Runners' motivational profiles and goals considering social context of practice: Impact upon performance and well-being

The purpose of the present study was to better understand the links between motivational profiles, performance, and well-being in various social contexts of running practice. Runners (N = 418; 53% female) completed an online survey that included the following: the Self-Determination Theory in Sports Questionnaire, the Health Regulatory Focus Questionnaire, the Basic Psychological Needs in Sports Questionnaire, and the WHO Five-Item Well-Being Questionnaire. Participants' running-related activity, including their reasons for running, performance and health goals, social context of running practice, and actual running performance times were also gathered. Three social contexts of running practice were identified (solo, informal groups, and affiliated clubs), each showing distinct relations between motivational orientations and runner profiles. Three main findings emerged: Firstly, promotion and prevention regulatory foci were differentially associated with motivational quality and basic psychological need satisfaction, with promotion-focused profiles more related to self-determined forms of motivation. Secondly, these associations were strongly context-dependent, with distinct observations among runners practicing alone, in informal groups, and within running clubs. Lastly, motivation, particularly intrinsic motivation and need satisfaction, were compatible with indirect associations among solo and group runners, whereas these pathways were largely absent among club-affiliated runners. Overall, our findings show that runners' motivation and the social context of their running practice are associated with performance and well-being. Future interventions aiming to support runners’ motivation could be designed to account for both runners’ motivational profiles and their specific social context of practice.