What motivates individuals to practice trail running? The role of demographics and training habits in recreational runners.

Background: Despite the growing interest in trail running in several countries, few researchers have investigated why people practice trail running. Thus, this study aimed to identify the main motivational factors that determine adherence to trail running and their association with demographic characteristics and training habits among recreational runners.

Methods: This cross-sectional research employed a questionnaire as its measurement instrument to gather data on demographic characteristics, trail running practices, motivation among trail runners.

Results: The study examined 168 trail runners, with 66.7% being men. It verified significant differences in demographic characteristics and training habits only in the distance covered during races with sex (P=0.036). Additionally, the results showed that the primary motivations for trail runners to practice trail running were quality of life and leisure (86.3%), physical fitness (54.2%), and competition (34.5%). Motivation for quality of life and leisure was associated with marital status (P=0.033) and average distance travelled during training (P=0.011). Motivation for physical fitness was associated with the way trail running training is performed (P=0.012), while competitive motivation was associated with gender (P=0.001), race (P=0.028), and average distance travelled during training (P=0.015).

Conclusions: The findings indicate that the majority of runners practice trail running as a means of improving quality of life and leisure, followed by physical fitness and competition. Furthermore, significant associations were found between motivations and demographic characteristics as well as training habits.