Perceived event sustainability as a moderator connecting marathon participants’ motivations to place attachment, value perceptions, and value co-creation behaviors

This study examines how sports tourists’ motivations influence place attachment, perceived value, and value co-creation behaviors, with perceived event sustainability as a moderating factor. Through a quantitative survey of 365 marathon participants across Chinese cities, we tested relationships between three motivational factors (athletic pleasure, achievement seeking, and social media recognition) and tourism outcomes. Results confirmed that all motivational factors had positive associations with both place attachment and perceived value, with perceived event sustainability significantly moderating these relationships. Furthermore, both place attachment and perceived value were found to be positively associated with value co-creation behavior. These findings extend the theoretical understanding of sports tourism psychology by establishing empirically validated pathways between motivations and behavioral outcomes while highlighting sustainability’s growing importance as a strategic element in sports tourism experiences.