw Shon. A short stop, just refilling my water and downing an electrolyte drink. It was only about 12km to the next aid and I planned a slightly longer break there. Not much breeze in this

section and an area I have always seen snakes. This time I didn’t see any (plenty to see later in the race).

I came into Dog road aid station feeling pretty good. I asked Shon to refill my pack and decided to have a few minutes in the chair with my eyes shut. I also washed my feet and changed socks for the first time here.

It was also the first time I told a joke to the volunteers… ‘There was a runner back on the trail who fell on a sharp rock and cut his entire left side off… He’s all right now.’. But it failed to have the desired effect when I had to repeat ‘He’s ALL RIGHT now’ about 3-4 time to Harmony. I guess with so much going on at an early aid station it was a bit too soon to be joking about injured runners. The section leaving Dog rd is never my favourite. It’s a bit boring, flattish, wide trail and usually done in the hotter part of the day. I was really feeling the heat in this section as the sun was coming out at the time. The humidity of day one was taking its toll but now being replaced by the hot sun for a while. I backed off the effort a bit more in this leg. I find that everyone reaches a point on day one where they have thought like, ‘If I feel like this now, how am I going to get through 200miles?’ It’s usually just that the first low point hits a bit earlier and a bit harder than people expect. It’s hard to believe at these points that you’ll likely be feeling and running better in a couple of days. I had a slight low point through here, but accepted it and with the advantage of experience it didn’t bother me at all.

At Pingerup aid station I saw Sarah and Felix for the first time. After a short break and reset I ran some of the next leg with JP & Tristan who were both moving well. I stopped for a toilet break and didn’t see them again for quite a while. I enjoy this section as it’s usually when the sun goes down and there are some enjoyable single track sections without being too hilly.

I wanted a short break at Broke Inlet aid station and asked Shon to show me to the chair. When I saw my car I noticed a chair nearby with a sleeping bag on it and threw my hat on it. Just before pulling off the sleeping bag and falling into the chair, I heard Shon tell me that it’s not mine… Felix was asleep in the chair under the sleeping bag (at least until I threw my hat on him). Sorry Felix. This year I had planned to supplement my sleep breaks with some short 10min Non Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR) breaks. It’s similar to meditation/mindfulness, involving some breathing techniques to help relax followed by a guided focus on your body (I have my own modified technique that worked really well). I used this in places where I wasn’t quite ready for a sleep but felt the 10min break would help.

With some hot food and a warm toast to go, I was back on the track. At the aid station, Suki had asked if I was heading out soon and if it was ok to tag along with me. I said that would be great and I was happy to have company for this next leg. Unfortunately, not long out of the aid station it was clear we were moving at different paces (It can go either way during long races like this). At this point, after my short break, I felt really good and wanted to run a bit more. Suki mentioned he had a sore quadriceps at that time and I think that made the downhill running harder. I felt bad running off but you need to run your own race and I thought it was likely that someone would team up with him soon.

I was ticking off the landmarks during this section. It makes s big difference

mentally, knowing what is coming up and how far there is to go from each feature. I think I passed about 6 people during this leg and a big part of it was due to knowing the course and staying relaxed. When you don’t know the trail, some legs can really drag on. I also know what was coming up in the next leg so tried to stay as relaxed as possible. When I could hear the waves, then up a short steep hill and onto the sandy track, I knew it was 4km to the aid station. Coming into Mandalay aid station I think I surprised Shon, who was asleep in the car. I had a reset here with a short rest, some noodles and a shoe change. As I was leaving the aid station I was handed Jeff’s shoes.

Jeff was an RD for the race and a big part of all the previous events. He sadly passed away about 7 months earlier after a very short battle with Leukaemia. Jeff had planned to be running the event this year with some fantastic friends. He was unable to run but as a tribute, it was arranged for his shoes to be carried over the entire course. Each runner would run with his shoes for approx 5km before leaving them on the trail for the next runner to collect.

