Comparing Trail Runners and Mountain Bikers: Motivation, Involvement, Portfolios, and Event-Tourist Careers

Abstract

Amateur trail runners and endurance mountain bikers are compared with regard to motivation, involvement in their sport, competitive-event portfolios, and event-travel careers. Participants in two destination events produced by a for-profit company constitute the sample frame, with the respondents having answered a sub-set of identical questions on an online, post-event evaluation survey. The two “destination events” differ considerably in terms of the gender of participants, with a much higher proportion of females in the running event. Both samples were revealed to have a fairly high level of involvement in their sport, but a large proportion of participants in both events also participated in a wider portfolio of challenging sports. Because the dominant motivation for both samples, and for both men and women, was personal challenge, it is concluded that for many respondents involvement is directed more toward physically demanding sport than toward a particular kind of sport or event. This involvement has led a majority to develop an event-travel career. Implications are drawn for sport-event management and event-tourism marketing. Recommendations are made for further research to explore the relevance of brand communities and consumption constellations in event tourism.

KEYWORDS:

• trail running
• mountain biking
• destination event
• involvement
• event portfolio
• event-travel career
• constellation theory

Acknowledgments

Author Aaron McConnell is a co-owner of TransRockies, Inc.