(upbeat music) - Hi, I'm Michelle Frost, the host of the Fit Mind Fitbody podcast. Welcome to the very first episode of the Delirious West series. Today we have a special guest, Sean Kessler, the founder and the event director of the Delirious West 100 and 200 mile events held in Western Australia. In this episode, Sean will share the inspiring story behind the creation of Delirious West, what motivated him to start this incredible ultra-running challenge, and what participants can expect from this unique event. Whether you're an aspiring ultra runner or simply curious about what goes into organizing such a demanding race, you're in the right place. Let's dive in and hear from Sean about the vision and the passion that fuels Delirious West. (upbeat music) Today on Fit Mind Fitbody, I am really excited for us to talk to Sean Kessler, because he is the brains behind the Delirious events that we're doing a series on. So Sean, welcome to the podcast. - Thanks for having me on. - I am excited to talk to you. I'm also really scared, 'cause it means that I've signed up for this silly event. And I'm gonna be talking about it regularly, which hopefully will get rid of my nerves. I should recommend that to everybody, you should start a podcast and then talk all the time about the thing you signed up to, especially if you're nervous about it like me. Anyway, Sean, tell me why did you start this race? Or tell us a little bit about it first, Delirious West. - Delirious West is a point-to-point 100 and 200 miler on the Beaverman track from the 200 miler starts in Northcliffe. 100 miler starts at a tree top walk, just out of Walpole, and they're both finishing Albany. So it is 100% along the Beaverman track all along the way. I'll say 100%, it's probably about 98.5%. There's a few little deviations we do for logistics reasons, but it is a really, really unique event because along the entire course, it is all government-owned park. So no private properties, nothing like that. It is a whole corridor. In fact, the corridor goes from Perth to Albany, where it's all government-maintained and owned, well, I say maintained, it's volunteer-maintained, but it's all a whole reserve that we have the absolute honor of doing, for lack of a better word, a foot race on. It's not so much a race, it's more an adventure, but it is a truly, truly beautiful course and it includes well-renowned rainforests. It's got the tree top walk. There's a shuttle ride where you've got a race to get to Denmark to catch a shuttle because it only leaves on the hour, every hour, and if you miss it by 30 seconds, you've got to wait and have 15 and nine and a half minutes to catch it. - And swimming across is not an option. - We mean across is not an option. There is also a jet ski ride through the event too, where runners catch a jet ski across an inlet and it's just a remarkable part of Australia that is absolutely stunning and so versatile from the start to the finish. There's beaches, there's dunes, there's forest, there's gyroforest, there's rainforests, there's the tree top walk, you're walking 50 or 60 meters above the trees on the suspension bridges, but like the valley of the giant tree top walk, you actually run through that as part of both the 100 and 200 mile course, which is really, really unique. And look, it's actually, believe it or not, the first and now only point to point 200 mile in the southern hemisphere. So, and that's why we created it. Australia, or even the southern hemisphere, didn't have a 200 mile or at that point. And it certainly didn't have a point to point. So rather than any loops or out and backs or anything like that, we knew this part of the country. We knew how beautiful it was and we just trusted that we'll be able to build an event that could showcase Australia at its finest. To so many people, not only from around Australia, but we've had runners from probably 15 to 20 different other countries come and be part of the series over the years, so. - So how long has it been going for? - 20 just now. - The first event was 2019. And we have actually run it every year, even during COVID, like fortunately in 2020, we had a pretty decent field. And then about two weeks later, COVID shut the world down for us, or for everyone. And then we were back in 2021, but we moved it to October. So every year, so this would be nine in 2020. (mumbles) This will be our seventh year, I think. - Wow. - It's the seventh year. - Yeah, I'd be six. - Yeah. - 2020, '21, '22, '23, '24, six years, sorry. No, next year, '25, we'll be out. - Oh, yeah, that's true. That's it. - Yeah, so the next edition, we've already held these years. - Good thing. - Sorry, that was hard work. - That was. What's going on? We haven't even run. (laughs) - Right, I know. - It's terrible at mass when I'm running. (mumbles) - Back in, I think about 2013, I was part of a crew for Costa Cozy, and I fell in love with the format there of runners and crews being so, I just guess so important to each other to get through that event, but also crews communicating and building friendships with other crews. And it was a really beautiful soul for the event. And I thought, man, I really love something like that in Western Australia. And then I ended up running a crew again at Costa Cozy around one of the years, but also went