GET DELIRIOUS IN THE WEST

DIRECTOR

The Delirious West. It’s the original point to point 200 miler in the Southern Hemisphere.

In fact, it’s still only one of a very few. It’s a place of heartache, elation, untouched beauty and dreams. And now, it has a permanent addition of a 100 miler too.

Northcliffe, in the Great Southern forests of South-West Western Australia, is a quiet dairy and former timber milling town with a population of fewer than 250 people, yet every second week in February, the town swells overnight with the arrival of nervous, excited crews and runners and the obvious realisation that they are about to tackle hundreds of kilometres along the pristine and, at times, intimidatingly remote Bibbulmun Track. All aiming for one destination – the city of Albany and the welcome finish line on Frenchman’s Bay.

But let’s wind back a little from that finish line, because to get to Albany there are so many obstacles along the way. You see, for what Delirious may lack in elevation that most other milers may have, it makes up for with beaches, dunes, technical trails and remoteness.

Not to mention our personal guarantee that you will see deadly snakes, massive grey kangaroos, beautiful wildlife and scenery that very few eyes have hosted.

And I’m not going to forget to mention some other very unique things about Delirious. It’s the only miler in the world where you get to run through a Giant Tree Top Walk up to 70-metres above the ground, through the canopies of some of the world’s tallest forests.

It’s the only miler in the world where you get to cross an inlet on the back of a jetski!

And one of the greatest mind games in this event is the race to the Denmark bus shuttle which leaves on the hour every hour to shuttle you around the Wilson Inlet. If you miss it by 30 seconds, you wait another hour to catch the next one.

Delirious isn’t easy.

Not everyone will finish, as there are so many variables that can change your ‘race’. But Delirious is the OG. The original pointto-point Down Under, and the community of lifelong friendships you and your crew will make along the way, has turned it into the unquestionable icon of long distance running in Australia.

We invite you to be part of your own history.

WEB: deliriouswest200miler.com.au

HOST: Ultra Series

DATE: 7-11 February 2024

REGISTRATIONS NOW OPEN

What It Takes To Make The Start Line

WORDS: CLAIRE BELL IMAGES: PHOTOS4SALE, HANNAH RAE

15 JANUARY

2023

KEPLER CHALLENGE

2022 - NZ

During my pregnancy and early postpartum days I was told things like “I guess your endurance racing days are over now.” But I didn’t see it that way. My daughter would become my ultimate priority, however I deemed making time for my own wellbeing essential in order to maintain a healthy headspace and to be the best mother I could be.

Prior to getting pregnant, I’d always been a lover of endurance sport. I’m a disciplined, motivated person who thrives on having goals ahead of me. I like spending the majority of my time outdoors and love running, biking, kayaking and tramping in the mountains.

For much of the last decade I’ve been competing in endurance events from marathons and Coast to Coast to Godzone, although running has always been my preferred and strongest discipline.

Kepler Challenge 2022 was my biggest sporting endeavour to date and the race I’ve been most proud of. Not because of the distance or result but for what it took to make the start line of my first ultra 12 months postpartum.

Kepler Challenge is a 60km event with about 2000m climbing following the Kepler Track loop in Te Anau, New Zealand. What makes it so special is that it’s entirely community owned and run. The race first came onto my radar when my husband George and I moved to Te Anau in 2017. I volunteered at the race that year and remember being inspired by the runners and so impressed by the support and energy our small community contributes to the event.

Shortly after Godzone in March 2021 I became pregnant and was looking forward to a new, exciting chapter of life. I was fortunate to have had a comfortable pregnancy and was able to stay active throughout. I climbed Luxmore at 32 weeks and ran regularly up until 35 weeks.

Our daughter Nina was born via c-section in December 2021. I spent the first few weeks cherishing every minute with my baby girl and recovering from the operation. Walking a few hundred metres down the street was initially tough and difficult to fathom for someone who’s usually very active.

The weeks progressed and as I healed, I was able to walk further. With guidance from a pelvic floor physio, at 6 weeks postpartum I started some easy spinning on the wind trainer. Shortly after, at 8-12 weeks postpartum I started hill walking and walk/jogging 2-3 times per week. At 10 weeks old Nina saw her first summit in the front pack; we climbed Key Summit which is a side track off the famous Routeburn Track. I soon learnt that getting out the door involved a bit more admin than it used to but Nina and I were always both better for it!

