From social interactions to interpersonal relationships: Influences on ultra-runners' race experience.

Brian Harman,Roberta Antonini Philippe,Céline Kosirnik,Geilson Lima Santana

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0225195

Brian Harman, Roberta Antonini Philippe + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0225195

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Journal: PloS one	Publication Date: Dec 2, 2019
Citations: 6	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: University of Lausanne, De Montfort University

Abstract

ObjectivesUltra-running’s psychological and physiological dimensions have been widely studied. However, the social dimensions of ultra-racing have been largely overlooked. This study aims to identify the different types of social interactions that occur during a multi-day, ultra-race and to understand how these interactions influence ultra-runners’ race experience.MethodsAthletes competing in Britain’s “Spine Race” were recruited for the current study. Twelve male runners aged between 32 and 66 years (M = 50; SD = 10.01) followed the qualitative protocol designed for the study. Specifically, each participant completed a modified version of the Day Reconstruction Method (DRM) instrument and underwent a post-race, self-confrontation interview. Participants were asked to recall and reconstruct their memories about their (a) actions (e.g., What did you do when you encountered other people?); (b) thoughts (e.g., What were your thoughts when you encountered other people?) and (c) feelings (e.g., What were your feelings when you encountered other people?).ResultsThe results show that social interactions and interpersonal relationships are common in ultra-races. Different groups of people play an important role in racers’ motivation and goal achievement: fellow racers, volunteers, medics, friends and family, and even the general public. The resulting social interactions and relationships can occur before, during and after the race in both online and offline environments. These social influences have a powerful influence on the athlete’s race experience.ConclusionThe vast majority of social interactions reported by runners had a positive effect on their race experience and often led to interpersonal relationships. Ultra-runners should be mindful of the impact that social interactions and relationships can have in shaping their race experience.

Highlights

An ultra-marathon or “ultra” is defined as any footrace that exceeds the marathon length of 42 kilometres
The results show that social interactions and interpersonal relationships are common in ultra-races
Negative emotional states [6], sleep deprivation [7] and intense fatigue [8] are just some of the well-documented challenges associated with ultra-running

Summary

Introduction

An ultra-marathon or “ultra” is defined as any footrace that exceeds the marathon length of 42 kilometres. Past research has explored many of the psychological traits exhibited by ultra-runners. Research suggests that intrapersonal factors can determine part of an athlete’s personal response to race related stressors [17]. Research suggests that ultra-marathoners train differently to marathon runners [1, 21]. As such, these athletes must be independently minded and willing to forgo the psychological support offered by a team during pre-race training. The motivation exhibited by ultra-runners is found to differ from that of runners in shorter races and athletes within other sporting disciplines [22, 23, 24]. Ultra-runners often adopt a more solitary approach to training, they do use online forums and discussion groups to exchange training tips and offer advice [25]

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