Changes of Mood and Cognitive Performance before and after a 100 km Nighttime Ultramarathon Run.

Daniel Krokosz,Mariusz Lipowski,Ilona Bidzan-Bluma,Keqiang Li,Wojciech Ratkowski

doi:10.3390/ijerph17228400

Abstract

Ultramarathons are becoming an increasingly popular endurance sport. Year after year, the demands on athletes’ skills and endurance increase. Ultramarathons are particularly taxing on athletes’ psychological functioning. This study assessed the relationships between taking part in a nighttime ultramarathon and changes in mood and cognitive functioning. The study included 20 experienced runners aged 26–57 (M = 37.29; SD = 7.94) who had M = 7.08, SD = 5.41 (range 3–44) years of experience running. There were 18 men and 2 women. The mood states were measured twice, just before the start of the run and shortly after crossing the finish line, using the Polish version of the UMACL UWIST Mood Adjective Checklist by Mathews, Chamberlain, and Jones. To assess cognitive functioning, the Stroop Color and Word Test and “Forward digit span” subtest from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale were used. We observed statistically significant changes in the mood of the runners: tense arousal, associated with the experienced stress, was significantly higher before the run than immediately after the finish. Moreover, we observed an improvement in cognitive functioning after finishing the 100 km run on both of the trials on the Stroop color word test and on the forward digit span test.

Highlights

Kaszubska Poniewierka is a 100 km long cross-country ultramarathon
This study focuses on the cognitive functioning of nighttime ultramarathon runners
The final score is represented by three dimensions: energetic arousal (EA), tense arousal (TA) and hedonic tone (HT)

Summary

Introduction

Kaszubska Poniewierka (meanining in polish Cashubian ill-treatment) is a 100 km long cross-country ultramarathon. It takes place at night in the Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland, mostly in forests and hills. The popularity of this race increases every year, alongside the numbers of people doing ultramarathons in Poland, Europe, and the United States. The distances within this category vary greatly and depend on the race and the vision of its organizers, who often compete to organize the most extreme events. Races can take place in deserts at extremely high temperatures (e.g., Death Valley), in the Arctic, on high mountains, or with incredibly long distances

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