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

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.

Coping and Resilience Among Endurance Athletes During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Athletes identified four considerations that contributed to changes in their training regimes: (a) social interactions; (b) inability to enact typical training routines; (c) structure and type of training; and (d) a search for new forms of well-being. Past research has demonstrated that in times of adversity, endurance athletes form ad hoc groups to support their individual goals during races ( Harman et al, 2019 ). However, the current found little evidence that athletes support each other when they migrate to online training environments.…”

The Psychological Indicators of Success in Ultrarunning - A Review of the Current Psychological Predictors in Ultrarunning

“…Runners identi ed the four categories of people they have social interactions with during the race: fellow racers, race o cials, family/friends/followers, and the general public. In a study with participants from an ultra-race, it was found that the most bene cial motivation for ultra-runners can come from a coalition of their families, friends, and followers, from their teammates, and the general public [7].…”

“…Direct support is contact with the family member, whether through a phone call or other means. However, indirect in uence from family, friends, and followers can be harmful to the runners' race-time motivation levels, as some racers noted that their loved ones can actually make them feel the physical and emotional toll of running more and would instead strictly regulate or eliminate all communication during the race [7,10]. The online presence of loved ones can emotionally encourage and support the runner, but it can also increase the pressure and nerves of runners and other athletes [7,27].…”

The role of family and social media in athlete social interactions

“…It was further explained that the child would be more confident in communicating openly in the community. Harman et al, (2019) social interactions and interpersonal relationships between individuals are affected by several things, including family, besides family, seeing the development of a very advanced era. This can be seen how an athlete who is active and not in the use of social media when in the community.…”