Sofia Gkatzaveli1, Ana Orlić1, Miloš Drljan1, Milos Markovic1,2, Goran Prebeg1, Ivan Ćuk1,2
1University of Belgrade, Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, Belgrade, Serbia
2InterSynergy Research Center, Belgrade, Serbia
Sex Differences in University Students’ Motivation for Running
Sport Mont 2026, 24(2), Ahead of Print | DOI: 10.26773/smj.260602
Abstract
With a sedentary lifestyle often manifesting among students, motivation for participation in sports activities, such as running, is a concern of particular interest. Studies so far have not assessed students’ running motivation using a standardized questionnaire. Therefore, this paper aimed to evaluate sex differences in students’ motivation for running. A total of 321 students from Serbian universities (162 males and 159 females) completed the standardized Motivations for Marathon 56-item questionnaire, consisting of 9 subscales. T-test for independent samples showed significant sex differences in General health (p<0.001), Affiliation (p=0.004), and all psychological scales (Coping, Self-esteem, and Life meaning; p<0.001), indicating higher scores in females than male students. In contrast, male students had significantly higher scores on the Competition scale (p<0.001) than females. The Weight Concerns, Recognition, and Personal Goal scales showed no significant sex differences. In line with our hypothesis, we can conclude that female students’ motivation for running mostly relies on psychological and health motives. In contrast, male students only differentiate themselves from their female colleagues in competition motives. Running coaches in collegiate teams or student organizations interested in engaging students in running could benefit from these results by profoundly understanding sex differences in students’ motivation. For example, they can organize running activities for female students focused on stress relief or health improvement while providing their male colleagues with more 19 race-related running activities.
Keywords
marathon, psychology, health, fitness, competition
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