Episode 710 - Delirious West 2027 Series Check In - Ben Ridley: From the MCG Back to the Trails

Ben Pyman is back for his first regular Delirious West 2027 check-in, and apparently one of the six months between now and race day has already disappeared. 😂 The good news is that things are moving in the right direction. Since we last spoke, Ben has squeezed in an ultra, spent plenty of time on the other side of the course volunteering, and discovered that perhaps lugging boxes, swinging sledgehammers and forgetting to eat the day before a 53K trail race isn’t ideal preparation. There was still plenty to feel good about from the run though, and it gave Ben a useful little confidence check before the Delirious training starts getting more serious. Then this week, training has taken an unexpected pause thanks to something completely unrelated to running. A tooth. Yep. Welcome to ultra training. 😂 We also start getting into the practical stuff that I suspect will become a regular part of Ben’s journey towards the 200. Sand, poles, packs, shoes and how much gear you really need when you’re planning to do the whole thing self-crewed. One month down. Plenty still to figure out. Thinking about taking on Delirious West yourself? If the stories in this series are giving you that little itch to be part of it, have a look at the event details and see whether 2027 might be your year. Delirious WEST event website:https://deliriouswest200miler.com.au/ Event Facebook group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/1428304207182387

Paul Watkins is back for his first Delirious West 2027 check-in, and he’s currently sitting in that very special part of a training block where the early enthusiasm has worn off and taper week still feels a very long way away. 😂 With Coast to Kosci coming up first, the training is getting done, although Paul is feeling the miles and wondering what it might be like to wake up without feeling tired and sore. We chat about how he fits training around family and life, and why he’s become much less interested in having the perfect training week. Sometimes the long run happens on Thursday. Sometimes life says, “not this week, my friend”. Apparently the world keeps turning. There’s also some discussion about gear, Paul’s reluctance to retire running shoes that still technically resemble shoes, and his slightly unconventional approach to strength training. And with Coast to Kosci getting close, we discover something else. Despite everything Paul has done, he still hasn’t figured out how to taper properly. Which should make the rest of us feel considerably better. 😂 Thinking about taking on Delirious West yourself? If the stories in this series are giving you that little itch to be part of it, have a look at the event details and see whether 2027 might be your year.

Ever noticed how your breathing changes once you reach the top of a hill? Hills have a funny way of showing us exactly how hard we're working. Our breathing gets heavier, our shoulders tighten, and sometimes we're so focused on getting to the top that we forget to notice what happens afterwards. This week's ZenRUN Moment is all about paying attention to your breathing after a hill and noticing how your body recovers while you're still moving. On your next run, once you've reached the top of a climb, check in with your breath. Is it still fast and heavy? How long does it take to settle? Try relaxing your shoulders, easing your pace slightly, or taking one comfortable, deeper breath. There's no need to force anything or judge how quickly you recover. Just notice what happens as your breathing gradually finds its rhythm again. This is a useful skill that goes well beyond running. When life gets stressful, we often hold tension without realising it. Learning to recognise those moments and give ourselves a little space to settle can help us respond more calmly instead of simply pushing harder. So next time you tackle a hill, remember that reaching the top isn't the end of the experience. Pay attention to what happens next. Recovery is part of running too, and learning to notice it can make your runs feel a little more relaxed and enjoyable. Small moments of awareness like this can completely change the way running feels.

Sometimes in a Delirious build, no news is very good news. Craig Maluish is a few weeks further into his journey towards the Delirious W.E.S.T. 200 miler and, at the moment, things are rolling along pretty nicely. No niggles, no dramas, just training, work and life with a one-and-a-half-year-old. Although the next couple of weeks might make things a little more interesting. Craig is heading east to support the Australian team at the Backyard Ultra World Championships, and he’s hoping to keep his own training ticking along while he’s away. There may even be a fairly decent trail run squeezed into the trip if everything falls into place. Back home, his 24-hour event is getting closer, so the training load is gradually building. And because we’re getting closer to Delirious, we also wander into something that I suspect will become a regular feature of these chats: gear talk. Shoes, socks, sticking with what works and just how much experimenting is actually necessary. For now though, Craig’s Delirious journey is refreshingly uneventful. Touch wood. 😂 Thinking about taking on Delirious West yourself? If the stories in this series are giving you that little itch to be part of it, have a look at the event details and see whether 2027 might be your year. Delirious WEST event website:https://deliriouswest200miler.com.au/ Event Facebook group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/1428304207182387

Last time John Herzfeld told us he was resetting his training for Delirious. Apparently that reset needed another reset. 😂 But now, with the Delirious W.E.S.T. 200 miler getting closer, John has decided it might finally be time for something slightly radical. A proper roadmap. In this Delirious West 2027 check-in, we chat about starting again after a few quieter months, finding a rhythm without trying to do everything at once, and John’s developing relationship with strength training. There’s also some very sensible discussion about motivation, enjoying the process and preparing for a huge ultra. And then there’s the far more exciting matter of buying new running gear. 😂 🎧 Come and catch up with John as his Delirious journey starts getting properly underway. Thinking about taking on Delirious West yourself? If the stories in this series are giving you that little itch to be part of it, have a look at the event details and see whether 2027 might be your year. Delirious WEST event website – https://deliriouswest200miler.com.au/ Event Facebook group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/1428304207182387