Abstract des Autors

The psychological strategies of runners have been investigated using several approaches: anecdotal reports, post-event interviews, and questionnaires administered before or after races. A major concern with these studies has been their reliance on retrospective report. To eliminate the possibility of retrospective errors, data were collected from an elite runner during a competitive event. The subject, a 38-year old female, international-level competitor, was interviewed at approximately 35-minute intervals during a 48-hour race. As well, the subject was administered the Profile of Mood States (POMS) before and after the event.The findings showed that "association" was the runenr's major cognitive process and that she reported reduced mood and increased pain over the course of the race. Pain accounted for almost 90% of the variance of mood. Analysis of the POMS data indicated that it took several weeks for the subject's mood states to return to prerace levels. These findings have implications for the understanding of the psychological processes in ultraendurance running. Verf.-Referat