O ambiente, o grupo, os desafios, as emoções: um mergulho profundo sob o contexto que envolve a maratona a partir das narrativas de maratonistas recreacionais

Abstract

Marathon running, beyond being a long-distance sporting event, is configured as

a sociocultural phenomenon that mobilizes emotions, narratives of self- overcoming, collective bonds, and symbolic meanings. This study aimed to

understand the ambience created by recreational runners from the decision to run a marathon to crossing the finish line, analyzing how challenges, emotions, social interactions, and cultural contexts structure this experience. This is a qualitative study with a descriptive-interpretive approach, conducted with 42 recreational runners from the city of Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. Data collection included a sociodemographic questionnaire, semi-structured interviews, observations during training sessions and races, and a field diary. The narratives were analyzed through Bardin’s Content Analysis (2016) and organized into thematic categories encompassing motivations, challenges, strategies, emotions, and ambience. The results are structured according to the Scandinavian academic model of evaluation, culminating in the submission of four scientific articles. The findings demonstrate that the decision to run a marathon emerges from multiple factors, including the desire for personal achievement, the reconstruction of life histories, a sense of belonging to running groups, peer influence, social recognition, and the pursuit of intense existential experiences. Preparation involves discipline, sacrifices, and physical and emotional strain, but also support from family members, coaches, peers, and digital networks. During the race, runners experience an emotional cycle marked by anxiety, fear, pain, euphoria, gratitude, transcendence, and, at times, extreme suffering. The environment—comprising sounds, landscapes, spectators, symbols, rituals, and social relationships—exerts a direct influence on motivation, pain coping, and the continuation of the race. It is concluded that the marathon constitutes a contemporary rite of passage in which body, emotion, and culture intertwine, generating identity re-significations and strengthening social bonds. Therefore, the practice transcends the physiological dimension and is reaffirmed as a symbolic, emotional, and collective experience.