An ultramarathon is not an easy sport. It takes a combination of sound physical capacity and top-notch conditioning to complete it. This is one thing for ultra-marathon runners as mental toughness can do the rest.
Researchers published an article looking into the role of mental toughness for ultra-endurance runners. It was found out that it is a real phenomenon. However, it has limitations in itself.
Is it really mind over matter?
Mental toughness is known for its association with things such as consistency and quick recovery.
In sports, it has been an important thing to consider for elite athletes because experts consider it as a motivating factor for them to push through.
Researchers gathered results from ultra-marathon runners of Hawaiian Ultra Running Trail 100 or HURT100.
Participants were given two sets of questionnaires that generated results that mental toughness does not really predict the performance within the group.
Although there could be a threshold that determines mental toughness, there are also factors that must be considered for the greater impact on performance, including psychological, physical, and logistical factors.
Also, the researchers found out that runners have significantly higher levels of mental toughness as compared to other athletes.
Runners scored high in self-efficacy tests that allowed them to execute and complete a specific task.
Traversing human mind
The research has practical implications for athletes especially on how they take mental toughness.
This could help trainers and coaches to develop more effective and specific training programs for athletes once they gauged the levels of self-efficacy.
Also, this leads to another set of questions. What are the other factors that predict performance for ultra-marathon runners? What is the range of characteristics connected to mental toughness?
Partly, questions like these can garner immediate answers. Yet, we have a lot to discover along the way.
