How Participation, Physiology, Psychology, and Cognition Interact in Multi- Marathon Runners: Insights from a Harmonised Cross-Sectional Analysis

Multi-marathon running provides a unique context to examine how participation behaviours, physiological capacity, psychological traits, and cognitive performance interact. Previous research has analysed these domains separately, but their combined influence on athlete profiles remains unclear. Guided by the biopsychosocial model, self-determination theory, and cognitive reserve hypothesis, this study integrated multiple datasets to identify within- and cross-domain associations and multi-domain profiles. Cross-sectional data were harmonised to age × gender cells: participation (n = 830; motivation, diet, health, injury, treatment), psychology (n = 593; personality, anxiety, depression), physiology (n = 340; self-reported VO₂max), and cognition (n = 130; reaction time, sustained attention, global cognition). Variables were residualised for demographic effects and grouped into four domains. Correlation analysis, principal component analysis, and k-means clustering were applied to the integrated dataset. Strong associations occurred within domains, particularly among psychological variables, but novel cross-domain links also emerged: cognitive errors with musculoskeletal injury, diet with conscientiousness, and treatment preferences with personality traits. Principal components explained 60% of variance, and clustering identified three profiles differing in motivation, affective state, and cognition, independent of age, gender, or marathon completions. Findings highlight the value of cross-domain integration for understanding endurance athletes and supporting holistic strategies for participation and wellbeing.