Background/Purpose
The purpose of this study was to determine if self-efficacy measures predicted race completion for 246 ultramarathoners competing in a 100-mile trail run. A second purpose was to identify if the results were differentially effected by gender.
Method
Two hundred and forty six ultramarathoners (196 men and 50 women) competing in the Western States 100 mile trail run completed a questionnaire designed by the investigators to assess Outcome Self-Efficacy, Performance Self-Efficacy, and Barrier Self-Efficacy.
Analysis/Results
Separate 2 x 2 analysis of variance were computed for each of the three self-efficacy measures. The results found that all three self-efficacy measures differentiated finishers from non-finishers. There were no differences found between men and women, and there were no interaction effects between race completion and gender. A 0-1 logistical regression determined three variables predicted race completion: Performance Self-Efficacy, Barrier Self-Efficacy and the number of ultramarathon races completed.
Conclusions
Overall, these results demonstrate the utility of self-efficacy measures in predicting ultramarathon race completion. While both outcome and performance self-efficacy measures have been found effective in predicting sport competition behavior, no previous studies were found that utilized a barrier self-efficacy measure. The results indicate that barrier self-efficacy has utility in predicting race completion in ultramarathon races.