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Running as a Form of Therapy Socio-Psychological Functions of Mass Running Events for Men and Women

Author

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  • Ewa Malchrowicz-Mośko

    (Department of Cultural Foundations of Tourism, University School of Physical Education in Poznan, 61-871 Poznan, Poland)

  • Joanna Poczta

    (Department of Cultural Foundations of Tourism, University School of Physical Education in Poznan, 61-871 Poznan, Poland)

Abstract

The main goal of this study was to recognize the motives of participation in mass running events (Poznan Half Marathon case study). The second aim was to examine the motivations to participate in a half-marathon among two groups of respondents: men and women, and to evaluate the differences between them. The empirical research among runners ( n = 560) conducted during the one of the most important running events in Poland recognized the motives for participation in the sports event in accordance with the four basic types of orientation: social orientation, experience orientation, factual orientation, and result orientation (Freyer & Gross, 2002). The significant difference between surveyed men and women appeared in the motives of desire to get away from everyday life and its prevailing fashion, which turned out to be more important for women than for men. The desire to win was not important for the respondents. All respondents reported that what was very important for them was the need to experience strong emotions related to participation, the desire to feel unity and integration with other people, and the desire to test themselves. In general, the results show that people participate in running events not only for physical activity, but also for mental well-being and socio-psychological effects. They experience strong emotions, adrenaline, pleasure, relaxation, and an escape from the duties and hardships of everyday life and have an opportunity to build social relationships thanks to mass sports events organized in urban agglomerations. The article constitutes a conceptualization of the running event in the dimension of social and psychological interactions, which reveal and demonstrate its creative layers and contemporary meaning which has already gone deeply beyond functions of running for health and improving the physical condition.

Suggested Citation

  • Ewa Malchrowicz-Mośko & Joanna Poczta, 2018. "Running as a Form of Therapy Socio-Psychological Functions of Mass Running Events for Men and Women," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-15, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:15:y:2018:i:10:p:2262-:d:175911
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Estibaliz Romaratezabala & Daniel Castillo & Javier Raya-González & Josune Rodríguez-Negro & Irati Aritzeta & Javier Yanci, 2020. "Health and Wellness Status Perception of Half-Marathon Runners: Influence of Age, Sex, Injury, and Training with Qualified Staff," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(16), pages 1-16, August.
    2. Marek Kazimierczak & Agata Dąbrowska & Katarzyna Adamczewska & Ewa Malchrowicz-Mośko, 2019. "The Impact of Modern Ultramarathons on Shaping the Social Identity of Runners. The Case Study of Karkonosze Winter Ultramarathon," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(1), pages 1-15, December.
    3. Pantelis T. Nikolaidis & José Ramón Alvero-Cruz & Elias Villiger & Thomas Rosemann & Beat Knechtle, 2019. "The Age-Related Performance Decline in Marathon Running: The Paradigm of the Berlin Marathon," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(11), pages 1-12, June.
    4. Ewa Kruszyńska & Joanna Poczta, 2020. "Difficulties Limiting Access to Sports and Recreational Facilities in the City in the Perceptions of Service Users. Sports and Recreational Infrastructure Management Policy—Poznan Case Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(5), pages 1-20, March.
    5. Ewa Malchrowicz-Mośko & Dariusz Wieliński & Katarzyna Adamczewska, 2020. "Perceived Benefits for Mental and Physical Health and Barriers to Horseback Riding Participation. The Analysis among Professional and Amateur Athletes," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(10), pages 1-14, May.
    6. Pantelis T. Nikolaidis & Aïna Chalabaev & Thomas Rosemann & Beat Knechtle, 2019. "Motivation in the Athens Classic Marathon: The Role of Sex, Age, and Performance Level in Greek Recreational Marathon Runners," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(14), pages 1-9, July.
    7. Joanna Poczta & Nuno Almeida & Ewa Malchrowicz-Mośko, 2021. "Socio-Psychological Functions of Men and Women Triathlon Participation," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(22), pages 1-12, November.
    8. Jia Yang & Fang-Yuan Ju & Zu-Guo Tian, 2022. "Sports and Social Interaction: Sports Experiences and Attitudes of the Urban Running Community," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-14, November.
    9. David Parra-Camacho & María Huertas González-Serrano & Rómulo Jacobo González-García & Ferran Calabuig Moreno, 2019. "Sporting Habits of Urban Runners: Classification According to Their Motivation," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(24), pages 1-18, December.
    10. Ewa Malchrowicz-Mośko, 2022. "Recreational Running Motivations among Breast Cancer Survivors," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-9, November.
    11. Ewa Malchrowicz-Mośko & Joanna Poczta & Katarzyna Adamczewska, 2019. "The Potential of Non-Mega Sporting Events for the Promotion of Physical Activity Among Inactive Supporters at the Poznan Half Marathon: A Case Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(21), pages 1-12, October.
    12. Ewa Malchrowicz-Mośko & Arkaitz Castañeda-Babarro & Patxi León Guereño, 2020. "On the Way to the Marathon—Motivation for Participating in Mass Running Events Among Children and Adolescents: Results of the Poznan Half Marathon Pilot Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(14), pages 1-9, July.
    13. Yolanda Campos-Uscanga & Hannia Reyes-Rincón & Eduardo Pineda & Santiago Gibert-Isern & Saraí Ramirez-Colina & Vianey Argüelles-Nava, 2022. "Running in Natural Spaces: Gender Analysis of Its Relationship with Emotional Intelligence, Psychological Well-Being, and Physical Activity," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(10), pages 1-10, May.
    14. Joanna Poczta & Nuno Almeida & Małgorzata Paczyńska-Jędrycka & Ewa Kruszyńska, 2022. "The Impact of COVID-19 Incidence on Motivation to Participate in a Triathlon," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-11, May.

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