Motivation in the Athens Classic Marathon: The Role of Sex, Age, and Performance Level in Greek Recreational Marathon Runners

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.

The Impact of Modern Ultramarathons on Shaping the Social Identity of Runners. The Case Study of Karkonosze Winter Ultramarathon

“…Investigated ultramarathon runners claim that regular training has a positive effect on physical and mental health and has a cleansing effect on the psyche. There is also some evidence from previous studies that running has a positive impact on mental health and causes feeling of catharsis [1,26]. Moreover, the satisfaction with one's running progress mediated relationships between well-being and the amount of running.…”

“…The dynamic development of mass sports events comes with questions about the motivations of the postmodern man to participate in them. Recently, researchers focused mainly on mass, popular, street runs/cycling events in the context of their meaning for sporting events and active tourism or in the context of motivation for running/cycling or health implications for runners/cyclists [22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29]. Sporting events have been analyzed as a tourist phenomenon [30][31][32][33][34] and the social identity of athletes is rarely investigated in this area.…”

Tower Running—Participation, Performance Trends, and Sex Difference

“…Unfortunately, body mass was not available in these runners. Another explanation could be the motivation of female athletes [22]. For example, motivation differs between female and male marathon runners [22].…”

“…Another explanation could be the motivation of female athletes [22]. For example, motivation differs between female and male marathon runners [22]. It has been shown that female marathon finishers exceeded men on the motivational scales for body weight concern, affiliation, psychological coping, life meaning, and self-esteem, and they scored lower on competitive motivation [23].…”

Do Years of Running Experience Influence the Motivations of Amateur Marathon Athletes?

“…Recent studies on ultra-marathons have indicated that whereas the rivalry factor has always been more important for men, it has also gained importance among women [25]. Recently partially confirmed that female and male marathon runners differ in their motivations [26]. Smith (2010) investigated the motivations of female elite triathletes [27], and Fernandez-Lopez et al [28] examined the relationship between sex and motivation in triathletes.…”