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

Abstract

The aim of the study was to investigate if years of running experience influence the motivations of marathon athletes. An empirical study was conducted during the last (20th) PKO Poznan Marathon, one of the largest and most popular mass running events in Poland, which was held in Poznan (Poland) in October 2019. A total of 493 marathon runners (29% of whom were female, and 71% of whom were male) took part in the cross-sectional study, which used the diagnostic survey method. The questionnaire employed the division of motives from the motivation of marathoners scale (MOMS) by Masters et al., adapted to the Polish language by Dybala. Running motivations have already been analysed for variables such as age, gender and place of residence, but there is a research gap regarding existing research, as the relationship between motivations and running experience has not yet been studied. One-way analysis of variance for independent samples was used to verify statistical hypotheses. Prior to making the relevant calculations, the assumption of homogeneity of variance was checked via Levene’s test. Variances were assessed with an F-test, and if they were unequal, Welch’s correction was applied. Eta squared (η2) was used as a measure of effect size. The calculations carried out showed that running experience was not a statistically significant factor in the motivations of runners taking part in a marathon.

Motives and Commitment to Sport in Amateurs during Confinement: A Segmentation Study

“…A study, which observed that internationally successful athletes had a competition-oriented motivation, while unsuccessful athletes were oriented towards maintaining good health [ 21 ]. Several studies found that the most frequent motives for participating in the event were to maintain a good physical condition or the achievement of personal goals and their personal well-being [ 24 , 76 , 77 , 78 ]. Another study of participants in running events observed that enjoyment was one of the most important motives people have to engage in active leisure activities [ 79 ].…”

“…In the sport context, there are several studies in the literature that evaluate motivation in the child population [ 18 , 19 ], adult athletes [ 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ], and recreational or amateur exercisers [ 24 , 25 , 26 ]. However, no studies have been found that evaluate the motivation of the population during this pandemic period, the psychological aspects being especially relevant since previous studies during periods of confinement have shown the existence of negative impacts, such as increased stress and depression caused by social distancing [ 27 ].…”

Do Sex, Age, and Marital Status Influence the Motivations of Amateur Marathon Runners? The Poznan Marathon Case Study

“…This constitutes an attempt to describe whether the reasons for a person taking part in an endurance event depend on athletes’ sex and age. Other variables such as years’ experience running ( Ogles and Masters, 2003 ; Malchrowicz-Mośko et al, 2020 ) or training experience ( Waśkiewicz et al, 2019b ) and athletes’ performance ( Ferrer et al, 2015 ; Nikolaidis et al, 2019 ) have also been associated with athletes’ motivations.…”

Overtourism and Medium Scale Sporting Events Organisations—the Perception of Negative Externalities by Host Residents

“…All these studies refer to the analysis of the relationship between a sporting event and the place where it takes place and includes the effect, impact and influence of the mega event on the host [121]. Street running has already been analyzed from the side of runners' profiles and their motivation to participate in events [90,91,123]. Moreover, it was emphasized that the venue for the organization of running is increasingly important for sustainable development.…”