and ran Tahoe 200 mile or over in California. And I just wanted to know what the fuels were and what you were going to go through as a runner before putting one on myself. So even though we'd already had it slated, I did down Tahoe in 2017. I already had this booked in. We were originally trying to do it in 2018, but we just didn't think we were quite knowledgeable enough to put on such a big event. So we held it off for another 12 months, whilst we still built our ultra series collection of events that we already had going up. Yeah, and then it came to life in 2019. And yeah, it's just, we haven't looked back since. And it's, I've promised right from day one that this would be a life-changing event to anyone that went into it and really embraced it. And I've had not a single person argue that fact that has been involved in it. To be honest, in whatever capacity, even as a crew or as a volunteer, it's sort of particularly on the event team, it's a really, really special event to witness, all these runners going through, look, delirious isn't for the lighthearted. It is remote. There are plenty of snakes. There's massive kangaroos through an area, not only called Nalakaw, but there's also a reserve just after the jet ski crossing where there's kangaroos where they're in a part where civilization has hardly ever, ever been there. So they're massive gray kangaroos, and they're there in the hundreds, I'd say. And it's just a part where we get to see on our feet some really Australian locations that 99.9% of people from Perth alone would never have seen. So this course has everything. And it's a real privilege to have brought it to life and to have grown with it over the years. - What is it? I mean, people can go and listen to your episode and I'll link to it in the show notes 'cause you've had your own individual episode on the podcast also. But what is it that makes you want to bring these kind of events to people? Like, what is it that you're hoping people are going to get out of it or what have you, obviously you've seen, you've kind of touched on it a minute ago anyway, but what drives you to want to keep putting these kind of things on to people? - I guess- - 'Cause there's no mean feet. It's hard for the runners, but oh my gosh, being an event organizer, well, but this capacity- - Oh, look, certainly probably from a business perspective as such, it's not necessarily the wisest format to put on because it's a niche market and it is really expensive to put on. But, I mean, we don't do it for that. We do it because literally, as I said before, this can change someone's life. And how that happens is if you go into, if you go into something that's so intimidating and seems really unachievable, but you're going with the mindset that you really want to give this a crack and see what you're made of, that feeling of accomplishment once you get to that finish line is like nothing I've ever, ever felt in anything, ever before. So when I got to that finish line at Tahoe, in fact, when I got, I remember my last A station, when I got to that last A station, that for me was one of the most memorable points, even though I don't remember a lot about the A station, I remember leaving that A station, putting some tunes or an album in my headphones and just pressing play and just really soaking up that last 11 miles, coming into the finish line for Tahoe. And that 11 miles is 11 miles that I'm going to remember forever and ever and ever and ever because the emotions that that brought up in me and the fact that I realized that I was going to finish a 200 mile event, which at that time, I think I was maybe the seventh or eighth Australian to have ever done. And I'm not a Supreme Athlete or anything like that. But it just goes to show that if you're focused and dedicated on attempting something and you can get it done, then the sky's limous from there on in them on what you want to do. And I don't just mean in running ability. For me, that moment changed my life because I then got to bring that collection of emotions back to a community in Australia and said, well, hey, guys, you just got to trust me. I'm putting this on and if you can get it done and you can train and you can focus and you can put your mind into no matter what, you want to get a finish line. Don't race it, embrace it, get to that finish line. And those emotions that you're going to have will be with you forever. And, you know, I became so much more confident in everything in life after getting that done because it had, to be honest, it had very, very, very, very little to do with the running and the abilities had been able to run, but it had so much to do with the abilities of being able to get into my mind and set my mind up for success rather than for failure. And that's what I achieved doing Tahoe. And that whole success in the mind thing is, is so much what these really, really long distance events are about there. You know, I say it's, you know, five to 10% physical ability and all the rest is mental. And that's a mindset, which in Australia, up until, you know, to be honest, probably Costa Cozy was an event that certainly had a reasonable amount of that, but with Costa Cozy, you know, your crew vehicles, Rondezvous with you every two and a half K. With this event, you know, it can be 25, 30, 40 Ks