The newest inductee into delirious folklore | Delirious West 200 Miler

Ready for that next step beyond the ultra, but unsure where to start?

Right here, right now, inspiration’s come calling in the form of Harmony Waite. 

And if you haven’t heard of Harmony Waite before…well, you have now. 

Back in 2019, she was one of the lucky few to race in her first ever 200 miler at the inaugural Delirious WEST 200 miler in the south west of Western Australia – one of only nine women to finish. And now, in 2024, she’s been inducted into the event’s version of the Hall of Fame, the Delirious Folklore, where she will forever be sponsored by hosts Ultra Series to enter the event – any year, any distance.

Harmony herself found inspiration about six years ago from a small cohort of West Aussies who had completed 200 milers, and it didn’t take long before she signed herself up to be a part of the ‘stupid is as stupid does’ club.

Fast forward five years, and Harmony has completed no fewer than seven 200 milers in four different states with Ultra Series!

She’s given so much inspiration to an abundance of runners across the state, that according to Ultra Series event director Shaun Kaesler, there was no doubt it was time for Harmony to be recognised for her background in endurance. 

“Six years ago, she came to me for advice on running a 200 miler,” he recalls.

“Today, I don’t really know of many more qualified than her to ask for advice on doing what it takes to get from the start of a 200 miler to the finish. One of the greatest runners I have the pleasure of knowing and one of the most remarkable and under-rated 200 miler runners this country has ever produced.”

Harmony reveals that doing a 200 miler for the first time under an Ultra Series event is a brilliant way to see the country and not have to worry or stress about the things that she’d normally have to if she were to run it on her own.

“I initially wanted to do it in 2019 because I could see a huge section of the Bibbulmun Track whilst being fully catered to with a roving buffet, aid stations, all the logistics sorted and organised…it was a brilliant way to see a part of Australia that I’d never witnessed before,” she reveals. 

“200 miler events like Delirious WEST are amazing, there is so much support from the organisers and volunteers that you seriously never have to worry about a single thing. All I ever have to do is carry my mandatory gear and everything is ready and waiting for me at every checkpoint or aid station; it’s a brilliant way to focus on the distance, on the physicality of it, take moments to capture the views and lock them away in my mind.”

Harmony is always loving and learning from the ultra running community, enjoying every moment spent on the trails training or racing whether it’s going at it solo or joining a group for a bit. For her ‘give it a crack’ and ‘if I’m going to be at the start, then I may as well make it to the finish’ attitude, Harmony is now forever imprinted as a local legend in the history of Delirious WEST, from finding inspiration to being the inspiration.