Delirious 200 miler 2021 5-11October 2021 A pacers perspective

A Wildworld

 

If there is any lesson to be learnt in this adventure called Delirious 200, it is that there is joy and friendship and gratitude even when the spirit is low.

 

I had never paced or crewed a runner but last year in 2020 just before the Covid lock down I had volunteered to pace Jonathan Smith a local WA runner who I had met whilst training for UTA in 2019.

We had done a few walks prior to the race In particular in 2020 on Australia Day we walked from Cottesloe to Mullaloo and back , 50km overnight. Then last year we tried to walk Cape to Cape but made it to Gracetown before it got too dark to cross the river mouth further ahead at night. We managed 50km and a further 20km the next day.

He had failed to finish Delirious 2020 having gut issues just before Walpole so this was a second go at a very difficult race postponed again in February 2021 with WA having a lock down in February the usual month for Delirious.

 

That is the synthesis of the start of Delirious 2021  on 5 October 2021 at Northcliffe. I missed that start line heading down to Walpole and along the way meeting Jonathan at the aid stations .I got lost at Dog Aid station so missed him .That was about 50 km into the race and saw him at Broke inlet 85km in and then again at Mt Clara aid station on Thursday morning about 10km before Walpole. This was a particularly hard section as there was lots of water . Jonathan or 99 as his bib number (aka Barbara after agent 99 actress in Get Smart) was now a few hours behind his expected finish times at the various aid stations but this was only day one . I returned to Walpole to meet up with Sam main support crew member with all the gear (tents and stove) and leave my car and wait for Jonathan to arrive . He got in before 1pm  and had a shower and sleep .

Sam and I at Walpole waiting for Jon

Tingle?

 

Walpole to Tree Top Walk 

We set off at 4pm for Giant Tingle tree Aid station and then the Tree Top walk .The distance to Tingle was 7.5km and then about 23 km to Giant  . All that I recall of this section is as we started it was light but within 90 minutes it was getting dark and then the torches are out. It starts to drizzle and then rain as we walk through the Forrest. It is a quick stop at Tingle with Sam there and chance to get water and some food down .It was then on to Giant walk . Again lots of water on the track and it rained for a bit . By now it was pretty late and we were hoping to have a sleep at Giants so rang Sam and asked if he could set up the tent. When we got there and looked at the course and aid stations we discovered we had a cut off at Conspicuous Beach  which was 8am the next day meaning Friday so we had no time to rest we just had to leave after Jonathan had his foot looked at by the medic. We did the tree top walk and waited for the medic. After that we left heading for Conspicuous Cliffs.

 

Tree Top Walk to Peaceful Bay

From Giants it was just trying to stay awake and conscious of cut off .  For Jonathan it 2 nights with less then 3 hours sleep. I don't remember much other than after the Conspicuous beach aid station it was getting warmer ,it was mid morning by then and we had to be at peaceful bay by 3pm .This was a 30km section from Tree Top and lots of scrub and undergrowth . This is where Fee and Mick her pacer passed us and then we were all stopped by a snake possibly dugite or brown and a large one.A call to the Race Director Scott and we got the ok to take an access road then called back to go back on the path and not divert.We lost about an hour. Jonathan and I accepted the decision . Fee not so much . In retrospect after the race I accepted it was part of the race there would be snakes and we would just have to work our way round them . The snake eventually moved . We saw 3 more after that and I just tried to cause as much vibration through noise so they move off the path. We got to Peaceful bay with 10 or 20 minutes to spare .I was ahead of Jonathan and probably too far ahead but wanted to get in as quickly as possible to get food and water before Jonathan came in and Sam able to focus on Jon .