I had a few good chats to Jeff during the next 5km. It’s a tough, very sandy section and I would have been using my poles for the first time in this leg…but Jeff said no. I remembered a special conversation I had with Jeff around the fire at the afterparty last year. I was telling him about my mental struggles during that run and he was very understanding and the chat helped me a lot. I know that there was a bench 5km from the start of Mandalay aid station so didn’t worry about checking my watch. We sat on the bench for a minute before leaving him on the track for the next runner.

Again, I just ticked off the landmarks and kept going forward. I could see lights ahead and behind me but it’s hard to tell how far away they are with all the twists and turns of the Bib.

About 7km from the next aid station I could see a light coming up quickly. It was Kay, who told me about his unfortunate detour after leaving Mandalay aid station (the GPS file is a bit off in this area where you leave the beach). He was well in front at the time and lost a lot of time in thick bush trying to get back on track. Eventually he was rescued and taken back to the aid station where he tried to sleep (unsuccessfully if I recall right) before heading back onto the course. The mental and physical toll of time being lost seemed like too much and he decided to pull out of the race at the next aid station. Perhaps a decent sleep may have had a different result as I’m sure he probably would have found his way back to the pointy end of the race after a proper rest, but it’s impossible to know for sure. Coming up the Mt Clare climb I was really feeling the humidity again. It was around 6:30ish in the morning and already I had sweat pouring off me. I had decided to try and get some sleep at the Mt Clare aid station and when I got there I jumped in the chair, put on my noise cancelling headphones and eye mask and tried to sleep. I didn’t fall asleep but got about 35min rest before having a nice bacon & egg toastie (thanks Tim) and heading off towards Walpole.
I decided around this time to back off the effort a little more and spend more

time in aid stations. My motto for the race from here on became ‘Chilling and ticking boxes’. I relaxed a lot more at aid stations (not that I wasn’t already pretty relaxed), and just ticked the boxes for what needed doing. I even had a few people ask at times if I was still racing as I may have looked a bit too chilled at times. Walpole was definitely a chilled stop. I had a shower, had my feel attended to for a small blister (Thank you Heather), had some delicious apple crumble and custard, had a few chats to runners/crew then a short rest in the chair. No actual sleep but I was there for about 1hr40min before heading off again.

Not far out of Walpole I saw my first snake of the race when a tiger snake slithered straight across the trail about 2m in front of me. I was disappointed I didn’t have my camera recording as it was too quick. I was feeling the humidity and making sure I kept up the hydration during this leg. I know the humidity would be similar for the next section as well so had an extra electrolyte drink and more fluid at the next aid station (Giant Tingle Trees). Probably a little slower than usual through this section but I didn’t want to dig myself into a hole and also started to feel quite sleepy again. I didn’t try to have a nap at the hut about halfway to the Tree Top walk but a giant March fly had other ideas. Eventually I got to the Tree Top walk. This section can really drag on when tired. I got to the aid station around 5:30pm and initially planned to head out in front of the 100 milers who would start at 7pm. I managed to get almost an hours sleep here, had some warm food (I forget what it was) and had my feet cleaned, checked & some tape applied (Thank you Kath). I enjoyed the break, chatted to a few people and watched the 100 milers start. I eventually got moving about 10-15min after they started. I always like this leg. Once we are down and across the Hwy, the trail flows really well. I had the added bonus of a few 100miler head torches off in the distance that I could follow. Dropping into the aid station I felt good. During this leg my watch died. It was user error as I mustn’t have connected the charger properly the night before. Usually the watch will get through the entire race with only a short charge while I am having a sleep break. It didn’t really bother me, I waited until Peaceful Bay whereI was planning a sleep & would charge it there. I did see a light a little off track during this leg. It seemed to be heading back towards the trail. Looking at the MAProgress page now I can see that it was Veronika who probably lost about 20mins here with a missed turn.

