Research report: Beyond the finish line: a systematic review of participation motivation and engagement in amateur marathoners

The review included research on amateur runners aged 18 to 72 and found that motivations often changed over time: initial participation was commonly associated with health or weight control, whereas longer-term engagement was more often linked with psychological well-being, habit formation and social connection. The review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses, or PRISMA 2020. Researchers searched Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, SPORTDiscus and the Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection, and they supplemented those searches with manual citation searching.

The search identified 415 records. After removal of duplicates, screening of titles and abstracts, and assessment of full texts for eligibility, 16 empirical studies met the inclusion criteria. This was a synthesis of previously conducted research rather than a new trial or survey of marathon runners.

Across the included evidence, researchers identified four categories of participation motives. Health-related motives appeared in all 16 studies, achievement motives in 14, psychological motives in 13 and social motives in 10. Health motives were consistently the strongest motivations reported for participation.

The review associated early involvement especially with health and weight-control goals, then found that the motivational profile could broaden during continued participation. In that later stage, psychological well-being, established habits and social connection were more frequently associated with engagement. The pattern also differed across participant groups and circumstances.

Achievement, psychological and social motives varied according to runner characteristics, including gender, age, race and experience level. These findings support the conclusion that motivation among amateur marathon runners is multidimensional rather than reducible to a single performance or fitness goal. Several features limit how broadly the findings can be applied.

Most of the included studies were conducted in Europe, and the authors judged the overall methodological quality of the evidence to be moderate using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Only two of the 16 studies met all appraisal criteria. The review also identified differences in methods and measurements as an obstacle to direct comparison.

Larger and more diverse samples were needed to represent a broader population of marathon runners, while some variables and populations remained understudied. The authors identified four priorities for subsequent synthesis: higher-quality studies, larger and more diverse samples, standardized methods and measurements, and closer examination of understudied variables or populations.

Subject of Research: Participation motivation and engagement among amateur marathon runners

Article Title: Beyond the finish line: a systematic review of participation motivation and engagement in amateur marathoners

Article References: Cui, J., Teo, E. W., Chang, J., & Lei, Z. (2026). Beyond the finish line: a systematic review of participation motivation and engagement in amateur marathoners. BMC Psychology, 14(1), Article 1490. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-026-05550-x

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s40359-026-05550-x

Keywords: amateur marathoners, participation motivation, health motives, achievement motives, psychological well-being, habit formation, social connection, systematic review, running research, runner engagement, Beyond, finish