Walking 100 kilometers in 24 hours: The role of motivational profiles in walkers’ mental experiences and performance.

Le résumé fourni par la source

Objective : Extreme endurance challenges require considerable persistence from individuals to pursue self-set goals under prolonged physical strain and psychological discomfort. In the present work, we addressed the question of whether walkers’ reasons or motivation for pursuing their goals predicts their mental experiences and performance in the context of an extreme endurance challenge. Method : Using cluster-analytical techniques, we identified profiles involving different combinations of motivations for goal pursuit in a sample of 1057 walkers (Mage = 43.34 years, 40.6% female) who participated in a 100-kilometer trail. Participants completed surveys on their mental experiences before, during, and after the trail and performance was objectively measured through scanned tracking data registered by the organization. Results : Four distinct motivation profiles emerged. The good quality profile, characterized by high autonomous and low controlled motivation, consistently reported the most favorable outcomes. The high quantity profile, which combined high levels of both autonomous and controlled motivation, was associated with a mixed pattern, showing both benefits and costs. The low quantity profile, low on all motivational types, displayed better outcomes than the poor quality profile, which was marked by high controlled and low autonomous motivation. The poor quality profile exhibited the most maladaptive mental outcomes, along with the lowest walking distance, highlighting the psychological and performance-related costs of controlled motivation in this endurance context. Conclusion : These findings emphasize that the type or quality of motivation for pursuing self-set goals is more critical than the amount or quantity of motivation, even in extreme endurance settings.

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