The Ambivalence of Ultra Endurance Sports for Athletes’ Partners: Share, Support or Separate Dilemma

This study deepens understanding of nonprofessional ultra endurance (UE) sport by centering on the experiences of athletes’ partners—those most affected yet least researched group. Thirteen in-depth interviews were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological and Reflexive Thematic Analyses, identifying three interrelated themes: bonding, lifestyle, and ambivalence. Bonding captures connection through shared participation and supportive engagement that fulfills partners’ need for relatedness. Lifestyle reflects the über-presence of performance routines valued for their health benefits. Ambivalence exposes tensions where autonomy, balance and equality are challenged by UE dominance. Relational harmony can be maintained if partners negotiate constraints harmoniously, while obsessive UE passion undermines this negotiation and leads to conflict. The proposed “share, support, or separate” dilemma faced by partners provides a more critical interpretation of the “paradox of serious leisure” and challenges the traditionally male-coded, individualistic narratives of UE sport by foregrounding a more relational understanding.