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. 2025 Apr 23:7:1556404.
doi: 10.3389/fspor.2025.1556404. eCollection 2025.

Effects of group mindfulness intervention on high-level distance runners: a quasi-experimental study

Bence Kelemen  1 , Renátó Tóth  1 , Ottó Benczenleitner  2 , László Tóth  3   4
Affiliations

Effects of group mindfulness intervention on high-level distance runners: a quasi-experimental study

Bence Kelemen et al. Front Sports Act Living. .

Abstract

Introduction: This study explored the impact of the Mindful Sport Performance Enhancement (MSPE) program, adapted for elite distance runners.

Methods: Twenty Hungarian national and international-level athletes participated in a quasi-experimental design. The experimental group (n = 10) completed a six-week MSPE intervention, while the control group (n = 10) received no mental training. Psychological constructs, including flow, competitive anxiety, mindfulness, and emotion regulation, were assessed pre- and post-intervention.

Results: Results showed significant improvements in the experimental group across most variables, particularly flow and cognitive anxiety, with no changes in the control group.

Discussion: These findings highlight the effectiveness of a group-based mindfulness program in enhancing mental well-being and performance in elite runners. The scalable, structured format offers a practical alternative to traditional sports psychology approaches for high-performance athletes.

Keywords: competitive anxiety; distance running; emotion regulation; flow; mindfulness; performance; sport psychology.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Changes in measured psychological variables.
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