sometimes before you actually get to Rondezvous with your crew. So this is so much more about getting into your own head and making, you know, making steps to, to, you know, take at one aid station at a time. And, you know, to be able to bring that format of running to Australia has, you know, been amazing because we've now got, you know, somewhere of probably over 300 runners now in Australia, probably even more than that. I'd love to, love to work it out. But, you know, that have now achieved a 200 mile finish. And not all of that's got to do with us and our events, but, you know, certainly probably not any percent of that are all through delirious or the previously held a rational and reasonable 200 miles as well. And, you know, that's the, I guess the beauty now of this event and as it's grown, we've been able to add a 100 mile or two. Because, you know, that 100 mile or is, is, you know, certainly an option where a lot of people find that it'd be the step that they'd prefer to take first before then, you know, then stepping up to the 200 miles. And both of the events this year are going to be at record numbers, which is cool. So. - That's so awesome. - Yeah. Yeah, we've already actually, to be honest, as, you know, we're seven months or six and a half months out from the event now. And last week, we overtook our previous, biggest deal, whatever. So, you know, we've still got six and a half months of entries to add to that. So it looks like it's going to be a sellout, which would be amazing. - So, well, number one, I want to just say, it's a transformative experience, which is kind of what you just put what you were talking about. - Yeah, well, you used me some words for me. And that was trying, it took me ages to work out that word was like, I know there's a word for that. What is it? Anyway, that's what it is. What, do you have the close off numbers? Are there numbers? I would think. - Yeah, so you have to. - Yeah, to 200 in both events. - Yeah, we've got approvals. What's that, sorry? - Is it 200 in both events? Or 200 of course? - 100 in both events. So we've got set up. So, and that's just because the, well, that's what our approvals are for, but it's also, you know, it's a pretty manageable manager amount. - Lot 200 runners spread over that sort of distance is a lot of work, you know, for event teams and for monitoring. So, yeah, that's a pretty extreme number for this sort of format. So, over five days, managing 200 runners for 24 hours a day is, yeah, it's a decent workload. So, that'll be where we sit for 2025. - And other teams? - We have just opened up team entries. So, we're expecting, probably we'll get a handful of teams in the first year. We literally only opened them, I think, two weeks ago. - Okay. - And it's more, you know, this will be something that'll build over the years, I think we'll find in probably three or four or five years time, teams will certainly take up a big portion of this event because again, doing something like this together is just gonna be incredible. You know, teams normally isn't so much a thing that Ultra Series does when we more do the solo long distance stuff, but this event is something that, and you know, in the locations to be honest, it's something that I want so many people to be able to be part of. And if we can just open up that little opportunity for people to come and do it in a team of two, three or four, well, then I reckon that'd be a pretty amazing bonding that each team can have, you know, themselves with their group, you know, in such a beautiful location. - How are the teams working? Does that occur, I see? - So the 100 miles, you can have teams of two only, but in the 200 miles, you can have teams of two, three or four. - So the two, does that just do 58? Like, is it just that way? - No, it's, each, depending on, so on each of the options of the 100 mile or 200 mile, each team member has to run two legs. - Okay. - And they can only swap over at an aid station that clues are available to get to. So that's it. - It's on the distance between us. - The rules, that's it. It's pretty loose, but, you know, pretty fair so that everyone's involved in some parts. - And the legs are from usually about 10 K, up to about 26 or 27 K, I think. - Yes, I was studying it yesterday. It's not already, I'll post it for the first time. Probably do it thousands of time between now and the six and a half months. I wanted to ask you where the name came from. - Good question. It used to be, so originally we were playing with the word west. And we came up with Western Endurance Scenic Trail. And then-- - Seriously. - Yeah, and then on top of that, we wanted to basically give it a title of what it was gonna bring out of people. And that's when we came up with Delirious. And so we had Delirious West, we ended up dropping the Western Endurance Scenic Trail and just got too long and confusing and just changed it to West. And then we had Irrational South and Unreasonable East as a trilogy, which, sadly, is no longer an option for us just 'cause it's taking us away too much from our family. And it's been way too much trouble. But yeah, that's, I guess, every single runner at some point on this event is gonna get delirious. So, yeah, a piece take, but in all honesty, it's still, it's actually just a serious title of