The transformative experience of marathon running for adult women

Most runners regard the Marathon, a 26.2-mile endurance running event, as the ultimate accomplishment within the sport, and often report being fundamentally changed by the experience. The inner dimensions of sport as well as the transformational capacity of distance running and the marathon have been documented in the popular literature for decades, but neglected within scholarly inquiry. The purpose of this study was to arrive at an in-depth description and understanding of the little known phenomena of transformation through marathon running and bring the phenomena of transformation into scholarly consideration. A purposive sample of six recreational female marathon runners was gathered for this multiple case study, in order to explore their experiences of transformation through the sport. Multiple sources of data were utilized, including interviews, narratives, and existing documents. Through a process of thematic analysis, the following five primary themes were explicated from women's experiences of transformation: New Realm of Possibilities, Sense of Empowerment, Sense of Self, Power of Perseverance and Healthy Body Concept. Forty-four primary effects of marathoning were also explicated, affecting several life areas. The study may serve as an opening for further scholarly inquiry in the context of human potential and women's transformation through sports. It may contribute to the fields of sport psychology, women's studies, psychotherapy, and social transformation and may have implications for psychological growth and development.