OriginalScientificArticle
Sport-TourismRunningEventsinthePost-COVID-19
World:AnySignofChange?
AnaChersulichTomino
University of Rijeka, Croatia
kersulica@gmail.com
MarkoPerić
University of Rijeka, Croatia
markop@fthm.hr
The covid-19pandemichasledtosignificantrestrictionsonsportsandthesport-
tourism event industry. Consequently, event organisers must consider and imple-
mentnewsafetystrategiestoprotecteventattendees.Thisempiricalstudyfocuses
onactiverunnersandtheirintentiontoattendfuturerunningeventsfollowingthe
covid-19 crisis,and theperceptionofhow importanttheyfindsome of thenon-
pharmaceuticalsafety-relatedprotectivemeasureswhenattendingsportingevents
(e.g.limitednumberofpeople,prescribedminimumdistance,no-contactpayment
etc.).Tocollectdata,asurveyquestionnairewasconductedinFebruary2021among
therunningcommunityinCroatia.Besidesdescriptivestatistics, anova and t-test
wereemployedtotestwhetherstatisticallysignificantdifferencesexistinthepercep-
tionofsafetyprotectivemeasuresamongparticipantsdependingontheirmotivation
andthetypeofrunningevent.Respondentsareveryimpatientregardingeventsand
itseemstheydonotperceivethesafetyprotectivemeasuresasveryimportant.The
majorityofrespondentsplantoattendone-dayracesintheirhomecountrywithin
afewweeksandtheyaremostlymotivatedbycompetitionandimprovementofrac-
ingskills,socializingandfun.Thetypeofmotivationandthetypeofrunningevent
arenotfoundtohaveamajorinfluenceontheperceptionofsafetyprotectivemea-
sures.Even though runningis an outdoor sport, safetyprotectivemeasuresmight
beachallengeforeventorganizersinthefuture.Revealingtherunners’intentions
tovisitrunningeventsandtheirattitudestowardssafetyprotectivemeasures,this
studycouldshapeeventorganizers’futuremanagerialandsecuritystrategies.
Keywords:sport-tourismevents,running, covid-19,safety-relatedprotective
measures
https://doi.org/10.26493/2335-4194.15.135-147
Introduction
Eventtourism(culture,sportingandbusiness-related
events) has become a rapidly expanding segment of
theleisuretravelmarketinthelastdecades(Alexan-
dris & Kaplanidou, 2014; Getz & Page, 2016; Maditi-
nosetal.,2021;Shifflet&Bhatia,1999).Theconnec-
tionbetweensportandtourismisnotnew,andschol-
arshaveconsideredtheriseofsportingeventsasone
of the most significant components of event tourism
and one of the most extensive elements of sporting
AcademicaTuristica,Year15,No.1,April2022 |135

AnaChersulichTominoandMarkoPeri Sport-TourismRunningEvents
tourism(Getz,1998;Gibson,1998).Thegrowinguseof
sportingeventsisanattempttoexpandeconomicde-
velopmentopportunitiesandachievetourismgrowth
(Zhang&Park,2015).
Giventhecontemporarycircumstances,oneofthe
earliest signals of the severity of the spread of the
covid-19 virus in countries was the swift cancella-
tion or postponement of many highly prominent lo-
cal,nationalorinternationalamateurandprofessional
sportingevents(Borovcaninetal.,2020;Cooper&Al-
derman, 2020; Perić et al., 2021). The cancellation of
such events due to the covid-19 pandemic was to
protectthehealthandsafetyofindividualsandcom-
munities; but it resultedin economic loss in tourism
revenue for local economies and deprived traveller-
fans(Cooper&Alderman,2020).Travelandtourism
is among the most affected sectors with airplanes on
the ground, hotels closed and travel restrictions put
in place in virtually all countries around the world
(Lapointe, 2020; Turnšek et al., 2020; unwto, n.d.).
Sportparticipation,businessactivityandrelatedtravel
have thus been significantly affected (Gössling et al.,
2020).
Still, the sport events industry is a big business
(atmT eam,2017;unwto,n.d.;W eed,2020)and
in order to minimize the listed losses, organizers at-
tempted to re-arrange the events while waiting for
thepopulationtobefullyvaccinated.Manysporting
eventsandprofessionalleaguesmadeplanstoresume
competition and bring attendees back to events, and
some of them have already resumed (with or with-
out a limited number of spectators inside the venue)
with significant changes in the experience (DiFiori
et al., 2020). Certain safety aspects such as techni-
calfeatures,securitychecksatentryandthepresence
of medical staff are common practice in the case of
sportingevents(Kaplanidou& Vogt,2010; Pickering
etal.,2010;Perićetal.,2019).However,inthelightof
covid-19 anduncertaintyabout vaccinationsuccess
andvalidity, some additionalsafetymeasuresshould
beconsidered.Forinstance,non-pharmaceuticalpro-
tectivemeasuressuchastemperaturechecksforcom-
petitors,staffandspectators,no-contactpaymentfor
all services, prescribed minimum distance between
spectators,limitedfoodandbeverageofferandlimited
numberofvisitorsincommonplaceswereconsidered
(Perićetal.,2021).
