Changes of Mood and Cognitive Performance before and after a 100 km Nighttime Ultramarathon Run

Daniel Krokosz, Ilona Bidzan-Bluma, Wojciech Ratkowski, Keqiang Li and Mariusz Lipowski
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Daniel Krokosz: Department of Psychology, Gdańsk University of Physical Education and Sport, 80-336 Gdansk, Poland
Ilona Bidzan-Bluma: Institute of Psychology, University of Gdańsk, 80-309 Gdansk, Poland
Wojciech Ratkowski: Departament of Athletics and Motor Preparation, Gdańsk University of Physical Education and Sport, 80-336 Gdansk, Poland
Keqiang Li: Faculty of Physical Culture, Gdańsk University of Physical Education and Sport, 80-336 Gdansk, Poland
Mariusz Lipowski: Department of Psychology, Gdańsk University of Physical Education and Sport, 80-336 Gdansk, Poland

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 22, 1-10

Abstract: Ultramarathons are becoming an increasingly popular endurance sport. Year after year, the demands on athletes’ skills and endurance increase. Ultramarathons are particularly taxing on athletes’ psychological functioning. This study assessed the relationships between taking part in a nighttime ultramarathon and changes in mood and cognitive functioning. The study included 20 experienced runners aged 26–57 (M = 37.29; SD = 7.94) who had M = 7.08, SD = 5.41 (range 3–44) years of experience running. There were 18 men and 2 women. The mood states were measured twice, just before the start of the run and shortly after crossing the finish line, using the Polish version of the UMACL UWIST Mood Adjective Checklist by Mathews, Chamberlain, and Jones. To assess cognitive functioning, the Stroop Color and Word Test and “Forward digit span” subtest from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale were used. We observed statistically significant changes in the mood of the runners: tense arousal, associated with the experienced stress, was significantly higher before the run than immediately after the finish. Moreover, we observed an improvement in cognitive functioning after finishing the 100 km run on both of the trials on the Stroop color word test and on the forward digit span test.

Keywords: extreme-endurance sports; sport psychology; executive functions; psychology of running; cognition in sport (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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