The Psyching Team

PSYCHING TEAM DIRECTOR
Dr. Peter Papadogiannis, Ph.D.

Back by popular demand! Quick tips on how to be mentally prepared to run your best race. Consider these typical scenarios:

  • The runner who expects to complete the race in 3:25–or feels utterly defeated;
  • The first-time marathoner, wondering what they need do when they hit “the wall”;
  • The runner who who feels they are too nervous and can’t calm down;
  • The runner coming back from injury and is insecure about how much they can handle.

Each of these runners can benefit from a few minutes conversing with a member of the Psyching Team. Dr. Papadogiannis, and other volunteer mental performance consultants/mental health practitioners offer runners mental strategies before, during, and after the Toronto Marathon. Commonly-used peak performance strategies include goal setting, relaxation training, imagery, and self-talk strategies. Psyching Team members trained in these methods will tailor the technique to the person. It’s fun and it’s helpful. What more could you ask?


Here’s where you will find us:

BEFORE THE RACE:

Kit pick-up: We’re available Saturday for consultation and mental strategizing. You will find us at the Psyching Team booth, or “meeting and greeting” in our signature red Psyching Team vests and caps.

Race Start: For those last minute mental strategies (and a friendly face), we’ll be at the “start line” located on Yonge St just outside the Yonge/Sheppard Centre from 6:30 am. until the various race starts.

DURING THE RACE:

“Psychs on Bikes” is going strong. Bicycling in strategic locations, our Psychs on Bikes provide encouragement, support and advice to runners during the course of their race. Feel free to flag down one of our cyclists, with their distinctive red caps and red vests. We’ll talk you through the rough spots.

“Psychs on Foot” during the race. Psyching Team members will be positioned in various parts of the race route and will provide support to runners by running with them. This is particularly helpful for “post-wall” challenges that occur during the last few km’s of the race.

AFTER THE RACE:

How did the race go? We’ll be available at the Medical Area after the race, to help you put your best “spin” on the race just after you’ve finished or, if necessary, help you cope with a crisis.

For further information

People seeking further information about The Psyching Team or sport psychology, or interested in volunteering with The Psyching Team, may contact Dr. Peter Papadogiannis at (416) 220-8603 or via email at:  peterpapa30@msn.com


ABOUT THE PSYCHING TEAM’S DIRECTOR

As a consultant and lecturer, Peter Papadogiannis, Ph.D. has been involved in a variety of athletic, organizational, and academic settings. As a certified mental performance consultant, Peter is a professional member of the Canadian Sport Psychology Association and has developed various systems and strategies aimed at improving athletic performance. He is currently a mental performance service provider for Athlete’s Care, The Sports Clinic, and Toronto SEMI working with athletes competing at the intercollegiate, national, international, and professional levels. 

Peter is also the co-founder of HeadSet Sports – www.headsetsports.com. HeadSet is a mental toughness/strength application for athletes and coaches that is delivered completely online and uses algorithms to automatically develop a customized program for each athlete and team. Within organizational settings, much of Peter’s work has been focused on the area of emotional intelligence, leadership, and team development. Peter is the co-author of the Emotional Intelligence Skills Assessment Training Program and is a sessional faculty member of psychology at York University and the University of Guelph-Humber. 

HISTORY: Inaugurated in 1999 by Dr. Kate Hays (founder and director from 1999-2019) and supported by the Ontario Psychological Association, each year members of the Psyching Team work with over 1,000 individuals, small groups of runners, and participants in workshops. Runners are especially interested in learning methods of tension reduction and appropriate goal setting, as well as experiencing positive imagery for the race. Most find it helpful to wear the piece of finishing line ribbon that we will give you. This fluorescent orange ribbon helps runners to remember and use the “psyching” tips they have learned. Each year, we build on successful services, based on your interest and involvement. Many of you find out about the Psyching Team right here on the web, and increasingly, you seek us out. Keep it up!

Dr. Kate Hays, Ph.D., C.Psych., CMPC, the Founding Director of the Toronto Marathon Psyching Team, practiced sport, performance, and clinical psychology in Toronto through her own consulting programme, The Performing Edge. Her blog in Psychology Today focused on peak performance across a variety of domains: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-edge-peak-performance-psychology

Before starting the Toronto Marathon Psyching Team, Dr. Hays was a member of and trainer for the New York City Marathon Psych Team for many years, as well as the Boston Marathon Sweep Team. She was Past-President of the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Division of Exercise & Sport Psychology. She was actively involved with the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, Canadian Psychological Association, Ontario Psychological Association, as well as APA. A frequent international lecturer, Dr. Hays combined her expertise in sport psychology and psychotherapy as an author of five books and numerous professional articles. She was a member of the Advisory Board of Runner’s World.

Kate passed away in 2021 after a long illness. We are grateful for her contribution and she will be forever missed by all who had the privilege to know her.


Want more information about psyching teams?

If you’re a sport psychologist, mental health professional, or graduate student in one of these fields and would like to participate as a member of the Toronto Marathon Psyching Team, please contact Dr. Peter Papadogiannis @ peterpapa30@msn.com