Leveraging Trail Running Events for Local Sport Participation: The Role of Event Organizers Mountain Marathon Festival in Indonesia

Trail running events can create entry points into physical activity, but sustained local sport participation depends on how organizers connect event exposure with preparation, social support, stakeholder networks, and post-event opportunities. This study analyzes the role of the Mountain Marathon Festival (MMF) event organizer across the Sembalun Mountain Marathon (SMF), Bali Mountain Marathon (BMF), and Java Mountain Marathon (JMM). Using a qualitative embedded single-case design, the study comprised 42 informants, 12 observation sessions, and 58 event documents collected in 2025. Data were analyzed thematically through within-unit and cross-event comparison, informed primarily by sport event leveraging and social capital, with self-determination theory used as a supplementary lens. The findings show that the organizer functioned as an experience designer, participation facilitator, and network broker. Twenty-four community-facing informants reported increased knowledge of trail running, while 17 reported increased physical activity during event preparation; 11 joined group training more regularly, eight entered a trail-running event for the first time, and six volunteers began training to become participants. Ten of the 17 informants who increased activity were still training regularly two to three months after the event, indicating a legacy gap. Cross-event comparison showed different participation mechanisms across SMF, BMF, and JMM. The study proposes a five-stage process of attracting, preparing, engaging, connecting, and sustaining participation, while emphasizing that post-event continuity is the main condition for converting event enthusiasm into repeated sport participation. Keywords: event organizer; local community; sport event leveraging; sport participation; social capital; trail running