 

Jon at Peaceful Bay

Peaceful Bay Caravan Park with Rob

Peaceful bay

 

 

Peaceful Bay to Parry's Beach

We were out of Peaceful bay at 3 and had some fish and chips before heading to Boat Harbor.This involved a 6-7km track to the inlet mouth where we had to canoe across the inlet . There was Roy Chipperfield , Fee and Lou her pacer and us . Great fun with the sweeper Clarkey going all the way to Parry's Beach. This ended being the hardest part . As the sun set we were on the beach heading for boat harbor . This was my second night out and Jon's third .The waves were thundering into the beach as the sun set and there was no one for miles .If anything it was the most beautiful part of the race but then as the sun set the real slog started. Lots of climbing in the dark as we swung inland for the most part before eventually getting back to the beach front trying to find the route to the aid station.It was dark and both Jon and  I were hallucinating .I kept seeing the lights in front of other racers as though they were going in and out of cafes and walkways .Jon had the same hallucination. Our spatial awareness was stuffed and kept feeling like we were on walkways and on a ledge. At the end there was a 1km trek inland to the aid station over 2 water courses which were up to my shorts in freezing cold water in the dark and in the rain with wind thrown in. I was at the lowest ebb then.Fee was really cold and all I remember she had waded through the water and Lou was using her foil blanket to keep her warm as she lay on the ground with Lou trying to cover her in the foil with the wind just blowing at the foil blanket. We got to the aid station and stayed there. I tried to have a sleep . Jon tried to rest in a chair.Eventually  Fee Left and we then got thrown out just after midnight. (we got shown a way round the 2 water courses) Roy was with us with the sweeper as we slowly walked to Parry's beach about 12km away. I recall a discussion with Jon about he was happy if he finished here as he now knew his limits. This was a really hard session. There was just lots of up and down on the track and we could not really make out the trail. Lots of rain and wind. Remember my Garmin going out and then another few hours of just Jon and me. Struggling though the howling wind and passing a few others .Then we were  alone and by then the wind had died down as we got into Parry about 5 or 6am . I thought at that point we were out.Despite the low point surprisingly there was no stressing and angst .Surprisingly or maybe just dog tired there was an acceptance of the outcome. I had found the race so far whilst tough surprisingly serene in many ways .There was the absolute beauty of the coast despite the wet conditions and I would be forever grateful for the experience. Sam and Ralph were there so we went straight to bed . I was out in a few minutes. The next morning about 4 hours later Sam wakes me up and says Jon has gone.They woke him up after an hour and Ralph was pacing him to Monkey Rock. I felt so much better after the sleep and had a quick piece of toast and headed with Sam, to Monkey Rock. We saw Jon through safely and the clock was now on to get to Denmark Recreation Centre by 3 pm Saturday 10 October 2021.I had the luxury of a few hours till 3pm to get ready for the last push

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conspicuous Beach

 

 

 

 

Denmark Recreation Centre to Cosy Corner

 This was the last night session .From the Recreation Centre it was by car / wagon to Nullaki Jetty and there was Roy, Fee and her pacer and Jon and me. We got there at about 3.45pm and after the picture at the Jetty we started off heading to lowlands. About 23 kms . We were on our own for the most part .My lights went towards the last few kms . There was fairly large burnt out part of the forrest /bush in this section and as there was no wind it was fairly still .We got in before the rest of the group although we could see and hear them at some points . I managed to recharge my lights and have some pot noodles and then an hour sleep or sort of sleep . We the headed out . At this point we were feeling like we were making reasonable progress with getting to Cosy Corner in the morning by 8am . The others eventually caught up with us with Kelli sweeping from the back. Jon was tired and we were really slow in this section as it was the 4th night for him and the third night for me .Fortunately it was a reasonable night with no rain and the temperature was fine. We had the beautiful light as the sun broke . We managed to push through and get to Cosy Corner before the rest. We were now within reach when just earlier today all hope was lost.

 

   

 Sandpatch to Finish 

 

 

 

 

The easiest part for me as it was a 10km run from 1pm with the deadline cut off of 3pm but before we started we were informed that as the last 3 runners had been given the wrong directions they were given an extra 45 minutes to finish the race. We just needed a few more minutes as we crossed the line at about 3.05pm .It was hot and Jon was definitely tired .340kms tends to do that. It was overwhelming. I was glad to have been part of the run for 165kms of it .I got to test myself in all sorts of weather and terrain .Learnt about digging deep and the mind oddly was calm for the most part. I did get reactive regarding the snakes just voicing disappointment in having been diverted onto the access road only to be called back Jon felt the same way but we really just got on with it . The only other flare up of emotion was wading through water to get to the Boat Harbor aid station. That was a low point but again we just plodded on . Again in retrospect we had nothing to complain about everyone had the same course and the RDs could not get the vehicle down to the beach because of the water obstacles so we had to go to the aid station.Just made it really hard.

