Abstract
The participation of recreational runners in sport events ranging from 5 km to ultra-endurance races have increased dramatically during the last decades and this phenomenon has attracted scientific interest. Most research has focused on the physiological characteristics of these runners and less in their psychological characteristics. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to review the existing knowledge with regards to the personality of recreational endurance runners and the role of sex, age and performance. It was concluded that limited information was available with regards to the personality of recreational marathon runners. So far, our knowledge on the personality of marathon runners relied on studies conducted a few decades ago, mostly on competitive marathon runners, highlighting the need for original research on recreational runners.
Highlights
The beneficial role of endurance exercise for health might explain partially the increase of participation in marathon races during the last decades [1]
With regards to sex differences in participation and race time, recent findings indicated that men were faster and older than women, whereas the participation of women increased disproportionately to that of men resulting in a decrease of the male-to-female ratio [2]
Physiology and training characteristics have improved our understanding of the predictors of race time [5,6], psychological aspects of marathon runners, such as personality, have received less scientific attention so far
Summary
The beneficial role of endurance exercise for health might explain partially the increase of participation in marathon races during the last decades [1]. Information from a review on this topic would be of great practical importance for strength and conditioning coaches, and sport psychologists working with marathon runners, especially considering the increased number of finishers and races during the last years. The recent trends in participation and performance were that relatively more women and older runners participated compared to the past, and overall race times became slower [2,9], highlighting the need for further research in the personality of recreational marathon runners. The aim of the present study was to review previous original research on personality of marathoners focusing on differences in personality characteristics between women and men, age groups, performance levels and compared to other sports
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