Abstract
The aim of the present study was to examine the motivation of recreational runners and its variation by sex, age, and performance level. Finishers (female: n = 32, age 40.1 ± 9.0 years old, height 162 ± 7 cm, body mass 57.7 ± 7.5 kg, race record 4:34 ± 0:39 h:min; male: n = 134, 44.2 ± 8.6 years, 176 ± 6 cm, 77.0 ± 9.3 kg, 4:02 ± 0:44 h:min) in the Athens Classic Marathon 2017 completed the Motivations of Marathoners Scales (MOMS) 56-item questionnaire. The highest scores in the MOMS were observed in the general health orientation and personal goal achievement categories, and the lowest in the recognition and competition areas. Female participants scored higher in coping, self-esteem, and goal achievement than their male counterparts (p < 0.05). The <30 age group scored higher than the 35–40 and 40–45 age groups in “competing with other runners” for male participants (p < 0.05). The average performance group outscored the slowest group in “achieving personal goals” and “competing with other runners” in female participants, whereas an effect of performance on these two themes was shown in male participants as well (p < 0.05). In summary, we partially confirmed that female and male marathon runners differ for their motivations. In addition, novel findings were the identification of age and performance level as correlates of motivations. The knowledge of these trends would be of great practical value for practitioners to optimize the motivation of their athletes.
Highlights
Marathon running is one of the most popular endurance sports, with the number of races and finishers having increased dramatically during the last decades—e.g., participation in the New YorkCity marathon increased by 119% from 1983 to 1999 [1]
A moderate effect of sex was observed on coping (d = 0.65, p = 0.002), self-esteem (d = 0.63, p = 0.003), and personal goal achievement (d = 0.71, p = 0.001), with female participants scoring higher than male participants on these motives (Figure 1)
No difference was observed among age groups in female participants (Figure 2)
Summary
Marathon running is one of the most popular endurance sports, with the number of races and finishers having increased dramatically during the last decades—e.g., participation in the New York. City marathon increased by 119% from 1983 to 1999 [1]. An increased scientific interest has focused on physiological characteristics of marathon runners [2]; little information exists with regards to their psychological characteristics, such as motivation. Competition seems to be an important reason to run, at least more in marathon than in ultra-marathon runners [3]. The literature suggests the importance of taking into account runners’ motivations to better prevent injuries, considering the high prevalence of injuries in marathons (e.g., one-year prevalence of running injuries = ~55%) [4]. More research is needed to better identify marathon runners’ motivations
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