Eating attitudes, exercise identity, and body alienation in competitive ultramarathoners.

This study examined the relationships among eating attitudes, exercise identity, and body alienation in ultramarathoners. Eighty-seven competitive ultramarathoners (73 males, 14 females) completed the Eating Attitudes Test-26, Exercise Identity Scale, and Body Alienation Scale as part of their pre-race registration. Correlation coefficients revealed that eating attitudes were positively related to exercise identity (R = 0.31) and injury tolerance (R = 0.43), and that exercise identity was positively related to injury tolerance (R = 0.33). MANOVA further indicated that subjects with high exercise identity reported more eating disorder behaviors [F(2, 80) = 7.73, P <0.001] and higher injury tolerance [F(2, 80) = 3.69, P <0.05] than persons with low exercise identity. Female ultramarathoners scoring high on exercise identity were more likely to report aberrant eating behaviors [F(2, 80) = 3.39, P <0.05] and higher training intensity levels [F(2, 80) = 3.91, P <0.02] than were average males and the low- or moderate-exercise identifying females.