where it's gonna take you. - Excellent. All right. It seems like if people do wanna end it 'cause I'll put your episode or go out first before the series. We've talked to everybody already. That's all of our eight athletes. I think there's nine, actually, because they're coupled together. - And you, that's 10. - Well, I just talk all the time, so. (laughing) Get out. It's mostly me getting courage, as I keep saying, to get going, to turn up. So, we'll put this episode out first and we'll put the links to the webpage. But it sounds like if people do want to, if they're listening to this, you know, and it's still five or six months out, they might be lucky and about to get in. But if they don't hurry up, they won't be happy. - Well, we're about 70% full in the 100 miler and about 60-ish percent in the 200 miler. So, yeah, depending on how obviously the next few weeks go, but expecting the 100 miler's probably gonna sell out in the next month or two. And the 200 miler, well, we could get a run on that or it could just drip feed between now and then. But yeah, yeah, I think we're gonna come really close to selling out this year, which would be incredible. - So, if you are listening to this and you're interested, but oh no, it's sold out. What you can do is go to the Facebook page 'cause these guys have Facebook page. I'll put a link in the show notes and you can go follow the Facebook page and hang around. And it's a very addictive kind of group that Sean's got going on here. They're all wonderful people. I've had quite a few of them on the podcast, but they're all lovely people in the community. I think that you've built there is outstanding. And you can then join up next time because if you're on Facebook, you will see when the next events are that you guys are putting on. And this isn't the only one that you do. - Really? - 'Cause you alluded to before. But by hanging out with you on Facebook, that's a great place. I think unless you've got some other suggestions, you have like a newsletter or anything. Now the website has every single one of our events on there. It's just ultraseries.com.au. And we have a whole new or an all new website, which is actually being built already. - That's exciting. - It's been tweaked in the background at a minute and we'll potentially have that launch before this goes to air. So yeah, just a bit more informative and yeah, things are all coming together and a bit more just trying to keep up with things. It's, you know, change is as good as near they say. And yeah, yeah, everything's probably on the website. It's the best place. Another link you're all through to the socials and I intend. - Yep, wonderful. Is there anything about this event that you want to share before you wrap up? - One thing which I don't know a lot of people might not know about is it's very close to me personally. - So my wife and I actually got engaged at the finish line on the 2020 edition. Our daughter, so we actually had been dating and went steady after the very first delirious. We got engaged at the second delirious. And then our daughter last year was due on the Tuesday of delirious. So her middle name is actually Delilah after delirious. - Oh, this place has been a very, very special event. To me, one of our race directors previously was due to run last year. And unfortunately he passed away after a really short battle with cancer, Jeff Hanson. So each year every runner brings a pair of trail shoes that they donate to Jeff's tree, which is at the finish line. And we have a barque and we have a memorial each year at the finish after presentations wrap up and we all don't add another pair of shoes to Jeff's tree. So look, it is an unimaginably beautiful event. There's nothing like it in the world, which I know there's some other really special events that can say exactly the same. You know, and that's great. You know, that's what I love about this community and about the running community at large around the world is there's so many individual unique events. But delirious is the OG of 200 miles in Australia. And this just has so many little sections and intricacies and little quirky parts to it that make it what it is. You know, there is not a single person that has ever been involved in delirious in any capacity that would not speak of just how bloody mad and ridiculously wonderful it is. So look, you know, I'm tough to be honest that, you know, you're coming to run it yourself, Michelle, 'cause at the end of it, we'll have one mighty big, bloody giant bear hug and your smile, and tears will just be so full of, so full of, I don't know, achievement, I guess, achievement and you will feel invincible by the end of that event. 