 

The end was a relief and emotionally draining.After 4 days with 5 hours of sleep I felt done and shed a tear just getting there . Just felt I had given it everything but then you find there is always more to give. As we both found when we had thought all was lost at Parry's beach, a sleep later and there was a chance to live to fight another day and we did.

Lessons learnt

1. Getting the time and pace is crucial as far as finding sleep spots
2. having a camper van at aid stations will help
3. Eating at the aid stations
4. have back up lights after both my sets went on the way to Lowlands ( we thought we were out so we did not have a chance to get our gear sorted out from Parrys but we regrouped) 
5. trying for an hour or 2 of sleep along the way would have helped .Working out where to aim for the night runs and trying to aim for a pace that was sustainable knowing we would slow at night especially .So sleeping at night for an hour or 2 may be more effective . Possibly a recce of the course may help
   
6. getting crew and pacers help as when tired after 2 days ,decisions are really going to be hard and better made by fresh heads.
7. foot preparation especially in wet trails crucial as it slowed down many runners . My feet were pretty good as I had only 2 blisters .Did change shoes twice as they were soaked through and had fresh socks and I used nappy rash cream on my feet .
8. Always have back up power sources for the watch and phone.
   

Facebook Post following Delirious:

 Rob Donkersloot:

What an amazing week that was witnessing Mind Focused Running team members take on and conquer the Delirious West 200 mile race from Northcliffe to Albany on the Bibbulmun Track. Watching Fee Salmons overcome the incredible hurdles she was facing and struggling with cutoffs was incredibly emotional, Kevin Matthews absolutely proving he can finish a race that's over 100km and running it superbly while all the time focusing on the number one goal... to smell the roses while getting the DNF monkey off his back and lastly Nick O'Neill who found out that focusing on experience rather than performance doesn't mean you give up a great result; third place, sub 3 days plus a one hour PB all the while relishing having his teenage daughters crew for him. So very very proud of each of their performances.

But as well as that, and equally as important were all the other Mind Focused Running team who were at the event crewing, pacing or volunteering showing what a special group MFR is Louise Wallace, Alexis Oosterhoff Natalie Beasley Linda Phillips Bill Irving Kelli O'Neill Rebecca Kirkwood Emma Luscombe Peta Moore Jodie Phillips and the honorary MFR Sue Murray. I should make special mention of John Cooke who after not quite getting his miler done at WTF a few weeks ago ended up pacing Jonathan Smith for close to 170km, an incredible performance. That's 14 Mind Focused Runners participating at Delirious in one shape or another, over half the team... brilliant guys!

Jonathan Smith :

Delirious West 200 Miler - Oct 2021

4 days later and the swelling has gone down and I can finally see my kneecaps. I keep having slight panic attacks every 40mins wondering where Roy and Fee are and whether we’ll make it to the next cutoff

Massive thanks to my awesome crew Ralph Bates, Hosam Aly and John Cooke who ran 170km himself

John Cooke:

I would just like to thank the Vollies at the aid stations ,sweepers ,RDs , crew members particularly the ones in the back of the field , and everyone at the race for the time ,the support , the love, the care and even words of encouragement these last 5 days . As a pacer /crew it was wonderful to see and at times especially at night supporting a runner I did not have the chance to thank them ,just too delirious and focused on making cut offs but it is truly appreciated . It Made the journey an experience to treasure and very grateful for the opportunity . Lots of great memories and an emotional roller coaster.

 

Sandpatch Aid station pretending to drink a bush chook

The finish line Delirious 200 miler

with Ralph Bates

Roy Chipperfield

WTF 100 Miler How to fail well

 

King Jarrah Walk Leg 2

Powerlines

Powerlines Ian McCready who finished the Miler

Leg 1 walking the hills

Nanga Camp Start of WTF

                         

Don't Dream Its Over ...Crowded House

 

 The race course till my Garmin died

The build up to WTF my first 100 miler (after 2 false starts) was as good as it would get.No injuries and really a lot of meditation to settle the mind to all the issues that will come up in the run ...a long run.

But as in life nothing goes to plan. It was a great course just a little hilly. I had done most of the course in 2 outings so I knew what I was in for. The race preparation was organized and I had done a race plan a few weeks earlier and had my drop bags sorted , nutrition worked out a little generalized but knew I just had to keep my fluids in and salt and food in every hour.