When it comestopredictingfuture participation,
somerecentstudiesshowthatpeopleareeagertopar-
ticipatein sport(and)tourismactivities (Hemmons-
beyetal.,2021),butnotallparticipantssharethesame
motivationstoattendandattitudestowardssafetypro-
tectivemeasuresmightdiffer(Perićetal.,2019;2021).
It is assumed that outdoor competitions will resume
fasterthanindoor,andthisisespeciallytrueforcom-
petitionsheldinnature,thatis,outsidethestadiums.
Giventhis,runningevents,whichareverypopularall
overtheworld(Leeetal.,2017;Nowak,2015;Zachet
al.,2017;Scheeretal.,2020),mightbeareasonableop-
tiontostartwith.Still,theattitudesofpeoplebelong-
ing to the runningcommunity towardstheir partici-
pationinpost covid-19runningeventsandtowards
theirperceptionofsafetyprotectivemeasureshavenot
beenanalysedtodate.
This empirical study therefore focuses on the in-
tentionofrunnerstoattendfuturerunningracesand
the perception of how important they find some of
the safety-related protective measures when attend-
ingrunningracesinpost covid-19times.Itwillalso
testwhetherperceptionofsafetyprotectivemeasures
among participants depends on the type of running
eventtheyparticipateinandtheirmotivationtopar-
ticipate. The results should be a guideline for event
plannersandorganizers,practitionersandgoverning
bodies, who should adopt safety measureswhich the
attendeeswouldliketoseeputinplacebeforeevents
resume.
Thispapernowturnstopresentareviewofsport
tourismduringthepandemicaswellasmotivationto
participateinsportandrunningasapopulartypeof
sportactivity.Thenextsectionswillthenpresentthe
researchmethodology and main findings. The paper
concludeswithadiscussionandsomeconcludingre-
markshighlightingthetheoreticalandpracticalimpli-
cationsandfutureresearchpaths.
LiteratureReview
SportTourismDuringthePandemic
Sport tourism is a symbiosis between people, places
andactivities(Turcoetal.,2002;Weed&Bull,2009;
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AnaChersulichTominoandMarkoPeri Sport-TourismRunningEvents
Perićetal.,2019).Duringthepandemic,socialgather-
ingswerestrictlylimitedorforbidden,thuschalleng-
ingtheessenceofsporttourism.Thedevastatingim-
pactof covid-19foreachoftheintersectingareasof
professional sports events (Swart & Maralack, 2020)
and global tourism became clearer during February
and March 2020, when sports event hosts and ad-
ministrators began to consider whether their events
shouldbepostponedorcancelled(Weed,2020).The
pandemichasclearlydealtaneconomicblowtomany
nationsthroughthepostponement orcancellationof
sport tourism activities, especially in emerging na-
tion contexts. The scale of the global disruption to
the sector is highlighted by the postponement and
potential cancellation or curtailment of sport mega-
events (Hemmonsbey et al., 2021). For instance, the
uefa Euro2020,theTokyo2020OlympicGames,and
the2021 iaaf WorldChampionshipswerepostponed
andrescheduledwhilethe2020WimbledonChampi-
onshipswascancelled.Ontheotherhand,thelistof
cancelledsmall-scalesporteventsisendless.
The various levels of lockdown experienced by
countriesaround the globe meant that domestic lea-
gues and international sporting fixtures that would
usuallyattractbothatravellingliveaudienceandlarge
mediatedtelevisionaudiencesstoppedabruptly.This
lefttelevisionnetworkswithgapstofillintheirsched-
ules,andsportsfanaticswithgapstofillintheirlives
(Hemmonsbeyetal.,2021).Tosatisfytheneedofspec-
tators and media houses, professional leagues (like
theNBAand mlb leaguesinthe us,footballleagues
across the world, etc.) resumed competitions but in
most cases without spectators inside the venue, and
withadditionalnon-pharmaceuticalprotectiveproto-
cols implemented (Ludvigsen & Hayton, 2020; Perić
etal.,2021).
Additionally, as more and more people are vacci-
nated,spectatorsaregettingpermissiontoparticipate
atevents,althoughinalimitednumber.However,the
entire population cannot be vaccinated in this short
time(andsomepeopledonotwanttobevaccinated)
andwhatthefutureofthesporttourismindustrywill
look like and how it will changein order to adapt to
changingglobalconditionsremainstobeseen(Hem-
monsbeyetal.,2021).
