Modern Running Events in Sustainable Development—More than Just Taking Care of Health and Physical Condition (Poznan Half Marathon Case Study)

Joanna Poczta,Ewa Malchrowicz-Mośko

doi:10.3390/su10072145

Joanna Poczta, Ewa Malchrowicz-Mośko

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su10072145

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Abstract

The aim of the study was to evaluate the motivations to participate in a half marathon among two groups of respondents—those living in large cities (with more than 500,000 inhabitants) and 110 living in rural areas—and evaluate the differences between them. The empirical research (n = 342) was conducted during the one of the most important running events in Poland, and recognized the motives for participation in sports events according to the four basic types of orientation: social orientation, sensation-seeking orientation, factual orientation, and result orientation. The division of Freyer and Gross (2002) was the basis for the development of the author’s questionnaire survey of motives for participation in running events. The results indicated that the significant difference between urban and rural residents appeared in the results regarding the group of motives in the scope of sensation-seeking orientation. City residents declared that the most important thing for them was the desire to have fun, which was 15% higher than in rural residents. On the other hand, rural residents reported that the most important thing for them was the need to experience strong emotions related to participation, which was 20% higher than in urban residents. In general, the results might help sport managers and city government analyze consumer behavior and utilize the results in the strategic, sustainable planning, marketing, and implementation of physical culture and leisure in connection with massive sport events organizations.

Highlights

In today’s world, the importance of physical activity has significantly increased in the socio-cultural dimension, including tourism, and sport tourism should be seen as an autonomous phenomenon of our time, reflecting current trends, needs, and lifestyles
Belonging to the subculture of runners was mentioned by almost 25.4% of respondents living in large agglomerations (59), just like the need for recognition, while 27.3% of rural residents (30) identified with the importance of belonging to the running subculture, and 25.5% identified with the desire to sense equality during the race (28)
The most important include enabling sports tourists to build a sense of connection and integration with other people, thanks to which sports events become a postmodern form of participation in social life

Summary

Introduction

In today’s world, the importance of physical activity has significantly increased in the socio-cultural dimension, including tourism, and sport tourism should be seen as an autonomous phenomenon of our time, reflecting current trends, needs, and lifestyles. Never before has sport tourism been so popular, and sport and tourist activities have become a megatrend in the postmodern world. As community leaders have recognized the synergy between sport and tourism, they are increasingly looking to generate tourism by developing a destination image through hosting sports events. Contemporary cities and regions raise their statuses and improve their images through mega sport events. Such function is performed through hosting running events, which don’t need expensive infrastructure such as stadiums, swimming pools, etc. Running events are sport tourism attractions taking place in many cities around the globe. Many running enthusiasts have the opportunity to travel to incredible places and run through picturesque locations full of interesting attractions and cultural heritage, such as: the Athens Marathon, marathons in Lisbon, Goteborg and Oslo, the Asics Stockholm Marathon, the Warsaw Marathon, the Great Breweries Marathon in Belgium, the SPAR Marathon in Budapest, the International Marathon of Peace in Kosice, the Swiss City Marathon in Lucerne, the Midnight Sun Marathon in Tromso, the Telenor Marathon in Copenhagen, the Volkswagen Marathon in Prague, the Crete Half Marathon, half marathons in Geneva, Bucharest, Copenhagen, and Poznan, the Wizz Air Half Marathon in Budapest, The Great North Run in New Castle, and The BMW Berlin Marathon (in which almost 50,000 people participated last year)

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