What makes them run?

SOME people sign up for marathons for the grueling physical challenge. Others want that shiny medal. And some just want to lose weight or get kudos from their peers. Don’t bet on this last group to complete the race.

Those runners tend to drop out even before they get to the starting line, according to new research on first-time marathoners.

Lead author Jacob Havenar, a doctoral candidate in the physical activity, nutrition and wellness program at Arizona State University, said his first marathon six years ago made him curious about other runners.

“I wanted to learn what people’s motivations were going into the race,” he said. “We see a lot of feel-good stories in running magazines about success stories,” but less about the people who never make it to the end.

The results of his study were among the findings presented at the American College of Sports Medicine’s annual meeting last week in Denver.

Havenar surveyed 106 male and female first-time marathoners enrolled in a training program about why they decided to run. Rookies -- not experienced, elite athletes -- were chosen because they represent the general population.

He used a scale that measured motivation by weighing such factors as the desire to improve self-esteem, develop better coping skills, lose weight, have more social interaction and achieve personal goals.

Out of that starting group, only 31 finished the training and the race. Of the 75 who dropped out, Havenar said that they scored highest for listing weight concerns and recognition from others as their motivation, suggesting that those shouldn’t be the only reasons to run a marathon -- or begin any exercise program.

The key, he said, is to have both external motivations, such as weight loss, as well as more meaningful reasons, such as wanting to increase self-esteem, or being healthy enough to play with the grandkids. If weight loss doesn’t come along quickly enough, he noted, people may feel like failures and give up.

“Attrition rates in exercise are high enough,” said Havenar, “and we don’t want to set someone up for failure. Health practitioners need to talk to their clients and see what their motivations are.”

Pat Connelly, coach of the L.A. marathon, agrees that the reason why someone runs is essential to whether they’ll finish. He has seen people drop out because of poor goal-setting.

“If you’re here for a medal and to lose a few pounds, you don’t have enough substance to sustain you when the honeymoon is over,” he said. “That first month is fun, but you’re going to need more than that to get through it. There’s no question that the people who do the best have more intrinsic goals,” such as improving one’s quality of life and handling stress better.

By sticking it out, Connelly added, “You’re going to learn something that you’ll use the rest of your life.”