Over time my mileage gradually increased and by the time Kepler Challenge race entries opened in July I was comfortably running 15km with the buggy so I gave myself the green light to enter.

With the new routines, time limitations and logistics of now being a mum, I wanted expert support to guide me in preparing for my very first ultra race. If I had an hour to spare, it made sense to be doing structured sessions instead of running unproductive kilometres; so I hired Adam Keen from Aerobic Edge Coaching, and he set me up on a plan that involved a lot of elevation, speed sessions, strength training 3x per week and a bit of cross training/recovery.

Previous, I’d follow a training plan diligently, fully competing each session and not cutting corners anywhere, but having a newborn meant my priorities had shifted and I had to adopt a different approach. One of Adam’s mottos always stuck in my head: Something is always better than nothing. If I couldn’t get out for my planned long hilly run, I would chuck Nina in the backpack and power hike up a hill.

I got very efficient at fitting in a wind trainer ride or a weights session while Nina was napping. She joined me on many runs in the buggy, often stopping for a breast feeding break half way. Our longest buggy run record is 18km!

I relished the weekends when George was home and I could fit in some longer hill runs, although it wasn’t always simple leaving Nina with her dad. I would have to pump milk so he had a good supply for a few hours, or I would sneak away during her naps and return once my boobs got too full again.

Sessions with hill repeats required another level of creativity. I would park Nina in the buggy at the bottom of the hill with our two dogs to keep her company while I did my laps up and down.

Race morning started stupidly early for me. I was up at 4am pumping milk so I was as empty as possible to avoid any extra discomfort during the race. Every runner secretly harbours a time they’d like to complete a race in – mine was 7hrs.

The race started at 6am. The first 5km is easy, undulating trail through Fiordland National Park beach forest followed by a large 900m climb over 7km. I cruised on the first 5km using as little energy as possible, but then up the climb I struggled. I’d stubbornly told myself I wouldn’t walk but soon realised everyone was walking past me while using less energy.

I followed suit and by the time I got to the first aid station at Luxmore Hut I felt as though there was plenty of gas still in the tank for another 40km+ of running. The vibe at all of the aid stations was awesome and it was extra special being a local seeing lots of familiar faces cheering me on.

The climbing continued from there and I concentrated on getting food and fluid in despite not feeling like I could stomach anything. Finally on the ridgeline, I was thinking ‘this is what I came for!’ Views of Lake Te Anau and surrounding Fiordland mountain ranges were stunning; we had perfect conditions with no wind and clear skies. Immersed in the beauty of the landscape I was surprised to get to the Hanging Valley aid station (about one-third of the way) and hear an official say into his radio ‘Fifth woman number 26.’

Holy heck, that’s me! This ignited the competitive flame within me and I decided a top 5 finish would be rather epic!

I turned it up a notch on the downhill towards Iris Burn Hut (the half way aid station) and made my way into 4th passing a cautious downhill runner. Everyone who has done Kepler says the race doesn’t start until this point and it’s true.

The final 30km is a slog on more undulating trail that follows the Iris Burn Stream, then skirts the edge of Lake Manapouri and eventually joins the edge of the Waiau River, back upstream to the control gates. Just before Moturau (15km to go) I was passed by a cautious downhill runner. I filled my bottles and grabbed a handful of jet planes at Moturau and shuffled on, I was really starting to fade and hurt at this point.

I knew my friends were going to be at the next station in 6km with a bottle of Coke for me, the thought of seeing them got me there. To my surprise, George was also waiting there with Nina and I started welling up when I saw them..but still 9km to go!

It was a mental battle getting through the last few kilometres, I felt like I was running at a snail’s pace, my legs and hips ached and I kept looking over my shoulder expecting another woman to run me down. After what felt like forever I could hear the buzz from the finish line and saw the ‘1km to go’ sign. I crossed the finish line with Nina in my arms emotional, exhausted and proud! I finished in 6hrs 49min as 5th woman.

I hope I can continue to inspire my daughter to chase her crazy goals in the future