The Intangible Impacts of Mass Running Events on Communities–Evidence from Thailand
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Abstract
The increase of mass running events and numbers of running participants confirms the arrival of a running boom in many countries around the world, including Thailand. Despite the increasing popularity in recreational running and running events, research related to running events as small-scale events and their impacts remain scarce. Thus, in this study the aim was to examine the impacts of mass running events on the community with special attention on intangible impacts. A qualitative research approach and qualitative content analysis were applied. Based on in-depth interviews, this study concluded that besides tangible economic and tourism related impacts, mass running events generate diverse intangible benefits including creating community pride and unity. This creates a trickle-down effect and forms a new sports culture, develops and enhances public spaces and infrastructure, affords opportunities for knowledge sharing and business start-ups. The limitation of this study was its generalizability and comparability of findings, as the findings are derived primarily from key informants closely associated with the organization of mass running events. Future research should explore other research approaches that might better account for the impacts of mass running events.
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