RunningasaPopularTypeofSportActivity
AccordingtoNowak(2015),runningisoneofthesim-
plestformsofhumanmovementandthemostnatural
way of experiencing psycho-physical fatigue. During
thelastfewdecades,runninghasbeencommonlyrec-
ognizedasaneffectivepreventivemeasureagainstdis-
eases of civilization. For many, runningconstitutes a
permanentcomponentof a healthylifestyle;foroth-
ers, it is a way of life and satisfactory leisure activ-
ity(Nowak,2015).AccordingtoLeeetal.(2017),run-
ningisapopularandconvenientleisure-timephysical
activitywithasignificantimpactonlongevityandin
general, runners have a 25–40 reduced risk of pre-
maturemortalityandliveapproximately3yearslonger
thannon-runners.
Besides being a leisure activity, running is also a
competitivesport.Forinstance,inathletics,thereare
manyshort,middleandlongcoursesdisciplines.The
marathon, a running race of 42.2 km, is an example
of a long-distance race held as a rule in urban ar-
eas. Marathon races have become popular all over
the world and they have been undergoing a unique
revival (Borovcanin et al., 2020; Nowak, 2015), while
the number of attendees determines the prestige of
eachrace.Marathonparticipantsincludeprofessional
athletesandamateurjoggers,theable-bodiedandthe
disabled,andtheoldandtheyoung,togetherforming
a diverseand colourfulcrowd(Nowak, 2013). Global
participationinrunningraces,accordingtoAndersen
(2021),peakedin2016withatotalof9.1millionpar-
ticipantsandthenitdeclinedto7.9million(adecline
of13)in2018;thechangeinparticipationinthelast
10yearsresultsasanincreaseinparticipationof57.8
(from5to7.9millionparticipants).
Additionally,thereis a growing trend in the pop-
ularityofoff-roadraces.Althoughthecategoriesand
terminologiesareoftenusedinterchangeablyandwith-
out precision, trail running, mountain running, sky
running, fell running, orienteering, obstacle course
racing and cross-country running all take place pre-
dominantlyin natureand off-road terrain(Scheer et
al.,2020).Despitethefactthatthereisnocleardefi-
nition of nature sports in the academy (Krein,2014),
these sports could be included in this group because
theyaremostlypracticedonoff-roadpathslocatedin
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AnaChersulichTominoandMarkoPeri Sport-TourismRunningEvents
naturalspacesand,inmanycases,inprotectedareas
ofhighnaturalandecologicalvalue.
The context and overall atmosphere of road and
countryracesdifferalot,andrunnersarefullyaware
oftraitsaswellasrisks,includingthesafetyissues,as-
sociated with the venues (Perić & Slavić, 2019; Perić
etal.,2019). Hence,therunners’perceptionofsafety
protectivemeasuresmightdependonthetypeofthe
event,thatis,whetheritisroad(mostlyinurbanar-
eas) or off-road (mostly in country) races. Still, re-
gardlessofthetypeofevent,thecommondenomina-
torforalllong-distancerunningactivitiesisthattheir
effectiveness depends on the durability of one’s psy-
chical,physicalandmotordispositions(Maditinoset
al.,2021;Nowak,2015;Scheeretal.,2020).Inthecase
ofultra-marathons(anyrunningeventovermarathon
distance conducted in any terrain and surface), it is
notclearwhethertheycanbeexplicitlyclassifiedasa
competitivesporteventorextremerecreationbecause
the overall classification relies more on its psychoso-
cialcontextratherthanonthetypeofactivity(assport
orrecreation).
MotivationtoParticipateinSportandRunningEvents
Different theories like the needs theory of personal-
ity(Murray,1938),hierarchyofneedstheory(Maslow,
1943)orconceptofoptimallevelofstimulation(Ber-
lyne, 1960) might explain why people participate in
various sport, leisure and tourism activities. Regard-
ing spectators, that is, passive participants, the quest
forfunandexcitement,socialinteraction(withfam-
ily members, friends, and business associates), self-
actualization generated by team identification, and
nostalgic association are the main motives to visit
sportevents(Cassidy,2005;Duanetal.,2020).When
itcomestoactiveparticipants,themotivesforpartic-
ipatinginsportaremanifoldandcanbedividedinto
physical (e.g. refreshment of body and mind, health
andweightcontrol,andpleasure),interpersonalmo-
tivators(socialinteraction,senseofaffiliation,tohave
fun,toseeknewanddifferentexperiences),andpsy-
chological, status and prestige motivators (personal
development,goalachievementandwinning,andego
enhancement) (McIntosh & Goeldner, 1986; Hodeck
&Hovemann,2016;Xieetal.,2020).Fornaturesports,
enjoying nature is a strong motive, too (Hodeck &
Hovemann,2016;Perićetal.,2019).
