Mental toughness in ultrarunning is often misunderstood.

It isn’t about ignoring pain, refusing to walk, or proving how much suffering you can tolerate. Current research suggests the more useful skill is how you respond when things become difficult.

In this episode, I look at what the evidence tells us about mental toughness, pain coping, resilience and self-efficacy in ultra-endurance running and why stubbornness should not be confused with toughness.

We also explore a simple practical framework:

Acknowledge. Assess. Act.

Recognise what is happening, work out what you can control, and take the next useful action.

Because sometimes mental toughness means pushing. Sometimes it means slowing down, eating, walking, adapting the plan or fixing a problem early.

The goal isn’t to become unbreakable.

Mental toughness isn’t about suffering more. It’s about responding better.

Key references:

1. Song, Q., & Song, Y-G. (2026). Psychological Traits Associated with Mental and Performance Resilience in Long-Distance and Ultra-Endurance Runners: A Systematic Review. Frontiers in Psychology, 17, 1919146. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1919146.

2. Delalay, M., & Hotz Boendermaker, S. (2026). Mental Pain Responses of Ultramarathon Runners: A Scoping Review. Sports, 14(2), 72. DOI: 10.3390/sports14020072.

3. Paley, C. A., & Johnson, M. I. (2025). Human Resilience and Pain Coping Strategies: A Review of the Literature Giving Insights from Elite Ultra-Endurance Athletes for Sports Science, Medicine and Society. Sports Medicine, 55, 2137–2146. DOI: 10.1007/s40279-025-02277-4.

4. Alschuler, K. N., Krabak, B. J., Kratz, A. L., Jensen, M. P., Pomeranz, D., Burns, P., Bautz, J., Nordeen, C., Irwin, C., & Lipman, G. S. (2020). Pain Is Inevitable But Suffering Is Optional: Relationship of Pain Coping Strategies to Performance in Multistage Ultramarathon Runners. Wilderness & Environmental Medicine, 31(1), 23–30. DOI: 10.1016/j.wem.2019.10.007.

5. Brace, A. W., George, K., & Lovell, G. P. (2020). Mental Toughness and Self-Efficacy of Elite Ultra-Marathon Runners. PLOS ONE, 15(11), e0241284. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0241284. Studied 56 elite HURT100 runners.