The psychology of ultra-marathon runners: A systematic review.

Objectives An ‘ultra-marathon’ is a footrace over a distance >42.2 km. There is considerable interest in the psychological characteristics of ultra-marathon runners (‘ultra-runners’) and the psychological effects of running an ultra-marathon. This review aimed to summarise the existing literature concerning the psychology of ultra-runners. Design A systematic review was performed. Studies were included if they investigated ultra-runners’ personality traits, mood, cognitive processes, cognitive function, pain perception, motivations, phenomenology, psychopathology or response to sports psychology interventions. Method Four databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and PsycINFO) were searched electronically up until December 2017. Results Fifty-one studies met the inclusion criteria. A few conclusions regarding the psychology of ultra-runners may be drawn from these studies. First, the acute mood effects of ultra-running appear to include an increase in fatigue and a decrease in vigour and tension. Secondly, the most important factor motivating ultra-runners to engage in their sport appears to be the opportunity to achieve personal goals. Finally, ultra-running seems to be associated with a psychological drive to explore physical and mental limits. Conclusions Although the existing literature sheds some light on ultra-runners’ mood states, motivations and phenomenology, further high-quality studies investigating the psychology of these remarkable athletes are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]