Race runners share similar motives for participa-
tion. The motives of marathon runners have been
widelyexploredandmotivesaremainlycategorizedas
psychological(maintainingorenhancingself-esteem,
coping with negative emotions), social (sense of af-
filiation and receiving recognition or approval from
others), physical (general health, weight concern),
and achievement (competition with other runners
andpersonalgoalachievement)(Mastersetal.,1993;
Deaneretal.,2011;Zachetal.,2017).Themotivations
of runners have been further analysed in different
sporteventcontexts(i.e. differentvenuesandcourse
lengths),buttheconclusionswereverysimilar(Yates,
1991;Oglesetal.,2000;Shipway&Jones,2007;Poczta
etal.,2018;Malchrowicz-Mośkoetal.,2020).
Finally, previous studies confirmed that people
drivenbydifferentmotivesusuallyhavedifferentex-
pectationsabouteventanddestinationattributes(Ka-
planidouetal.,2012;Buning&Gibson,2016;Perićet
al.,2019),andthereforeitmightbeexpectedthatthe
typeofmotivationisthefactorthatinfluencespartici-
pants’perceptionofsafetyprotectivemeasures.Hence,
thedifferentmotivationsdisplayedbyrunnersmight
affecttheirattitudestowardscompetitioningeneralas
wellasattitudestowardssomeeventattributesinclud-
ingsafetyprotectivemeasures.
Methods
Inordertofulfiltheresearchgoals,asurveyquestion-
nairewasconductedinFebruary2021inCroatia.
QuestionnaireDevelopment
Thefirstpartofthequestionnaireencompassedpar-
ticipants’intentionstoattendrunningraces,running
race preference (cross country, mountain running,
trail,ultra-trail,roadandtrackrunning;accordingto
World Athletics, n.d.), type and motives of partici-
pation, duration and the destination of the running
race. Five different motives for participation at run-
ning races have been used, namely fun (Hodeck &
Hovemann,2016;Perićetal.,2019),socializing(Mas-
tersetal.1993;Perićetal.,2019),competitionandskills
(Mastersetal.,1993;Perićetal.,2019),toenjoynature
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AnaChersulichTominoandMarkoPeri Sport-TourismRunningEvents
Table 1 Non-PharmaceuticalSafetyProtectiveMeasures
Safetyprotectivemeasures Source
Availabilityofhandsanitizers/cleaners Leeetal.(),Perićetal.(),Xiaoetal.()
Officialpersonnelwearingpersonalprot.equipment(masks...) Leeetal.(),Perićetal.(),Xiaoetal.()
Thespectatorswearingpersonalprotectiveequipment(masks...) Leeetal.(),Perićetal.(),Xiaoetal.()
Temperaturecheckingforthecompetitorsbeforethecompetition authors
Temp.checkingforthestaff/employeesbeforethecompetition Perićetal.()
Temperaturecheckingforthespectatorsuponarrival Perićetal.()
Exclusiveonlineregistration Perićetal.()
Limitednumberofcompetitors authors
Limitednumberofspectators Gösslingetal.(),Perićetal.()
Thestartoftheraceatintervalsinsmallgroups authors
Theminimumdistancebetweenspectatorsisprescribed Leeetal.(),Perićetal.()
Limitedfoodandbeverageoffer Perićetal.()
Limitednumberofvisitorsincommonplaces(rest.,toilets...) Perićetal.()
Nocontactpaymentforallservices Perićetal.()
(Hodeck&Hovemann,2016;Perićetal.,2019),andto
enhancehealthandtolookbetter(Mastersetal.,1993;
Perićetal.,2019).Thesecondpartfocusedonrespon-
dents’perceptionoftheimportanceofthe covid-19-
relatedprotectivenon-pharmaceuticalmeasureswhen
attending running races. Most items have been de-
signed according to Gössling et al. (2020), Lee et al.
(2012), Xiao et al. (2020), and Perić et al. (2021) (e.g.
availability of hand sanitizers/cleaners), while a few
itemsthatreflectthecontextofrunningwereamended
by authors (e.g. the start of the race at intervals in
small groups). The final version which included 14
items related to personal safety protective measures
isgivenin Table1, butrespondentswereleftwithan
optiontoaddanyothersafetymeasuretheywishedto
identify.
Among safety protective measures, there was no
itemreferringtorespondents’opinionabouthowim-
portanttheyperceivevaccinationbeforeattendingthe
running race, because the questionnaire was about
non-pharmaceutical safety protective measures and,
in theperiodoftheempiricalresearch,therewasno
possibility for people who were not part of vulnera-
ble groupsin Croatiato receivethe vaccine.Respon-
dents’ perception was measured on a 5-point Likert-
typescale,meaning:1=notimportantatall,2=oflit-
tleimportance,3=ofaverageimportance,4=impor-
tant,and5=veryimportant/essential.Thefinalpartof
thequestionnairecomprisedsocio-demographicdata.
