"Examining Psychological And Physiological Factors In Novice Marathon Training: Relationships Between Mental Toughness, Cortisol, & Performance"

Marathon performance depends on both physical and psychological preparation. Mental toughness (MT) has been identified as a potential contributor to endurance performance, but its relationship with physiological responses and performance outcomes remains unclear. PURPOSE: This study examined MT, physiological measures, and performance variables in novice marathon runners during a marathon training program. METHODS: Participants (n = 28) provided cortisol samples and completed MTI8 questionnaires to assess MT at three time points during training. Performance measures included marathon times, two-mile time trials (2MI) and VO2max testing. Performance improvement was calculated as percent difference between predicted (based on a half-marathon time) and actual marathon time. Linear mixed models examined relationships between variables while accounting for repeated measures. Pearson correlations examined relationships at singular time points. RESULTS: Linear mixed models examining 2MI and cortisol showed significant time effects for 2MI after correction for multiple comparisons. ​​Neither the interactions between time and cortisol (p = .065) nor the main effects for cortisol (p = .079) reached significance. No significant relationships emerged between MT and 2MI. The MT and cortisol model showed time-varying relationships with the strongest negative association at time point two (β = -.258, p = .081) though the relationship was not significant. MT at time point two was significantly correlated with performance improvement (r = .521, p = .009). Baseline MT was negatively correlated with marathon time (r = -.338, p = .098), while MT at time point 3 was associated with performance improvement (r = .365, p = .073) though these relationships were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Mixed model analyses identified improvement in two-mile performance as the only finding that remained significant after correction for multiple comparisons. The relationships between MT and other variables may warrant further investigation with a larger sample size. While MT was stable, its relationship with performance strengthened at mid-training. The relationship between MT and performance improvement at mid-training suggests the potential importance of psychological factors during training. Supported by: This research was supported by a research grant from the Association for Applied Sports Psychology. The authors declare no conflicts of interest.