Got to the Nanga Camp and registered by 4 pm on Friday 24 September 2021 and had all the gear sorted. In bed by 9 pm and did try and sleep but just being in a new environment with the excitement of the race made it a little difficult.Had a bit though. Interestingly the mind was a lot calmer .None of the usual tension that comes from nerves before the race. I do put it down to the meditation I have been doing . Heaps of it , be it the difficulty is everything is imperfect that is what makes us human . Fortunately the night was not as cold as sleeping in a tent in the Avon Valley.

 All the usual runners I see at races in the state were there and some new ones . A world Champion Triathlete Pamela was there having done a few milers at 69 years of age.So there is hope for me yet.

Got up nice and early  at 4.30 am . I was ready with a quick breakfast . The race briefing was short and we were off. No fanfare. The weather was perfect. Got into a slow rhythm and the first leg the hilliest with 1000 plus meters was hard with 2 loops of a 5km section with the feet getting wet crossing the streams .The worry was the wet feet and blisters. I did that leg in under 5 hours and was back at HQ before 11am to tackle the longest section the 32 km King Jarrah section. Rob was there and a few words of support and refueling and off again. The mind was just focused on the task in the present.I meditated every time I started to feel any negative thought but fortunately there wasn't much at this point .Just appreciating the moment for what it was and the gratitude at being there doing this. Again kept the pace pretty steady.Legs were tiring but had no issues .Having the aid station 2 at about 7.5 km was good to refuel with coke and water . Had a can of coconut water as well. I was taking salt tablets every 3-4 hours to supplement the tailwind as well and had no cramps so far. I finished this section following Sue and Sharon most of the course as we overlapped until the end when I followed them back in . Found it hard to keep up with their walking preferring to jog or shuffle  . 

Got back to Nanga and again a bit of a cheese sandwich and then refueling the bidons and off on leg 3 a 22km section .It was 5pm and was going to be dark and my watch was low in battery life so had my charger as well . This section turned out to be really hard .For most of the run I was with Sharon and Sue till the end.Fortunately as I would have had to rely on the Gaai maps as the watch died at about 76km 6-7 km from the end. This was a hard slog as the legs slowly started to seize up in the cold.The quads were just not working as I struggled to move.

We got to the turn around .Along the way seeing several runners as they headed back . The sun setting and the eeriness of the pine forest made for an interesting run but having done this section in early morning darkness I knew what to expect accept that I had not run to the end.The turn around could not come quick enough. The legs were definitely struggling although I knew that it was going to be hard getting out again. Here is where the difficulty in knowing when to persevere and when to stop. The last 4-5 kms were really hard as the legs and quads especially were just seizing up .Probably with the cold and maybe not enough calories although I was eating every hour just a bit of nuts , sandwich, nutbar, coke , coconut water , and lollies .

I was really struggling the last 2-3 kms , the watch died at 76km and I used my Gaai maps to at least make sure I was on the right track . I got dropped by the 3 girls I was with about 4kms from the end . I think I would have finished in about 15.5 hours  for the 83kms . I got into camp Nanga in pain with the quads just not functioning and not so sure what I would do next.Had a bit of rest .Changed the top and then the mind was just not really sure.The one difference from Goose , I was not really upset or depressed. Just really absorbing the situation unfolding but not sure of the next move.Do I try to move .In the end with Robs suggestion I gave it a go. Took some Panadol and got out there. The watch was recharging and I had Nick to lead me out . We took the first km up to the top of the hill .Even before I got to the top I knew the legs just weren't going to sustain the walking for several hours. Difficult decision but the one lesson learnt is that I did have to make a decision and make it without emotion.In comparison to Goose there was a fair bit of introspection and a bit of blaming others .This time I had no emotion other then sadness at disappointment for others who had supported me . I think the one lesson I can take is that there is no ego in ultras and it can be a good and it can be a bad day for anyone. There is like life lots of disappointments but in the end it is going out to try . A few weeks earlier on a Buddhist website I came across an article by American Buddhist nun Pema Chodron’s advice for leaning into the unknown 

She starts by stating:

If there is one skill that is not stressed very much, but is really needed, it is knowing how to fail. There is a Samuel Beckett quote that goes “Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” That quote is what will help you more than anything else in the next year, the next ten years, the next twenty years, for as long as you live, until you drop dead.

