COMRADES MARATHON – SURVEY: Comrades Marathon Runners Mental Toughness

Dear Comrades Marathon competitor, 

          What gives an ultra-athlete a mental edge?

          What does that edge mean they can achieve?

Academic research is being conducted into the mental edge required to succeed in the Comrades Marathon, and we are offering an online survey you should find informative to complete:

https://edu.surveygizmo.com/s3/1233206/Comrades-mental-edge

The lead researcher is John Hall, a psychologist studying Sport and Exercise Psychology at Staffordshire University. He is working on a project looking at the impact of mental toughness and mental skills such as imagery, goal-setting, self-talk, and relaxation on performance.

He is also an ultra-runner, having completed races such as the Comrades Marathon, Racing the Planet Gobi March, and the Transgrancanaria, and is delighted to be investigating a sport he loves.

Please contact him with any questions or concerns.

The research is fully supported by Staffordshire University, is approved by the University Ethics Committee, and is intended for publication in peer-reviewed scientific journals. This is unique research, in a cutting-edge area of interest.

It should take you no more than 15 minutes to complete the survey. Some questions will assess your mental approach, and others collect basic information about you and your race goals. On completion, you can elect to receive a personal report for the mental edge you have shown in you approach to the race.

All information submitted will be treated in strict confidence and personal details made fully anonymous in any publications.  Once all the data has been analysed you can also receive a summary explaining what was learnt about the right mental approach to completing a challenge such as the Comrades Marathon!

Does this sound interesting? If so, please click the link above to the survey and complete it as soon as possible. It should benefit you, the Comrades and ultra-running community, and help push the boundaries of sport research overall!

Many thanks, Comrades Marathon Association

Researcher contact details:

John Hall: hw034556@student.staffs.ac.uk
MSc Sport and Exercise Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences
Staffordshire University, Leek Road, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 2DF, UK.