Examining Work Ethic In Ultramarathon Runners

Understanding the psychological aspects of work ethic in ultramarathon runners may enhance our knowledge of human performance. It may also offer practical implications for optimizing training and mental preparation for athletes engaged in this challenging sport. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the associations between work ethic and ultramarathon runners. METHODS: Ultramarathon runners (n=151, age = 40.5±8.9 years) completed a demographic survey and the 28-item Multidimensional Work Ethic Profile (MWEP) via Google Forms. The MWEP contains 7 dimensions: leisure, wasted time, hard work, self-reliance, morality/ethics, delay of gratification, and centrality of work. The ultramarathon runners were recruited through emails from race directors, Facebook groups, and email invitations from the primary investigator. Statistical analyses were performed using Pearson Product-moment correlations and independent-samples t-test. Significance was set to p<0.05. RESULTS: Participants had been running for 14.3±9.8 years and raced ultramarathons for 4.3±3.4 years. No significant correlations were found between number of years running, number of years running ultramarathons, weekly miles run, or total number of ultramarathons completed and any of the 7 dimensions. The ultramarathon runners racing longer distances (>160-km) tended to waste less time compared to those racing shorter distances (<160-km), t(150) = 2.150, p = 0.017. There were no significant differences between the other 6 dimensions and runners racing shorter or longer distances. Runners racing 160-km or more ran more weekly miles (t(150) = -4.841, p < 0.001), completed more ultramarathon races (t(150) = -6.294, p = 0.001), and had been racing ultras for longer (t(150) = -5.154, p = 0.001) than runners racing distances less than 160-km. CONCLUSIONS: The study suggests that work ethic may not be strongly correlated with the ultramarathon running experience. An association was found between the dimension of wasted time and the distance of the ultramarathon, with those covering longer distances exhibiting a tendency to waste less time. The study highlights significant differences in the running behavior and experience of ultramarathoners based on the distance they race.