In the rocky beach sections coming into Peaceful Bay I was feeling really tired. I had recently passed Sean, who looked even more tired than I was and mentioned that a sleep was well overdue. I did try a short rest but when a giant bug started crawling on my neck I got up to keep moving. On one of the beach sections I thought I saw a couple of very large bobtail goannas. Very quickly they turned into rocks. Not long after I saw something splash in the shallows. When I looked, I was shocked to see a beached baby whale (even if it was a strange sandy colour and had eyes on the front of its face). I decided it needed rescuing and walked over to the shoreline. It was clearly unable to move with the waves gently pushing it towards the beach. Luckily, as I stood there debating with myself if I should take my shoes off or leave them on, it turned into a rock and no longer needed saving. Sleep was non-negotiable when I got to the aid station.

At Peaceful Bay I had a good sleep in the chair before getting up and ready to head out again. A bit of warm food & a coffee (Thanks Alex) & I was ready to go. I probably hung around a little longer than needed but wanted to hit the jets section in the light so didn’t rush. I did see JP come in here and he looked like he needed the sleep as much as I did. A glazed look on his face, but he looked happy. A few bad jokes to kill some time then I headed off for a new section as this year we went straight onto the beach for a few km before getting to Irwin Inlet. Usually we would cross by kayak, but this year we jumped on the back of a jets to take us across. The water was so clear and inviting and the views along this next section of beach were magical as the sun started to rise. I’m glad I had this to myself for a while as it was pretty amazing feeling isolated on this incredible beach. I eventually caught up to Jason and we chatted for a while. Not long after we caught up to Sean, Victor and Steph and we were all pretty close together coming into Boat Harbour. I had a pretty quick stop at Boat Harbour and left ahead of the others, Steph wasn’t far behind me and caught me just before Parry Beach aid station. This section was very overgrown this year. Hot, hilly and scratchy sums up the leg perfectly.

nother very relaxed stop at Parry Beach where Shon had set the chair up in the shade. I had some delicious chicken nuggets here… although I did complain because the last time I had chicken nuggets they came with a toy and these didn’t. Another foot check and re-tape from Kath, slap on some sunscreen and I headed off onto the beach where I could see there were some dogs to pat and chat to. The first section is nice and runnable but after the inlet it gets softer. I saw Steph up ahead and passed her when she tried to have a sleep on the beach, then she passed me when I tried to do the same. We both found out it was way too windy and having sand blown over you not long after putting on sunscreen isn’t as much fun as it sounds. I was lucky to share this next section with Steph, she was moving really well and I probably would have slowed a bit. I did consider a short sleep at the next hut but there was already a couple of runners sleeping & I didn’t want to disturb them. We got to the Monkey Rocks aid station and I had some amazing mashed potato, chicken and gravy and a ginger beer. Shon topped the pack up and we were off again over Mt Hallowell. It was so humid as we climbed.

The occasional breeze felt like an air conditioner but never lasted long enough. A great view from near the top and then the usual many surprises when you think you are over and down the other side, you start climbing or have to scramble over rocks again. No matter how many times I’ve done this, and expect it, I always fall for the ‘We are done now’ moment a couple of times.

The final 7km into Denmark was mostly a walk. We did manage a few short runs with each of us saying ‘run to the corner’ or run to the sign’ to just get there a little quicker. Also nice to see and pat a few dogs coming into Denmark. One chocolate lab was particularly friendly. When we got into Denmark aid station, I decided to have a shower and something to eat before getting some sleep. Skipped the first shuttle (it would have been a rush) and the second and opted for the third. I had Sean and Hao join me on the shuttle, as well as my pacer Lea. The first section after getting off the bus is quite nice, then you hit the long grass which is just a pain. Along here there was the large Kangaroo in the middle of the trail that seemed to be paralysed. As I tried to go pass slowly it was very stressed and tried to lunge at me so I figured a quick pass was best. Not long after starting the long gradual climb, I took a wrong turn and we ended up on a wide soft trail that didn’t look familiar. It took too long for me to realise and when I checked the Gaia app my arrow was well off trail. We turned and went back the way we came, joining the trail again after maybe 20-25min. I was actually really pleased with how much it didn’t bother me at all. Back on track and everything looking familiar we got moving again. Some parts were very overgrown and I found myself feeling very sleepy in these sections. When it was more runnable I felt better.