Thequestionnairewaspreparedandconductedinthe
Croatianlanguage.Anindependentcertifiedtransla-
tor carried out forward and backward translation to
ensurethecontentvalidityofthequestionnaire.
DataCollection
Data for this preliminary analysis were collected in
February 2021 by an online questionnaire due to the
limited mobility and recommended social distanc-
ing. The link leading to the electronic version of the
questionnairewasactivefromFebruary4th2021un-
til February 22nd 2021. The questionnaire was dis-
tributed within the social networks of five running
clubs/groups thanks to the groups’ leaders who al-
lowedusaccesstosharethelinkamongmembersand
followers.
Participation in thesurvey wasvoluntaryand the
answersremainanonymous.Intotal,248surveyques-
tionnaires were collected, but after additional check,
183validresponseswereacceptableandproceededto
furtheranalysis.
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AnaChersulichTominoandMarkoPeri Sport-TourismRunningEvents
DataAnalysis
Descriptive statistics present respondents’ character-
isticsandtheirpreferencesaswellastheirassessment
oftheimportanceofthesafety-relatedprotectivemea-
sureswhenattendingrunningraces.Besidesdescrip-
tive statistics, anova and t-test were employed to
testwhetherstatisticallysignificantdifferencesexistin
perception of safety protective measures among par-
ticipants depending on their motivation and type of
running event. Due to the similar contexts regard-
ing types of running races or running styles, the re-
spondentshavebeenmergedfromsixtotwogroups.
Respondentsthatexpressedtheirintentiontopartici-
pateatcrosscountryrunning,mountainrunning,trail
running and ultra-running events were classified as
off-road running groups, while those who intend to
participateatroadrunningandtrackrunningevents
were classified as the road running group. To exam-
ine andanalysethe researchdata, spss softwarewas
used.
Results
SampleProfile
The respondents’ socio-demographic data show that
63(115)oftherespondentsarewomenand37men
(Table 2). Most of the respondents are middle aged
35–44years(39),livingonthenorthcoastofCroa-
tia (57) and central Croatia (36). In general, re-
spondents are highly educated, with around 70 of
them having a university diploma. They are mostly
employed,ineithertheprivatesector(55)orpublic
sector(38).
Respondents’Intentions
By concluding the empirical part of the study and
analysingtheansweredquestions,itwaseasytocon-
cludethatalltherespondentsareveryeagertoattend
runningraces.Thevastmajorityofrespondents(140
or 77) are ready to attend an event within 7 days
while 13 (23) would like to attend a running race
in 2 or 4 weeks. Only 11 (20) of the respondents
would like to wait a couple of months (1–2, 3–4 or
more than 6 months). For their next running race,
mostoftherespondentsprefereventsinCroatia(171
or93).Further,amajoritychoosetrailrunning(98
Table 2 Respondents’Socio-DemographicData
Gender Female 
Male 
Age – 
– 
– 
– 
– 
Place EastCroatia 
CentralCroatia 
Mount.Croatia 
NorthCoast 
SouthCoast 
Education Withouteducation 
Elementaryschool 
Highschool 
College 
Postgraduatestudy(Special.,PhD) 
Withouteducation 
Employment Publicsector 
Privatesector 
Unemployed 
Retired 
Student 
Other 
or54)androadrunningevents(65or36).Actually,
110respondents(60)belongtothegroupofoff-road
runners and 73 (40) to the group of road runners
(Table3).
Regarding respondents’motivation for event par-
ticipation,theyaremostlymotivatedby competition
and to improve racing skills (47 or 26), socializ-
ing(45or25)andfun(42or23).Enjoyingnature
(27 or 15) and health reasons(22 or 12) were less-
mentionedmotives(Table4).
Additionally,inmostcasesrespondentswillrevisit
theevent(157or86),meaningthattheyhavealready
participated in the event in previous years, while for
26respondents(14)thiswouldbetheirfirstvisittoa
chosenevent.Respondentswouldusuallytravelwith
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AnaChersulichTominoandMarkoPeri Sport-TourismRunningEvents
Table 3 TypeofRunningRaceRespondentsWanttoVisit
First
Typeofrunningrace () ()
Crosscountryrunning  
Mountainrunning  
Trailrunning  
Ultra-running  
Roadrunning  
Trackrunning  
Total  
Notes Column headings are as follows: (1) frequency, (2)
percent.
Table 4 Respondents’MainMotivesforAttendingthe
RunningRaces
Motives () ()
Fun  
Socializing  
Competitionandimprov.ofracingskills  
Enjoynature  
Healthandgoodlooks  
Total  
Notes Column headings are as follows: (1) frequency, (2)
percent.
friends (89 or 48) or with a partner (36 or 20).
Around17(31)wouldtravelaloneand15(27)with
theirfamily.Sincemostoftheeventsareone-day(140
or77)ortwo-day(34or19)competitions,respon-
dents will in most cases stay only for a day (52) or
two(25)inthedestinationwherethecompetitionis
held.Only24ofrespondentswillstaythreeormore
daysinthedestinationoftheeventvenue.
