Get Serious

AbstractWhile there has been tremendous growth in participation rates of women in distance running, the percentage of women participating in full marathons has plateaued. This study investigated this phenomenon by exploring whether differences in constraints and constraint negotiation across gender within this serious leisure activity can explain this difference. Survey research was used to collect data from 3,453 marathon and half-marathon finishers. Comparisons found different barriers across both gender and distance. Additional findings suggest, however, that constraints associated with women in leisure in general do not adequately explain the participation differences, and that women may merely define the parameters of serious leisure within distance running differently than men.