Personality and psychological characteristics of ultra-endurance athletes: a systematic review and network meta-analysis

Ultra-endurance athletes (UEAs) undertake extreme events exceeding the standard marathon distance (42.195 km) or prolonged durations where the total exertion time surpasses typical endurance limits, encompassing various formats such as staged races or discipline-specific efforts. However, the personality traits and psychological characteristics of UEAs remain incompletely characterised. This systematic review and network meta-analysis of 44 studies (n = 6,924) synthesised evidence on UEA psychological profiles. Meta-analyses of 11 studies showed that UEAs reported higher conscientiousness (SMD = −1.17, 95% CrI −2.13 to −0.08) and lower agreeableness (SMD = 0.85, 95% CrI 0.00 to 1.77) than non-athletes, and higher exercise dependence (SMD = −1.84, 95% CrI −2.82 to −0.87) than sub-UEAs. Despite these patterns, the certainty of evidence was rated as very low (GRADE) due to cross-sectional designs and high heterogeneity. These findings suggest potential psychological trends rather than a definitive UEA profile, warranting further longitudinal research to confirm these preliminary observations and establish causality.