Respondents’AttitudestoSafetyProtectiveMeasures
The respondents do not find safety protective mea-
suresparticularlyimportantwhenattendingrunning
races.Table5showsthatrespondentsdonotfindany
of the proposedmeasures as (very) important.How-
ever,justfivemeasures,thatis,Officialpersonnelwear-
ing personal protective equipment (masks ...) (mean
3.2), Registrationofcompetitorsexclusivelyonline(3.1.),
Table 5 Respondents’PerceptionoftheImportanceof
SafetyProtectiveMeasureswhileAttendingthe
RunningRaces
Safetyprotectivemeasures () ()
Availabilityofhandsanitizers/cleaners . .
Officialpersonnelwearingpersonalprotec-
tiveequipment(masks...)
. .
Thespectatorswearingpersonalprotective
equipment(masks...)
. .
Temperaturecheckingforthecompetitors
beforethecompetition
. .
Temperature checking for the
staff/employeesbeforethecompetition
. .
Temperaturecheckingforthespectators
uponarrival
. .
Exclusiveonlineregistration . .
Limitednumberofcompetitors . .
Limitednumberofspectators . .
Thestartoftheraceatintervalsinsmall
groups
. .
Theminimumdistancebetweenspectators
isprescribed
. .
Limitedfoodandbeverageoffer . .
Limitednumberofvisitorsincommon
places(restaurants,toilets...)
. .
Nocontactpaymentforallservices . .
Notes Column headings are as follows: (1) average, (2)
standarddeviation.
Limited number of visitors in common spaces (restau-
rants, bars, toilets ...) (3.1), Temperature checking for
thestaff/employeesbeforethecompetition(3.0),and No
contact payment for all services (3.0) are recognized
as moderately important. All the other measures re-
spondentsevaluateaslessimportant,withaverages
below3.
Theresultsofthet-testimplythatstatisticallysig-
nificantdifferencebetweengroupsexistsin onlyone
item(Table6).Off-roadrunnersfind Limitedfoodand
beverageofferasasignificantlymoreimportantsafety
protectivemeasurethanroadrunners(p=0.009),but
meanvaluesofbothgroupsarequitelowimplyingthis
measureisoflittleimportance.
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AnaChersulichTominoandMarkoPeri Sport-TourismRunningEvents
Table 6 RoadandOff-RoadRunners’PerceptionofImportanceofSafetyProtectiveMeasures
Safetyprotectivemeasures Groupstatistics t-testforequalmeans
() () () () () () () ()
Availabilityofhandsanitizers/cleaners Road  . . . .  .
Off-road  . . .
Officialpersonnelwearingpersonal
protectiveequipment
Road  . . . .  .
Off-road  . . .
Thespectatorswearingpersonalprotective
equipment
Road  . . . –.  .
Off-road  . . .
Temperaturecheckingforthecompetitors
beforethecompetition
Road  . . . –.  .
Off-road  . . .
Temperature checking for the
staff/employeesbeforethecompetition
Road  . . . –.  .
Off-road  . . .
Temperaturecheckingforthespectators
uponarrival
Road  . . . –.  .
Off-road  . . .
Exclusiveonlineregistration Road  . . . –.  .
Off-road  . . .
Limitednumberofcompetitors Road  . . . .  .
Off-road  . . .
Limitednumberofspectators Road  . . . –.  .
Off-road  . . .
Thestartoftheraceatintervalsinsmall
groups
Road  . . . .  .
Off-road  . . .
Theminimumdistancebetweenspectators
isprescribed
Road  . . . –.  .
Off-road  . . .
Limitedfoodandbeverageoffer Road  . . . –. . .
Off-road  . . .
Limitednumberofvisitorsincommon
places(restaurants,toilets ...)
Road  . . . –.  .
Off-road  . . .
Nocontactpaymentforallservices Road  . . . –.  .
Off-road  . . .
Notes Columnheadingsareasfollows:(1)runningrace,(2) N,(3)mean,(4)standarddeviation,(5)standarderrorofthe
mean,(6) t,(7) df,(8)significance(2-tailed).
Finally,theresultsoftheOne-way anova implied
that statistically significant difference in perception
of safety protectivemeasuresamong participantsde-
pendingontheirmotivationexistsonlyinoneofthe
safetyprotectivemeasures(Temperaturecheckingfor
the spectators, p=0.039).However,theHochberg
gt2 posthoctestindicatedthattherearenostatisti-
callysignificantdifferenceswithingroups.Therefore,
it could be concluded that no statistically significant
difference among the respondents in regard to dif-
ferentmotivesexistsandthattherecordeddifference
occurredbychance.
