How to Use Ego as a Performance Tool

During the final moments of the Richmond Park Half Marathon this April, something incredible happened.

With each loop of the multi-lap course, a group of total strangers dug in near the finish line erupted into cheer every time I passed. I had no idea why, but it put a smile on my face every time.

Except on the last round.

With about a kilometre to go, I had 3rd place locked in — but my target time was hanging in doubt. I tried to push: fixed my form, tried to forget the aching in my legs, and reminded myself to leave nothing behind. But it wasn’t enough.

Then I passed the group again. Their cheer gave me a small boost — but something afterwards fuelled me more than any energy gel ever could.

I heard one of them mutter:

“That is insane.”

Were they referring to me? You know, probably not. But in that split second, I believed they were. My ego lit up, and I sprinted off like my life depended on it — and came in 15 seconds under my goal time.

That comment made me feel like I was doing something great — and so I felt compelled to deliver.

The “Audience Effect”

Sports psychologists call this the audience effect:

a supportive audience makes an athlete try harder, and feel like they are capable of trying harder, by reducing the perception of effort.

This was demonstrated perfectly in the 2004 Tour de France.

Thomas Voeckler, a little-known French national, unexpectedly jumped into a breakaway on Stage 5 and somehow grabbed the yellow jersey — the indicator of 1st place — over Lance Armstrong.

That alone is incredible. But what followed is even more remarkable.

After Stage 5, the French media latched on. Fans erupted. Voeckler suddenly felt the weight of expectation — people were paying attention to him.

And with this attention fuelling him, he managed to hold onto the jersey for another 10 stages.

“The jersey gives you wings,” goes the old expression.

And it’s true — the attention pushed him beyond his normal ability. The love of the fans made him try harder and made it all feel easier.

Ego Can Be a Performance Tool

The word “egotistical” is loaded with negative connotations — but in sport, ego can be a secret weapon.

We want people to watch us. We want to be seen.

That attention not only pushes us to perform better, but it also holds us to account.

Racing is hard. There’s always a moment where your body wants to give up — but if you’ve got people waiting at the finish line expecting you to hit a time, that can be enough to tip the balance.

The fear of your ego being bruised — showing up 2 minutes behind target — can give you the push to keep going.

So I say: let that fear of your ego being hurt fuel you.

Not just on race day — but in training, too:

• Post your runs on Strava.

• Share your races on Instagram.

• Invite friends to your races.

Do everything that threatens or stokes your ego.

That inflated ego will increase both your expectations and your belief in success. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy: if you believe you can do a thing, you probably will.

The Audience Effect is a Double-Edged Sword

The audience effect enhances the feeling of success — but the flip side is that it also increases the sting of failure.

If you’ve got friends at the finish line and you twist your ankle?

The sensible thing is to stop and rest.

But your ego’s screaming “don’t let them down.”

And that can be dangerous.

Because failure is a critical part of every athlete’s journey.

Whether it’s a misjudged pace, nutrition mistake, or an overuse injury — these moments teach us and help us grow.

But if you’ve let your ego inflate too far, failure can hit hard. You don't see it as one bad run, but rather start feeling like you’re the failure.

I’ve been there. It's not fun.

How to Protect Yourself

For me, two things are absolutely essential:

• Be open and honest

• Remember that failure is the best way to learn

Failure Is the Best Teacher

Success feels good — but it doesn’t teach much.

Failure, on the other hand, is the most powerful learning tool we’ve got.

Take the 2024 Paris Olympic: Sifan Hassan won gold in the marathon — then took a four-month break.

But runner-up Tigst Assefa? She didn't rest. The loss fuelled her.

When they met again at the 2025 London Marathon, Assefa had dropped Hassan by the 30km mark and went on to win, smashing the Women’s Only world record.

That’s failure as fuel.

Be Open and Honest

Social media is full of curated perfection — and it’s easy to start comparing.

But social media only tells half the story. It leaves out all the shit parts, which every single person experiences.

Everyone has a bad race, a bad workout, an angry moment. We all struggle.

So while I do think sharing success online is a great way to build momentum and fuel your ego, it’s just as important to be honest when things go wrong.

Miss a goal? Get injured? Have a crap session?

Post about it. Reflect on what happened. Tell others what went wrong and what you learnt.

You’ll be amazed how many people relate.

TL;DR – How to Use Ego as a Tool

If you want a boost in both your training and on race day, lean into ego and use the audience effect.

Do this whenever you can:

✅ Invite friends and family to races

✅ Pick events with big crowds — even strangers can be fuel

✅ Share on Strava/Instagram/etc — state your goals, share your results

✅ Be open and honest — especially when things go wrong

✅ Use failure as fuel — it’s how we grow