Are Ultra-Runners Just Regular Runners Gone Bonkers? The Psychology of Ultrarunning
I’m asked on a regular basis by friends and colleagues not only why I run, but also how I can run for hours on end, especially since I got into ultra marathons. I honestly don’t know the answer but there is definitely something compulsive about it. I don’t even have music to keep me company, it’s just myself and I and somehow I never get bored, even if running for longer than 7hrs in a row. Is it because I grew up an only child and got used to enjoying my own company? Possibly. But the paradoxal thing about it is that the thing I enjoy most about ultra marathons is the sense of camaraderie and the feeling of belonging. The psychology of ultra-running triggered my interest: was my case isolated, or did I have a typical ultra-runner psychological profile?
Why Do People Get Into Ultra-Marathons?
There is a variety of reasons why people get into ultra-marathons. For my part, I think the trigger was feeling both stressed out and frustrated at work and needing an outlet that would take me outdoors and give me a sense of freedom. The thought of something that would challenge me whilst being in total control of my training, my race, and not having to rely on other people in order to achieve my goal was probably instrumental in my choice of the Cancer Research UK (CRUK) Tough 10k in Box Hill. The fact that it was classified as ‘Toughest’ in CRUK terminology made it even more appealing to me. Only a 10k, I hear you say? Yes, but it was a 10k with a twist. It really had all the flavour of a ‘mini-ultra’: no PB territory (because of the elevation profile), lots of stairs to start with (so involved some walking, which I had always fought fiercely in any race with the premise that if I walked I had to quit the race as I didn’t deserve to then cross the finish line), scenic route all the way, and most importantly some nice banter amongst runners (which I don’t remember ever experiencing during a road race). It was without a doubt the hardest 10k I had ever run. What? No! It was the hardest RACE I had ever done (including number of half-marathons and marathons). The thing is, it must have done something to my brain because the following evening is when I decided to sign up for the Action Challenge Cotswolds Way Challenge 50k.
But what exactly had happened for me to want to do a 50k run with a 1250m total ascent? There are a few reasons why I and other people get drawn into ultra-running, as identified in this PhD thesis by Joshua Justin Cook (University of Arkansas, Fayetteville) on The Relationship Between Mental Health and Ultra-Running (a good read if you have the time):
There is a strong ultra-running social community
To me, this was a trigger. Running, and especially ultra-running is not something everyone ‘gets’. Very often when I explain I have to go on my training run or cannot drink that night because I have a race the next day, I am met by a confused look. But explain this to running friends and they immediately get it. Real love of running is something ultra-runners have in common (otherwise, why would they put themselves through this?!!!), and having completed one ultra-marathon and training for another (longer) one next year makes me identify as an ultra-runner with pride. I love the fact that the environment is not competitive as such. During an ultra-race, runners are more likely to share their plasters with you than to elbow you out of the way. To me, this is very conducive to enjoyment. So yes, I do enjoy the fact that running is a solitary activity but I equally enjoy feeling part of a big community where we can share experiences, joys, fears, disappointments and just plainly talk about running without risking boring everyone.
Being outdoor for hours on end feel good
Being out in nature has been shown to be beneficial to mental health. I find that although I grew up in urban Paris, now I am in my early 40s I am much more drawn to the countryside, which is why trails have become my favourite (running) playground. There is something just magical about being alone on a trail, hearing the sounds of nature (remember, I don’t run with music, so I feel very connected to my running environment!). It’s always a very mindful time. Somehow it slows down my churning brain and takes away my worries. It also seems to diminish the size of problems drastically (probably to the size they should have been in the first place, as I am a bit of a worrier).
Ultra-running requires structure and discipline
I have always been person who likes a lot of structure. I like my to-do lists, I like a tidy house, a tidy car, having the laundry done and put away. My husband jokes at the fact that I need to empty my suitcase away the very moment we are home from a holiday. This is true. I like order in my life. However, since having kids, I have found that order cannot be maintained. Kids create (positive!) chaos in your life the way you only know when you have them. But the constant need to be flexible with your plans, to accept the house cannot be kept constantly tidy (neither do I want it to be as I want my children to be able to freely play with their toys until it’s tidy-up time), to accept that you are no longer in control of everything, is something difficult for someone like me. Running a lot helps me regain some of the control in my life. I have a running coach, he gives me a training plan, I try my best to stick to it and it feels GOOD!
It provides a challenge and consecutive reward when completed
There is a thrill in knowing you’re doing something tough and different, something that other people may consider insane, and completing it. There is a theory that this challenge ultra-runners are setting themselves may in some instances be in response to some frustration in their life. I previously mentioned that around the time I started to consider running an ultra-marathon I was feeling stressed out and deeply frustrated at work. Setting myself a challenge I could have control over, and completing it, gave me a huge sense of achievement, and set a precedent for me. I just had to try and push this further, which is why I subsequently signed up for a 100k event.
What The Mind Does During An Ultra-Marathon
I was also interested in understanding what happens on the psychological side DURING an ultra-marathon. Although I have run one, I couldn’t tell you where my mind wandered over that time. It must have gone somewhere over the course of 7 hours, but apart from remembering the feeling of desperation at feeling dehydrated and still kilometers away from the refuelling stop, I cannot recall a thing. I was just there, enjoying the experience, “in the flow”. So I was interested to read about a progression in the state of mind of the runners during an ultra. I strongly suspect the psychology of a 50k ‘short’ ultra is very different from the psychology of a 100k or 100 miler ultra as running through the night in a tired state would likely feel much tougher. Also a number of ultra-runners running such distances reported experiencing hallucinations at night, so that’s a very different territory. Research on the psychological side of ultra-running is still in its infancy though, and it will be interesting to see what we find out in the future.
What To Consider If You Want To Run An Ultra
The first thing to acknowledge if considering running an ultra is that it plainly is going to be tough. If you are serious about wanting this, then you will still need to work on your mental toughness as it has been shown to be a key factor in ultrarunning - even if you think of yourself as mentally tough, it won’t do any harm to train your mind further, as it will give you further ability to cope with anything the event may throw at you (and quite a few things can go wrong over the course of an ultra, extreme fatigue being one of them). You will need to experiment with mental strategies, and see which ones work best for you. But honestly, if you’re ever remotely entertaining the thought of getting into ultras, just give it a try. A 50k may be a good entry point, although if you have run a marathon already you may want to go all the way to 100k (I am actually currently coaching a runner who has only completed 10k races and is training for his first 100k race without even trying for a marathon first - thankfully he has a little bit of time ahead to train for this, but I wouldn’t recommend this to just anyone).
If you are an ultra-runner, I would love to hear whether any of the above resonates with you, or whether there are other reasons you got into ultras, and also what mental strategies you find most useful. If you are not yet an ultra-runner but considering it, I would love to hear from you to to understand why you are contemplating it, so get in touch!
Happy running!