Athletic And Pain Coping Skills Of Female Ultra Runners

A female athlete’s ability to cope with stressful situations during competition is crucial for optimal development. Therefore, the ability to cope under these circumstances is essential for creating a strong mental capacity that leads to competitive success. PURPOSE: To quantify the coping skills of female ultra runners. METHODS: 161 female ultra runners (mean age 40.02 ± 9.96 yr) completed the Athletic Coping Skills Inventory (ACSI; Smith et al., 1995): coping with adversity (COPE), peaking under pressure (PEAK), goal setting/mental preparation (GOAL), concentration (CONC), freedom from worry (FREE), confidence/achievement motivation (CONF), coachability (COAC), and personal coping resources (PCR); and the Sports Inventory for Pain (SIP; Meyers et al., 1992): direct coping (COP), cognitive (COG), catastrophizing (CAT), avoidance (AVD), body awareness (BOD), and total coping resources (TCR). Data were grouped by distance (<50, 50-99, 100+ miles), experience (novice-3, 4-9, 10+ yr), age (20-39, 40+ yr), races completed (1-2, 3-4, 5+), injury status (yes, no), and race injuries (0, 1-2, 3+). RESULTS: MANOVAs indicated significant athletic coping effects by age (F7,153 = 2.996; P = .006) with no significance by distance (F7,153 = 1.207; P = .268), experience (F7,153 = 1.072; P = .382), races completed (F7,153 = 1.292; P = .264), injury status (F7,153 = 1.145; P = .338), race injuries (F7,153 = 0.615; P = .852). MANOVAs indicated significant pain coping effects by distance (F5,155 = 1.947; P = .029), but no significance by experience (F5,155 = 1.165; P = .308), age (F5,155 = 1.125; P = .350), races completed (F5,155 = 1.235; P = .229), injury status (F5,155 = 1.292; P = .264), and race injuries (F5,155 = 1.083; P = .374). Post hoc analyses (T scores; T = 50, SD = 10) indicated that the 20-39 year old age group responded significantly (p < .05) lower in CONC (44 vs 48), and higher in FREE (41 vs 37) than the 40+ year old age group, whereas the less than 50 miles distance group responded significantly lower in TCR (53 vs 58 vs 59) than the other groups, respectively. No significant differences (p > .05) were observed across other coping subscales. CONCLUSION: Findings indicate that ultra runners reflect lower coping skills than other traditional athletes. Coping skills training is advised for optimal performance in this sport.