'Cause it's just what it does. It's what it does, it's intangible. I can't, I can't put words to it any more than what I already have as to what it's gonna give. And it's a beautiful community like you alluded to. The aid stations are like the most magnificent oasis and you'll see often on so much of the chat, but that's what, you know, everyone's race reports after, it's all about the people at the aid stations, you know, they own this event like it's their own and it is, you know, without them, it wouldn't be what it is. - Oh, we talked carefully the other day and he basically made the aid station sound like you're walking into a five-star restaurant everywhere you want to. - Yeah, some of the food out there is ridiculous. Like you can pop out out of the bush in the middle of nowhere and there's this, just this full drive camper van, camper trailer, you know, a couple of lively, wide-eyed people ready to do whatever they can to get you on to the next aid station. And then the menu comes out and it's just, you know, you're like, "Wow, this is brilliant." So that's amazing. - Yeah, just gotta be involved. All I can say is being involved as a volunteer, being involved as an even a spectator, be a crew, be a runner, be a first-order, whatever. You know, being involved in whatever capacity is just brilliant. So glad to get to share it with you. - The, before we wrap up, what I did want to mention listening to all of that and to remind you is how many people come back. And obviously a lot of the volunteers do, but a lot of the people I've spoken to on the podcast, not just the people in the series, but even just people who've had their own episode on the podcast. Many of them have been back many times or if they didn't achieve it the first time, if there's a couple of the athletes that I'm talking to at the moment, they're coming back because they didn't. - We've had people from America come back on multiple occasions to run it and finish it both times. We've had people from the Czech Republic do exactly the same being back multiple times and they're coming back again. I think in 2026, they're due to come back. We've got, one guy has run it every single year and finished it, every single year. Glenn Smetherham, he's-- - I guess he's on podcasts. - Oh, he's one of the athletes. - Incredible. And yeah, we are pretty blown away by how many times people keep coming back because for so many, it's their one event every year that they just, it's not negotiable. They want to come back and be involved in. It's folklore now. It's grown to have that status, I guess, which all the people have given themselves. So yeah, repeat offenders every year, we would probably have two to three dozen. - That's amazing. - And that blows my mind because for me, there is so many incredible races around the world and also in Australia that I'll try and travel as much as I can to go and do to tick these things off. But I guess there's only one delirious, isn't there? - Exactly. - And it's just beautiful and special as what it is. Then I think that's caught in the compliment of all these people come back all the time. - Well, that's what I was going to say. I think it's the community you've built in many ways. But when I started the podcast like four years ago, we'd talk about why did you start running? And people would say, oh, because I want to lose weight or whatever, why do you still run now? It's because of the people I met and because of the community and all of that. And I think, you know, and on another level, that's what you've created over there in Western Australia, people fly literally around the world to come and be a part of it. - Yeah, it's good that we've been able to take it to other parts of the country as well. The SA community is equally strong now. And we've nuzzled our way with a couple of events into Victoria, so yeah, it'll be interesting to see how that gets received and grows over the years to come. - Yeah, that's awesome. All right. We'll wrap this one up because it's all about delirious. As I said, go to the show notes, everyone. You want to get on the bus, even if you've missed getting into the 2025 version of delirious, if you're listening to this a little late. Sorry about that. But if you hop into the socials and onto the website, as Sean said, you will be able to see what else is going on and maybe get into the 2026 one. I'm already thinking far ahead. 'Cause obviously I'll have to keep coming back. Thank you for sharing all that. - You've got to come and get your double plugger. - Oh, he's all right. And then of course he's created all these gamifications to make everybody look. - Gamification's a lot like that. - That's your term. I didn't make it up, that's the thing. So you're doing it and you don't even know it. You're a natural. - Thanks for sharing the gloves, so the event. - Thank you, really appreciate it. - Look forward to hanging with you in April. - Yeah, I can't wait. Thank you. - Cheers, Mesh. - And just like that, our journey kicks off. A huge thank you to Sean Kessler for sharing the heart and the vision behind the delirious West events. And to you, our listeners for joining us on this exciting adventure. Remember, it's not just about the finish line. It's about the journey, the community and the moments that keep us moving forward. Stay tuned for our upcoming episodes where we will dive deeper into the training, the challenges and the triumphs of everyday runners preparing for delirious West. We'd love to hear from you. Leave us a review and share the podcast with your friends. Let's all get a little delirious together. Don't forget to subscribe so that you never miss an episode or an update. Connect with us on our website, Facebook or on Instagram. We would love to hear your stories and support you on your running journey. Stay strong, stay motivated and keep pushing your limits. Until next time. 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