There is a lot of emphasis on succeeding. We all want to succeed, especially if we consider success to be things working out the way we want them to. Failing is what we don’t usually get a lot of preparation for.

And as in life and running we never prepare to fail , but isn't the whole point of running a 100 miles is to test the mind and the body and surely there is a chance of failure. I had done the training, run trails , worked on my strength , tried to keep healthy and fit and increased my meditation. Yet the test was in actually running the distance . In that I failed . But I have taken in a lot of lessons in the past 10 months . The main one as in life is to accept pain , failure and even success with equanimity.Nothing is permanent . Nothing is real .It is our perception of the world the winning , the losing that is the dream . We put our heart in that false measure for it is our unreal perception of the world. 

The Beckett quote has been used as a call to arms to not quit generally by the world ( and some think really out of context as Beckett did not mean that). But as Pema Chondron from a Buddhist perspective and her meaning is maybe don't be so hard on yourself .Don't beat yourself up for failing but maybe learn and maybe even if you think you failed you may learn that you did not and it may be as she says open new channels of discovery.

The alternative perspective from Melissa Turkingto's article below :

Out of context, quotes like this offer you a measure of reassurance—famous artists fail, too—and the motivation to dust off and press on. All you have to do is keep improving and everything will work out.

Oh, my precious little cherub, no.

Not to spit in your Wheaties, friend, but this line is an excerpt from a pretty dark story about the futility of trying. It’s not a call to action, it’s a warning.

Beckett was a nihilist. His work focused on such uplifting themes as isolation (social death), the absurdity of life (psychological death), and death (death death). He was hardly interested in encouraging his audience to persevere. Heck, Waiting for Godot is literally about waiting for an intervention that never comes.

The man was seriously obsessed with quitting.

 

Yet as she concludes :

 

In his own gloomy way, Beckett reminds us that success is not a goal, it’s a secondary outcome. As is failure.

In that view, they are equally pointless rubrics. The only ghost worth chasing is the personal enigma that seems to sneak its way into everything you write, the eternal question that rattles around between your ribs.

Let go of the pressure to succeed, whatever form that takes for you, because life in all its absurdity is motivation enough.

Excerp from Mellisa Turkingto's piece on Beckett Fail Better: What Samuel Beckett Can Teach Us About Quitting

So this blog started as a log of training for Ironmans and then getting to Kona , thousands of hours training and travel and time away from family and then pivoting to ultra running , harder and longer events . Is it ego or  a desire to fulfill a need or a want. I don't know . It has certainly taken me on a journey I never expected . It has been a revelation and learning odyssey . Never safe and actually full of DNFs in recent years , torment and failures and frustration at finding that secret formula to success in Triathlons as in Ultras. Maybe the secret is there isn't one but just looking and testing oneself and even failing is part of  life . I Don't begrudge the fellow travelers their success . They are not on the same journey. I Don't compare , don't measure . I am now content that I have done my best ,  as flawed as it is . 

In Dwellingup , on the WTF course , there were few highs and lots of moments of perseverance and at the end pain and disappointment. But throughout there was also friendship and beauty and being present in that moment . It was not an earth shaking moment in mine or anyone's life yet it formed a moment that can't be taken away . 

It took 24 hours of self reflection but with my meditation routine I have found I do not Yo-yo between huge highs and significant lows of depression . The DNF at WTF whilst disappointing has not brought out the old self of reactivity .I put that down to the meditation. As flawed as my meditation is  .I see the bigger picture from failure , you learn if you are curious and we can all keep failing .It makes us no less human, no less perfect , no less loved or no less . The contradiction in any race is the measurement of distance , time and worth in that measure and in our mind . Escaping that or trying is the lesson in this journey so far.

This same weekend , the AFL Grandfinal was played in Perth for the first time and Melbourne Demons won the flag as I was out on the course. I am not a footy fan but it took the club 57 years to win the flag since they last won it in 1964 , about the same time I have been on Earth. It does not define the club or their players or their fans . I think they all participate because they love the game , the result as we say is the icing on the cake . Or is it.