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AnaChersulichTominoandMarkoPeri Sport-TourismRunningEvents
Discussion
This study’s results showed that most respondents
will attend sporting events in their home countries
withinafewweeksafterallrestrictionsonmovement
and sporting event attendance have been lifted. This
canbe comparedandis inline with previousstudies
(Perić et al., 2021; Reade et al., 2020) which together
showtheoptimismnotonlyregardingrunningevents
butsportingeventsandtourismingeneralinthepost
covid-19period.
This optimismis alsovisible throughthe respon-
dents’ perception of safety protective measures that
theywouldexpecttobeimplementedatrunningeven-
ts.Bothroadandoff-roadrunnerssharesimilaratti-
tudes and there are almost no differences regarding
the importance of proposed safety protective mea-
sures.Whatrunnersfoundmoderatelyimportantare
thesafetyprotectivemeasuresregardingthestaffthey
would be more in contact with (the wearing of per-
sonal protective equipment and temperature check-
ing). At running races, competitors and spectators
areusuallyquitedispersedalongthecourse,butpro-
tection for all attendees (staff, competitors and even
spectators)canbeassuredbyalimitednumberofvis-
itorsincommonspaces.Inaddition,thecompetitors
arerunningintheirrunningpathsandarenotindi-
rectcontactwiththespectators.Thisisespeciallytrue
fortheoff-roadrunningeventswherethenumberof
spectatorsislowerandthecoursethroughthecountry
terrainisdifficulttoaccess(Krein,2014;Scheeretal.,
2020). This might explain why respondents did not
give much importance to safety protective measures
regardingspectators(theirlimitednumber,tempera-
ture, personal protective equipment, and prescribed
minimumdistance).Ontheotherhand,euphoriabe-
forethestartoftheracecanexplainthatthestartof
theraceatintervalsinsmallgroupswasnotperceived
asimportantfortherunners.Theonlystatisticallysig-
nificantdifferencebetweenroadandoff-roadgroups
wasfoundinlimitedfoodandbeverageofferatthe
event. Off-road runners do not expect an abundant
foodandbeverageofferalongtherunningpathsdur-
ingtheracebecauseofthecountryterrain(mountains,
wood, mud, sludge) and found this safety protective
measure more important than road runners. Never-
theless,bothgroupsfoundthismeasureaslessimpor-
tant.Tosummarize,althoughrunnersperceivedthese
measuresasmoderatelyorlessimportant,socialdis-
tancingwillremainakeynon-pharmaceuticalsafety-
relatedstrategyinpreventingthepandemic(Gössling
et al., 2020; Perić et al., 2021). In addition, modern
technologies such as online registration of competi-
torsand no contact payment can help the organizers
preventthespreadof covid-19infection.Thismeans
thatorganizations’existingbusinessmodelswillhave
to adapt and innovate, focusing on new strategies
to generate revenue such as ticketing strategies, dig-
italization strategies, and media involvement (PwC,
2020).
Furthermore,althoughrunningisoftenperceived
asanindividualsport(Mastersetal.,1993;Deaneret
al., 2011; Zach et al., 2017), this study found that al-
most 83 of the respondentswill not traveland visit
theeventalone.Thisindicatesthatpeoplemissedso-
cial gatherings during the pandemic. Many respon-
dents motivated by socializing and fun also confirm
thepreviousassertion.Thisisinlinewithotherstud-
ies highlighting the social and entertainment factors
as strong motives for participation in sports activi-
ties (Buning & Gibson, 2016; Perić at al., 2019; Xie
etal.,2020).Still,anumberofrunnersremainmoti-
vatedbycompetitionandimprovementoftheirracing
skills,focusingontheirindividualgoals.However,re-
gardlessoftheirmotivation,respondents’attitudesto-
wardsafetyprotectivemeasuresdonotdiffer,suggest-
ingthattherunningcommunitymightbeaveryho-
mogenous group regarding risk aversion. Dominant
optimisticintentionsandattitudestowardssafetypro-
tectivemeasuresmightimplylowperceptionofrisks
associatedwithtravellingandattendingevents,espe-
cially when it comes to those few minutes spent all
togethersharingthesameareaduringtheracestart.
However, the fact that the vast majority of respon-
dents would prefer to attend the next event in their
homecountrymightsuggestahiddensafetyconcern.
AccordingtoMaditinosetal.(2021), destinationsfar
away from home that are not within a daily trip or
convenient distances pose the need for accommoda-
tionsfortheparticipants,andtheyhavetostayinun-
known facilities. In addition, there are countries or
AcademicaTuristica,Year15,No.1,April2022 |143

AnaChersulichTominoandMarkoPeri Sport-TourismRunningEvents
regions that are considered to be affected more than
others by the epidemic, so restrictions on travel may
beapplied,orpotentialtravellersandvisitorsareun-
willingtogothereinordertoparticipateinarunning
event. The respondents’ intentions to participate in
eventsorganizedintheirhomecountryarealsoinline
with contemporary tourism trends that suggest peo-
pleareoccupiedbytheirjobsandfamiliesandfavour
shortervisits.Tosummarize,therelationshipbetween
thehealthriskperceptionandreadinesstoimplement
non-pharmaceutical interventions was found to be
positive in previous studies (Lee et al., 2012). Also,
thelowerperceptionofrisksusuallyresultsinhigher
intentionto(re)visit a destinationorattendanevent
(Karl, 2018; Reade et al., 2020; Yang et al., 2017) but
thisstudydidnotexaminethisrelationshipdirectly.