We saw a Tawny Frogmouth on a post (almost within touching distance) and not long after I thought I saw two more sitting together. Lea pointed out that it was just a bush and I almost corrected her before I realised I had hallucinated them. Coming into Lowlands I was looking forward to a quick rest and I had a couple of coffees to wake me up. I was very grateful to have had Lea through that section. I think I may have slowed right down without her.

As I was leaving Lowlands, Steph came running into the aid station. Her crew, Tanya, had already told me that Steph wanted to catch up and she mentioned it herself as she ran past. I was sure she would catch me as she had made up quite a bit of time on that leg. Possibly due to the coffee, or possibly the through of being chased, I started running up a gentle incline. After a while I realised that I had found the elusive flow state and the running felt so much easier. I just had to think run, and the legs moved without any complaints. A couple of times I had to make sure I backed off a little as I didn’t want to feel great for a short time then crash. When I hit the horrible wooden slats just before Shelley Beach aid station, I really want to run them but felt very unsafe after one kicked up when I stepped on it. The climb down to Shelley Beach wasn’t as bad as I remembered and I found Chemie asleep at the aid station. I tried to check myself in and out but didn’t know the time so had to wake him. A quick coke & some sunscreen and I was off again. Once again, the climb out of Shelley wasn’t too bad and over pretty quickly. I had some nice runnable sections before the big granite slab climb, then, once over the other side ran a lot of the way to Cosy Corner. Stopping a couple of times to get some good video footage of the amazing views. Coming into Cosy Corner, I didn’t feel like stopping as I was feeling so good.

ometimes, you stop, sit down, and when you get back up the feeling is gone. I grabbed some coke, and headed off to the beach. This is the first year I have run all the way from the aid station to the rocky headland, then after the headland I ran to the soft sand after the inlet. Usually, I’ll have a few walk breaks along the beach. Coming up the stairs to Muttonbird aid station, I saw a large dugite under the stairs but wasn’t quick enough to get my camera out. A coffee and toilet break here and Shon filled my pack. I was off again fairly soon but a bit wary as this section is where I have seen the most and biggest snakes in the past. Not far into the leg I stopped when a large dugite was on the trail just in front of me. Yay, finally I had one on camera. A few stomps and jumps, then it was on its way. I did slow in sections that looked a bit snakey as the sun was also out and it was heating up. I saw a few tails disappear in front of me but no more close encounters. Not long before the boardwalk, I looked back and saw Tristan catching up. I waited for him and when he mentioned that he had crunched the numbers and could basically walk it in from here and still hit his sub 80hr goal I was very quick to say it sounds good to me. As it was heating up, backing off to a walk felt really good. We came into the aid station, enjoyed some food and the bush chooks before heading back out for a leisurely walk and chat to the finish. It was a great way to finish another amazing adventure.

We finished in 79:51. I didn’t have a time goal for this race but considering how relaxed I felt for the majority of the run I was extremely happy with the time. I was also happy that how the race felt, ended up being pretty much spot on how I predicted it would be based on my training. For the last 50miles (ish), my time was on par with the race leaders and I felt amazing.

On the coaching side, I am extremely proud of all the Consistent Runners that I have been lucky enough to help get to the start line.
Congratulations to Felix, Veronika, Heath, Darlene, Eve, Georgia, Sue, Dave, and Ben.

And thank you to all the Consistent Runners who helped out with pacing, crewing and volunteering. Thank you Shaun, Simone, The RDs, Scott, Michelle, Ian, all the volunteers, crews, pacers and other runners for making the event so special.

And most of all, thank you to Deb, my wife, for allowing me to go on this amazing adventure and taking on the full load while I was away (with some help from Chloe) at home. I love you.

I often get asked why? Why do I come back each year to run Delirious?

There are a number of reasons, the people are special and the course is both brutal and beautiful (it’s Brutiful). I love the challenge.
The number one reason is that it makes me better. It’s like when a computer is starting to struggle and by turning it off and on again, it’s back to working like new.

Delirious switches me off and on again.