No abstract

Ultrarunners participate in running events that exceed the 26.2 mile marathon distance (e.g., 50 K, 50-100 miles). Very little research exists on ultrarunners, especially women. The present study is a descriptive study detailing the motivation, goal orientation, demographic characteristics (e.g., age, job demands, family structure), training habits (e.g., hours per week of training), and coach utilization of women ultrarunners. Participants (N = 344) were recruited via the Ultra Listserve and four popular ultrarunning websites, and they completed a questionnaire on motivation, goal orientation, training, and coaching using Survey Monkey. General health orientation (mean + SD) (4.71 ± 1.06) and psychological coping (4.71 ± 1.03) were the two strongest motivational factors. Participants were higher in task-orientation (1.38 ± .68) (e.g., finishing the race or accomplishing various goals) than ego-orientation (3.38 ± 1.01) (e.g., placing in the top 3 overall or beating an opponent). Women trained an average of 12.49 hours a week and spent 64% of their time training alone. Training information came from their own experience, blogs, websites, and the Ultra List Serve. Over three-fourths of the participants (80%) did not use a coach because of cost and a perceived lack of necessity. Women ultrarunners in this study were task-oriented, internally motivated, health and financially conscious individuals. With additional information about women ultrarunners, coaches will be better prepared to work with this population and ultrarunners can improve their performance by learning about current participants' practices.Keywords: female ultrarunners, ultra-endurance events, conditioning, female distance runners, long distance running Introduction Ultrarunners participate in cross-country foot races that exceed the traditional marathon distance of 26.2 miles (3). The most common distances are 50 kilometers, 50 miles, and 100 miles. Ultramarathons can be held on or off-road and they are typically designed to cover a specific distance or achieve a maximum distance within a designated time period. These races are generally characterized by severe course conditions, such as rough terrain, elevation changes, and inclement weather.Ultramarathons have a long history in the United States and many other countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Although it is estimated that 70,000 people participate in ultrarunning around the world, it is difficult to pinpoint actual numbers because the American Ultrarunning Association (AUA) does not require membership, nor does it account for participants in other countries. Ultrarunning in the United States is relatively popular. For example, the Western States Endurance Run, which requires a lottery system to gain entry, has had over 10,000 participants since its official inception in 1978. The number of participants in other popular American ultrarunning events in 2008 ranged from 89 in the Forest Park 50K to 446 in the Leadville 100-miler. As the sport has grown in popularity--the number of rac...

Currently, little is known about strength and conditioning programs at the high school level. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to explore current practices in strength and conditioning for varsity high school athletes in selected sports. Specifically examined were: who administers programs for these athletes, what kinds of training activities are done, and whether the responsible party or emphasis changes depending on the gender of the athletes. Coaches of varsity soccer, basketball, and softball/baseball in three large Idaho school districts were asked to complete an online survey. Sixty-seven percent (32/48) of the questionnaires were completed and used for the study. The majority of coaches (84%) provided strength and conditioning opportunities for their athletes, although only 37% required participation. Strength training programs were designed and implemented primarily by either physical education (PE) teachers or head coaches. Compared to coaches of male athletes, coaches of female athletes were less likely to know the credentials of their strength coaches, and they were less likely to use certified coaches to plan and implement their strength and conditioning programs. Most programs included dynamic warm-ups and cool-downs, plyometrics, agility training, speed training, and conditioning, and most programs were conducted three days a week (76%) for sessions lasting between 30 and 59 minutes (63%). Compared to their female counterparts, male athletes were more likely to have required training, participate in strength training year round, and train using more sessions per week. This study provides additional information related to the practice of strength and conditioning in a sample of high school athletic teams.

No abstract