Conclusion
In orderto bridge the researchgapofthe lack oflit-
erature and researches on the connection between
motivations, types of running races and safety pro-
tective measures in the post covid-19 period and
improve participation in running events, this empir-
ical study focused on active runners’ intentions to
attend future running events following the covid-
19 crisis, and perception of how important they find
some of the safety-related protective measures when
attendingsportingeventsdependingonrunningmo-
tives and type of running event. The analysed non-
pharmaceutical safety protective measures when at-
tending sporting events are related to competitors
(temperaturecheck,onlineregistration,limitednum-
ber, start of the race in intervals), spectators (tem-
perature check, wearing protective equipment, lim-
itednumber,prescribedminimumdistance),thestaff
(temperature check, wearing protective equipment)
andtoallofthestakeholders(availabilityofhandsan-
itizers,limitednumberincommonspaces,no-contact
payment).
Theresultssuggestthatthesafety-relatedmeasures
arenotrecognizedasdistinctlyimportantbytherun-
ningcommunityinCroatia.Itseemsthatrunnersdo
notcaremuchaboutsafetyandthattherearenomajor
differencesinattitudesbetweenthegroupsofrunners.
It is possible that runners’ attitudes regarding safety
couldbemisguidedbythefactthatrunningisanout-
doorsport,butinthisspecificperiodwheretheworld
is still fighting against the pandemic (i.e. virus mu-
tations), safety will remain the focal event attribute
for organizers and governments. As argued by Ka-
planidouetal.(2012), Mohan(2010), andChersulich
Tominoetal.(2020),itisnecessarytofocusonstrate-
gicelementsnecessaryforefficientandeffectiveevent
planning and organization in order to achieve posi-
tiveandsustainableevents.Safetyforallstakeholders,
theorganizers,competitorsandlocal population is a
strategiceventattributeofutmostimportance.Proper
and consistent implementation of safety-related pro-
tectivemeasures,especiallyiftheseareconfirmedby
therunningcommunityandimplementedatahigher
level of safety than prescribed by public authorities,
would be a value-added activity for event planners
and organizers. In this special situation, they should
pointtosome additionalmeasureswheresafetypro-
tective kits are available for all involvedin the event.
Also,theyshouldorganizeanautomatictemperature
check point to reduce the staff-spectator-competitor
contact.Thefoodandbeverageoffershouldbepacked
into portionsand servedas closed packaging in out-
doorspacestoreduceindoorgatherings.Registration
shouldbeexclusivelyonlineandthepaymentsforall
services without any contact, by credit or debit card
or mobile phone. While primarily focused on event
participants, all these activities should also consider
the benefits of host communities that have become
vulnerableduringthe covid-19context,asarguedby
Lapointe(2020).
Thereareafewlimitationsofthisempiricalstudy.
Thefirstlimitationrelatestothesamplesizeandsam-
plingmethodandtherespondents,membersofclubs
and groups related to running, originating from one
country, Croatia. Collecting data online using social
networkscanpotentiallyleadtofalsedatarepresenta-
tions(Leiner,2019),butduetocancellationsofsport-
ingevents,limitedmobility,andrecommendedsocial
distancing during the data collection period, it was
a reasonable choice. As has been argued by Alexan-
drisetal.(2017)andRisitanoetal.(2017),eachsport,
event or country is specific and it would be impor-
tantforfuturestudiestoconsidertheseparticularities
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AnaChersulichTominoandMarkoPeri Sport-TourismRunningEvents
whenproposingoranalysingsafety-relatedprotective
measures. Future research should examine the im-
portanceofsafetyprotectivemeasuresinothersports
because the characteristics of running as an outdoor
sport can impose some bias in runners’ perceptions
asmentionedabove.Also,assuggestedbyPerićetal.
(2021), studying larger samples from countries that
experienced the pandemic differently (i.e. countries
verysuccessfulandunsuccessfulinthebattleagainst
covid-19) would increase the generalizability of the
results.Finally,itcanbeimportanttoclarifytheterms
anddevelopauniversallanguagefortherunningfield
in general, while overlaps exist between these run-
ningevents(Scheeretal.,2020),mainlythroughthe
commondenominatorofoff-roadorroadterrain,and
distinctionsneedtoberecognized.
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