Author(s): BILL, T., ANTONINI PHILIPPE, R. , Institution: UNIL, Country: SWITZERLAND, Abstract-ID: 215

Background: Is 100 miles the new marathon? Ultra-endurance (UE) races are rapidly increasing in popularity, with most participants being non-professional athletes. While the exceptional physical and psychological capacities required for UE participation have been widely examined, the social dimension of this intensive lifestyle – particularly its impact on partners and spouses – remain largely overlooked. This study advances understanding of non-professional UE sport by centring the experiences of athletes´ partners, arguably the group most affected yet least researched.
Methodology: Thirteen in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with partners of UE athletes. Data were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis and Reflexive Thematic Analysis. The theoretic framework integrated Self-Determination Theory (Deci Ryan, 2000), the Dualistic Model of Passion (Vallerand et al., 1997), the Serious Leisure Perspective (Stebbins, 1997) and the Facilitators & Constraints Framework (Raymore, 2002).
Results: Three interrelated themes characterized partners´ experiences of UE sports: bonding, lifestyle, and ambivalence. Bonding captures connection through shared participation and supportive engagement that fulfils partners´ need for relatedness. Lifestyle reflects the über-presence of performance routines, which are valued for their perceived health benefits. Ambivalence exposes relational tensions in which autonomy, balance, and equality are challenged by the dominance of UE commitments. Relational harmony is sustained when partners negotiate constraints collaboratively, however, obsessive forms of UE passion disrupt this process and frequently lead to conflict. The emergent “share, support, or separate” dilemma faced by partners offers a critical interpretation of the paradox of serious leisure and challenges traditionally male-coded, individualistic narratives of UE sports by foregrounding a more relational understanding. Moreover, these social-relational insights extend and enrich the Framework for Understanding the Phenomenon of UE sports developed in our previous research.