Tag Archive for 'ultratrail'

Fatigue psychology

Questo weekend al master di psicologia dello sport parleremo della fatica negli sport di resistenza e non solo in quelli ma che nel calcio. Parleremo di cosa pensano campioni come Paula Radcliffe durante la maratona e di come Martina Valmassoi affronta la fatica negli ultratrail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finisher ultramarathon and ultratrail in Italy

In Italy there is the economic crisis but fortunately not in ultramarathon and ultratrail. To date, there are 13,224 finisher in ultra races against 10,874 in 2011 (the first year that has passed the 10,000 finishers) then 21.61% higher and it is more than three months at the end of the year.

It could be achieved an increase of about 38%. It can be said that the race of long-term fascinates more and more athletes and it is growing fast. Upon closer inspection of the data reveals that women have increased more than men and they are 25.94% compared to 21.02% of the males. Women prefer trails, an increase of 34.82% compared to 16.74% of road races. Men are almost constant as the increase of the trail is equal to 21.14% against 21.43% in the road.

Another finding concerns the proportion between road and trail races finisher, these were almost equal in 2010 with 4127 in the trail and 4162  on the road, then in 2011 went to 6074 (55.86%) on the trail finisher and 4800 (44.14 %) on the road. This year and up to now there are 7420 (56.11%) on the trail finisher and 5804 (43.89%) on the road.

These numbers are very positive for the Italian movement, but we must remember that in France, where the movement is more developed and more advanced  control systems, in 2009 recorded 32,500 finisher at least one ultra race, while in Italy, if we calculate that on average an athlete runs 1.9 of ultra races a year, we have about 8,000 athletes.

These data are interesting and reveal how ultra races involving thousands of runners, it is no longer a phenomenon for a few. What should we think of us psychologists? How to explain this phenomenon? Is the demonstration of the masochism of the human soul, therefore, a negative conception of the individual? Or is it an attempt to know and expand our limits attending at an extreme test, but where there is no risk of life?

(data by www.krakatoasport.com)