Community marathon event participation and quality of life

ABSTRACT

This study examined serial multiple mediation effects to explain how participating in a recurring local sport event evolves into events support, contributes to community attachment, and affects the quality of life of residents who participated in the event. Using a web-based survey, 486 responses from marathon runners living in the hosting community were used for data analysis. Results confirmed the focal relationship between event satisfaction and resident marathon runners’ perception of their quality of life. Further analysis validated the sequential effects of participant satisfaction with the marathon event on supporting the event, developing community attachment, and improving quality of life. The findings suggest that hosting a recurring sport event presents a great opportunity for event organizers to enhance residents’ quality of life. Event organizers should maintain the performance of the recurring event to satisfy event participants and may develop partnerships with various organizations to enhance event participants’ quality of life.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Event satisfaction significantly affects resident quality of life.

• Event support of residents mediates between event satisfaction and resident quality of life.

• Residents who were satisfied with the event were more likely to support the event and that, in turn, led to a higher level of quality of life.

• Resident satisfaction with the event is positively and significantly associated with quality of life through the mediation of event support followed by community attachment.

KEYWORDS:

• Bottom-up theory of life satisfaction
• marathon event satisfaction
• community attachment
• quality of life
• serial multiple mediation model

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).