JOHNSTONE CRACKS RECORD AT THE 2021 DELIRIOUS W.E.S.T

By Kate Dzienis

For AURA member Shane Johnstone, the Delirious W.E.S.T 200 Miler (from Northcliffe to Albany in WA) was meant to be his comeback event from illness back in 2020. However a COVID-19 lockdown when the race was originally meant to be held in February 2021 saw a 6 month postponement, and in that time Johnstone raced at UTA, launched the Transcend Ultra, and found out he was going to be a father to a second daughter.

The start line of the Delirious W.E.S.T, which was held from 6-10 October 2021, saw participant numbers drop from about 100 to 34 due to border restrictions and lockdowns in other states. And when Johnstone stood at check-in for the race, he began to hear rumours that he was a ‘shoe in’ to win.

“If there’s anything I’ve learned from ultra running, it’s to respect the distance and even if you look good on paper, it doesn’t necessarily translate to an automatic comfortable win,” he said.

“Anything can happen in 340km over trail with none to minimal sleep in challenging conditions; it’s a bloody long way.”

Johnstone revealed he had done a decent amount of preparation for the Delirious W.E.S.T, and said he felt in good shape.

“I was really lucky with how the body responded, and continue to be amazed with how much the body can be challenge,” he recollected.

“I was certain I’d find my breaking point in the 100mi event; I think I was very close, but I feel I still crossed that finish line functioning way better than I could have ever imagined.

“The course was definitely different to the usual course, so it wasn’t technically a course record, but on the topic of holding records I’ve thought a lot about this over the past few years.

“I’ve set a few FKTs now and event CRs, and what I love is how they inspire people to go to the next level. Dion Leonard’s 61-hour CR was instantly my go-to target to beat, and so will my 54hr 50min benchmark for the next group of Delirious W.E.S.T starters.

“Records are there to be broken; it’s a privilege to be a part of history that prompts that next level.

“The most exciting element now is how the women are mixing it with the men. Three of the top 6 at Delirious W.E.S.T were female, and Meghann Coffey (AURA member) featured on the overall podium, which is awesome. I run most weekends with strong and fit women on the trails – one of them, Erika, is currently having a crack at my Bibbulmun Track FKT and I’d say she’s a solid bet to go the distance.”

Johnstone said he gives full credit to the people that crewed for him at Delirious W.E.S.T, and that he couldn’t have done it without them.

“Very rarely will you see a solid performance without a solid team behind it,” he said.

“I had as good of a crew that one could ask for! Massive thanks to Jo, Adam, Nick, Wayne, Amanda, Claire and Lochy; at times the concept of running more was undesirable but those guys kept me honest and stopped the train from derailing.

“Team work makes the dream work. Also a massive kudos to the legends at the aid stations offering so much time, generosity and love for days to complete strangers!”

Johnstone took the win at Delirious W.E.S.T, coming in 1st Male with a total time of 54:50:00.

To see personal footage of the event created by Johnstone, and to hear some of the emotional thought process that an ultra runner goes through, click below for his visual race recap.