A 3000-mile tour of mental toughness: An autoethnographic exploration of mental toughness intra-individual variability in endurance sport

Mental toughness has garnered considerable attention over the past two decades because of the perception that this psychological construct influences an athlete’s ability to strive, thrive, and survive in sport. However, few researchers have explored the lived experiences of mental toughness within endurance sport. Analysis of lived experiences could help reveal how an athlete demonstrates (or does not demonstrate) mental toughness in real-world settings and provide insights for researchers, coaches and athletes in the future. The current autoethnographic approach offers an alternative perspective to supplement the existing mental toughness literature, and provides the most appropriate format to analyze the within-person mental toughness element at the core of this research study. The study recounts and analyses the personal experience of mental toughness across a trilogy of cycling, triathlon, and running endurance events by a single athlete over a 5-month period. The main findings focus on the variability of perceived mental toughness at different stages of competition and training and identify potential factors driving the notable fluctuation in levels of mental toughness. Factors identified as increasing this within-person mental toughness included anger, love, competition, encouragement and the recognition of a last chance to achieve meaningful goals. These findings are expected to support future research into within-person mental toughness and the practical application across a broader spectrum of settings.