04/03/07: Why Would Someone Ever Want to Run a Marathon?

BU expert explains psychological factors behind those driven to run the Boston Marathon

(Boston) – As the Boston Marathon draws near once again, many are left wondering what inspires runners to enter the race and what keeps them going during those grueling 26.2 miles. Why do runners subject their bodies to such a strenuous physical challenge? How do they motivate themselves during that seemingly never-ending span of time? One way to answer these perennial questions regarding the marathoners is to look at the psychological factors behind why these people are so determined to run the Boston Marathon.

Adam Naylor, Ed.D, director and sport psychology coach for Boston University’s Athletic Enhancement Center, works with athletes on developing the mental, emotional and psychological aspects of their training. He believes that the reasons individual runners participate in the marathon are as varied as the runners themselves.

“The motive behind why people run the marathon is really based more on their individual passions and skill level,” Naylor explains. “More experienced runners run to compete either with their own best time or, at the highest levels with the field. Recreational runners may be running for something bigger than themselves, such as to support medical research, or to add a new adventure to their recreational portfolio. Ultimately, the greatest motivator for all runners in a marathon is the unique sense of accomplishment from persisting with a training regime to completing the 26.2 mile physical and mental challenge.”

Many may still be asking why any recreational runner would decide the Boston Marathon is the place to try something new, but Naylor explains that as big of a challenge as it seems, athletes who love to run simply see a marathon as the next level they must accomplish in their sport.

After the starting gun goes off and the runners begin their race, the biggest question on the minds of the people watching is what keeps them going during those 26.2 miles? Naylor again explains that it has a lot to do with the skill level of the runner.

“The experienced runners will think about their body and how it is feeling as they run, trying to gauge their progress as they go,” Naylor describes. “The recreational runners can’t do that however, because if they focus on the pain they’re feeling, they’ll never finish. Instead, those runners are really focusing on the social factor of the race to keep them going, like the cheering crowds and the other runners around them.”

So while it may seem hard to understand exactly what inspires the marathoners to compete, onlookers can at least appreciate the fact that every runner is participating for reasons as individual as the runners themselves. And that they too play a small role in the motivation of the runners they love to watch.

“You can’t stress enough the importance of that social factor,” Naylor explains. “A lot of runners count on that cheering and support to keep them going.”

The Boston University Athletic Enhancement Center (BUAEC) is a strength and conditioning facility open to youth, high school, collegiate, adult and professional athletes.  Its mission is to help all athletes improve their overall sport performance and reduce the potential for athletic-related injury. Boston University experts are also available to discuss a variety of other marathon related topics including training, physical therapy and nutrition. For more information on the Athletic Enhancement Center and the services they offer, visit their website at www.bu.edu/aec.

Boston University (BU) Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences is an institution of higher education, research and clinical centers whose premier academic programs prepare dynamic health professionals and whose research and leadership in the health and rehabilitation sciences is actively shaping health care.  BU Sargent College is the only private institution in the country offering five nationally ranked graduate programs in health and rehabilitation sciences.  For more information and to learn about degree programs in physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech, language and hearing sciences, health sciences, athletic training, nutrition, and rehabilitation counseling, visit https://www.bu.edu/sargent.