Abstract
The purpose of this study is to explore the spiritual experiences which people feel through running. The investigation into running experiences was designed to further develop insight and understanding into the possible spiritual nature of the complex and multi-dimensional experiences. For this study a phenomenological approach was used The data for the study came from in-depth interviews with 8 respondents. The interviews revealed two common themes indicating the multi-dimensional aspects of leisure experiences that are spiritual. This study also found that the spiritual experiences of running could only occur not only through catalysts such as practice, nature, and meditation, but also lead to responses of retrospection, loving, and insight by runners. The spiritual running experiences engendered a range of emotional and cognitive responses as the respondents experienced thinking of the past (retrospection), a sense of connection with nature and others (loving), and some individuals seemed to attain enlightenment (insight). The results of this study support the previous conceptual propositions of the spiritual dimensions of leisure, and develop the theoretical implications by exploring the experiential and emotional dispositions people bring to their running experiences.
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