Mental Toughness and Associated Personality Characteristics of Marathon des Sables Athletes Mental hardness is commonly referred to as an important prerequisite for sustainable sporting achievements.The increased research focus on the mental hardness has led to the development of a consistent debate focusing on whether the construct is a one-dimensional or multi-dimensional feature and whether it can be distinguished from similar constructs such as the winter hardness. In order to improve the clarity of mental hardness, the present study is exploratory nature and uses athletes who participated in the ‘marathon of the SABLES’. The Marathon of the Sables is a time-limited run over 250 km in the Sahara, which takes place over six days at temperatures of over 40 ° C. 42 British participants at the Marathon of the Sables were recruited via the British organizational company.Each participant completed the Neo PI-R as a measure of the five main areas of the personality as well as the six features or facets that define each area. In addition, you filled out the Sport Mental Toughness Questionnaire (SMTQ).The Neo Pi-R results of the participants in the Marathon of the Sables were compared with the general population standards, and the results showed a pronounced ultra-endurance athlete profile characterized by a significantly higher level of extroverse and openness to experiences. In addition, the SMTQ values of the participants at the Marathon of the Sables were higher than the normalized sample consisted of a collection of athletes representing several sports.
Finally, linear regression analyzes showed a convergence between the two dimensions, which supports the argument that mental hardness can actually be measured with a general personality questionnaire as the NEO PI-R. The whole article can be found under https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmc6787285/