Delirious WEST: Australia’s first 320km endurance race is one tough task – ABC News
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The world of ultramarathon running descended upon the south coast of Western Australia this month, with 35 competitors taking on a brutal 320-kilometre race along sections of the world-famous Bibbulmun Track.
The Delirious Western Endurance Scenic Trail (WEST) began at the old logging settlement of Northcliffe and finished in the port city of Albany.
The race is Australia’s first 200-mile (321km) event and was won by legendary endurance runner Dion Leonard who blew the organisers away by finishing in a time of 61 hours, 24 minutes.
200 miles along the beautiful south coast
Delirious WEST race director Bill Irving described an ultramarathon as a long catered walk.
“It’s anything longer than the standard 42.2km marathon and can range anywhere from 45km to 200 miles,” he said.
“There seems to be a growing trend in the ultramarathon community to go longer and more extreme, so the number of 200-mile events is growing worldwide and we are fortunate enough to have this one in our backyard.”
Organising an event of this scale and size was a logistical nightmare for organisers but apart from a few teething issues, the trail ran smoothly.
There were 24 aid stations, four sleep stations and plenty of opportunity for extraction, should any competitors withdraw inside the 104-hour time limit.
“I believe initially everyone started off on the wrong track, so once we got the early navigation issues out of the way, the race seemed to flow quite well,” Mr Irving said.
“To be able to have multiple aid stations and the number of volunteers — it’s difficult to describe exactly what has gone on.
“It’s like a small army that’s marching across the country side and for everybody who has been involved, everyone who has been out in the middle of the night making bacon for runners and things like that, it’s an experience they will never forget.”
Not for the faint-hearted
For some competitors it was their first foray into the world of ultramarathons while others, including international runner and 70-year-old world record holder Jean Dykes, had plenty of experience under their belts.
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“Obviously 200 miles is a considerable distance,” Mr Irving said.
“And the Bibbulmun might seem flat to a lot of the more experienced ultramarathon runners who are used to doing long trails in mountainous regions, but the terrain is so different, there is a lot of sand and a lot of dunes and the changes in the scenery and the climate certainly present their own challenges.
“The first day was roughly mid-30 degrees and there was not a lot of shelter and a few people underestimated how hot it can get in this part of the world.
“But once the weather cooled down, it became a little easier for the competitors to keep pushing on.”
The route took runners through some spectacular coastal scenery and even had them run across the 40-metre high Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk near Walpole.
“I promised them some sights and I think most of them have been impressed with what they have seen,” Mr Irving said.
From the Gobi Desert to the Great Southern
Australian ultramarathon runner Dion Leonard blew the race organisers away when he finished the Delirious WEST in just 61 hours.
Mr Leonard has competed in some of the toughest races around the world and rose to fame in 2016 when he ran the 250-km Gobi March in China.
During the second stage of the race, Mr Leonard noticed he was being followed by a stray dog who remained at his side for the whole event.
He later set up a crowd-funding campaign to bring the dog, which he named Gobi, back to his home in Scotland.
Having lived in the UK for the past 20 years, the Delirious WEST was Mr Leonard’s first race in Australia and he thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
“It has been awesome to come out here and to be part of this unique experience in such a beautiful location,” he said.
“It was a challenging course, it was super hot and hilly and sandy, but the scenery was amazing — some of the beaches were stunning to look at.
“It was a long 200 miles but crossing the finish line was so great.”
While some competitors took the time to nap along the route, Mr Leonard went 61 hours without sleep.
“I crashed pretty much as soon as I finished,” he said.
“One of my strategies is to go as quickly as I can for as long as I can and I was able to just put it together and keep going.
“I’ve got fat feet and ankles but other than that everything is really good.
“Don’t even have any blisters to report.”
Ultra-ladies record impressive times
US ultramarathon runner Candice Burt was the winning female competitor in the Delirious WEST, finishing third overall and recording a time of 72 hours and 55 minutes.
She was followed by Melissa Robertson and Amelia Griffiths who both crossed the finish line before the 80 hour mark.
Albany detective Kylie Bell has run 200-mile stage races before but the longest distance she had run in one go was 100km.
She trained along sections of the Bibbulmun track but said it was still extremely tough.
“All the soft sand got a bit hard and I think the sleep deprivation was the worst thing,” she said.
“I thought I was sort of prepared, but some of those night stages were tough.
“It got to one point where we stopped, literally laid down in the dirt for five minutes to get our heads together and off we went again.”
Ms Bell finished with an impressive time of 84 hours.
“I just wanted to make the cut off, so I am stoked that I am here,” she said.
Topics: sport, international-competitions, albany-6330, west-cape-howe-6330, northcliffe-6262, walpole-6398