AUTHOR=Terrell Amanda , Houltberg Benjamin , Brown Sarah , Falco Rachel , Schnitker Sarah 

TITLE=Humanitarian Athletic Participation and Identity Work

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Sports and Active Living

VOLUME=Volume 3 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sports-and-active-living/articles/10.3389/fspor.2021.669547

DOI=10.3389/fspor.2021.669547

ISSN=2624-9367

ABSTRACT=Numerous studies examine youth purpose and volunteerism, but few studies investigate how altruistic activities shape identity development within athletic contexts. Endurance-based humanitarian fundraising teams are becoming increasingly popular forms of volunteerism among adolescents and young adults in the United States, but little is known about their developmental role. Twenty-four participants (15-21 years of age; M = 17.42) were interviewed to identify prominent themes that arose from their experiences training for and participating in a marathon. Thematic analysis was used to determine dominant themes that characterized the intersection of humanitarian marathon training and running with aspects of identity work. The majority of participants’ comments were directly tied to their experiences running the marathon. Four themes were identified including identity work, faith, purpose, and social connection. More so than exploring possible selves, a consistent theme throughout participants’ interviews was what they learned about their current selves and the capacities they already possessed during their marathon experience.