First Time Marathon Runners - Study Compares Dropouts And Race Finishers - Motivation Factors Predicted Completion Of Race

Main Category: Sports Medicine / Fitness
Also Included In: Psychology / Psychiatry
Article Date: 07 Jan 2007 - 4:00 PDT

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First-time marathon runners who drop out of training are motivated by different factors than race finishers, according to a study presented at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) in Denver. Dropouts were more motivated by a desire to lose weight and gain recognition than those who successfully completed their first marathon.

Specifically, first-time marathon finishers were less concerned with their weight and recognition than those who eventually dropped out of training. The motivations of dropouts were compared to those of race finishers to see which group's motivation factors were linked with exercise adherence.

Prior research on marathon runners has revealed participation motivations vary among individuals. The research team used the Motivations of Marathoners Scales (MOMS), an instrument designed to measure the motives of these endurance athletes. Its categories include health orientation; weight concern; personal goal achievement; competition; recognition; affiliation; psychological coping; life meaning, and self-esteem. Their results suggest weight concern and recognition are predictors of attrition within six months of beginning an exercise program.

The study focused solely on first-time marathon runners and is the first to analyze the motivations of dropouts. Other studies have compared the motives of groups with varying levels of marathon experience, noting experienced marathon runners are more likely to have undergone motivational changes since their initial race.

One-hundred six first-time runners completed the MOMS assessment prior to the first training session. The group was tracked over the 20-week training program, and results from the race Web site were used to determine the number of race finishers and the number of dropouts. Of the original group, 31 participants completed training and finished the race. Seventy-five of the original group dropped out before the 10th week of training. With these results, researchers compared dropouts to race finishers on each of the nine categories of the MOMS.

The dropout rates among first-time marathoners appear to mimic exercise attrition rates among the general public. The dropout rate among marathoners was at the high end (70 percent) of the average dropout rate of exercisers in the general population. The average attrition rate (50-70 percent) includes all exercise programs lasting for at least six months. Researchers suspect the intensity of a marathon training program is the cause for high dropout rates in runners.

Results of marathon dropouts and their associated motives, namely weight concern and recognition, suggest that a customized exercise regimen to correspond with an individual's unique set of motivations is most effective to promote exercise and training compliance.

"Training for and running a marathon is a huge commitment," said Jacob M. Havenar, ACSM-certified Health/Fitness Instructor and the study's lead author. "People are more likely to drop out of a program that does not match their motivations. The outcomes of this study suggest those motivated by a desire to lose weight or gain recognition may be more prone to drop out of an exercise program, particularly if it requires a frequency and intensity similar to that of marathon training."

The conclusions outlined in this news release are those of the researchers only, and should not be construed as an official statement of the American College of Sports Medicine.

ACSM: Advancing health through science, education and medicine.

The American College of Sports Medicine is the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world. More than 20,000 international, national, and regional members are dedicated to promoting and integrating scientific research, education, and practical applications of sports medicine and exercise science to maintain and enhance physical performance, fitness, health, and quality of life.