RUNFORHEALTH
EDUCATIONAL MATERIAL: The Dutch cases Marisa P. de Brito & Ellis Middelkamp TOPICS
• Sport Events and Its Impacts • Running Events & Well-Being • Introduction to Run for Health (European Project)
FOCUS: Research in the Netherlands • Runner’s profile • Survey results • Trends/insights • SWOT • Best Practices • Examination Materials OBJECTIVES
LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this module, trainees should be able:
1) To recognize key trends in (Dutch) running events 2) To characterize the profile and the behavior of running event participants, in the Netherlands 3) To explain the importance of running events and its potential impacts 4) To discuss strengths and weaknesses of (Dutch) running events 5) To identify challenges and opportunities of (Dutch) running events EXAMINATION MATERIALS
Formative • Multiple Choice Questions
Summative • Essay Questions SPORT EVENTS AND ITS IMPACTS
Hosting major sporting events can create both, short-term impacts and long-term legacies (Solberg & Preuss,2007).
For instance: • Social impacts (Richard et al., 2013) • Economic impacts: strengthening the city’s image, the business environment and attracting tourism • A form of branding the city (Herstein & Berger (2013) • Psychological and wellbeing impacts • Social (media), used by city visitors and event’s attendees play an important role in creating the city image (Knott, 2012).
* For more on impacts and legacies of (sports) events see: Scheuand Preuss (2018) and Koeningstorferet al.(2017), Alexandris et al. (2020). RUNNING EVENTS
Running events around the world have been growing in popularity. There are three reasons for this increase of popularity:
1. Increasing number of different types of running events 2. Increasing demand for event studies, including running events 3. The social, economic and political benefits of running events have been recognized by countries and national policies have been established RUNNING EVENTS & WELLBEING
• It has been widely recognized that leisure experiences, such as running events, play an important role in the effects of people’s choices on their subjective wellbeing.
• Six mechanisms contribute to subjective wellbeing: detachment, relaxation, autonomy, mastery, meaning and affiliation. All these six mechanisms can be found in running events, which means a subjective wellbeing of a person could improve by running events. RESEARCH FOCUS
How can an individual’s wellbeing be increased…
& can running events play a role? RUN4HEALTH: INTRODUCTION
• The Run for health project is a project financially supported by the ERASMUS+ Sport Action, aiming to show how running events can be used as a mean to promote health-enhancing physical activity. • Seven European partners: Artistotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece Breda University of Applied Sciences, Netherlands European Association for Sport Management European Culture and Sport Organization, Italy KU Leuven, Belgium Lithuanian Sports University, Lithuania Mulier Institute, Netherlands • Data collection in Greece, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and Lithuania at different running events. • Research methods: (participant) observation, questionnaires with participants, interviews with event organizers and athletics federations OBJECTIVES OF RUN4HEALTH:
• To investigate the impact of running events on: a) Individuals’ physical activity levels before and after participation in a running event; b) Participants’ well-being and engagement in an active life style; c) Social welfare, as measured by socialization, community pride, and social cohesion. • To measure participants’ motivation, attitudes and expectations for participating in running events, in relation to health-enhancement physical activity promotion and retention. • To study event-related factors which influence participants’ experience when participating in such events and in relation to health-enhancing physical activity participation after the events. • To study indicative examples of successful European running events in order to identify the key factors for maximizing the health, social, and economic benefits. • To develop a proposal (management plan) with the best practices for promoting health-enhancing physical activity through running events and maximizing the health, social, and economic benefits of running events. • To develop policy recommendations for authorities, federations and associations which are involved in sport and health policy formulation (local, regional and government level) in order to address the role of running events in promoting health-enhancing physical activity and social welfare. • To stimulate the development of national and international networks among sport event organizers and authorities for exchanging knowledge and disseminating good practices for organizing successful running events. • To propose strategies for promoting running events among the public (citizens) in order to motivate them to participate in such events. FOCUS: THE NETHERLANDS
Research in the Netherlands • Questionnaires with participants at one small-scaled running event and one big running event (2830) • Participant observation at the small-scaled running event (2) • Interviews with the events organizers of the two events (2) • Interview with the Athletics Federation (1)
Topics to be Covered 1. Runner’s Profile 2. Trends (including marketing) & Insights 3. Impacts (including sustainability) & Support 4. Weaknesses and Strengths 5. Challenges and Opportunities TWO EVENTS
Event 1 Event 2 Distances • 1 km kidsrun • 1,1 km • 5 km • 5 km • 10 km • 10 km • 15 km • 21 km • 15 km competition • 42 km walking • Company run • 42 km marathon • 42 km relayrun • G-run 1.1/2.2 km Number of participants 5000+ 5000+ Location Urban area (city) Urban area (city) RUNNER’S PROFILE: EVENT 1 RUNNER’S PROFILE: EVENT 2 PROJECT RESULTS FROM THE SURVEY
“In general, how would you rate your health today?” PROJECT RESULTS FROM THE SURVEY
“In most ways, my life is close to ideal” PROJECT RESULTS FROM THE SURVEY
“The conditions of my life are excellent” PROJECT RESULTS FROM THE SURVEY
“I am satisfied with my life” PROJECT RESULTS FROM THE SURVEY
“So far I have gotten the important things I want in my life” PROJECT RESULTS FROM THE SURVEY
“If I could live my life over, I would change almost nothing” PROJECT RESULTS FROM THE SURVEY
“I am satisfied with my health” FURTHER READING ON SURVEY RESULTS
• HOVER et al (2020), Serving The Healthy? The Effect Of Running Event Participation On Sport Participation And Healthy Lifestyle Adoption. A Dutch Case Study, EASM conference. TRENDS TRENDS
DEMAND
• Marketing is maturing: total number of participants in races is stabilizing. • More women’s participation, specially in the lower distances. • Participants (and volunteers) are ageing: there is a need to rejuvenate. • Completing versus Competing: many participants enjoy running and races as a recreational activity. • Sharing performance in social media (and buying online is growing): participants are open to the use of technology. TRENDS
SUPPLY
• A lot of competition, with running events, and many other leisure activities and events! (The consumer/sports(wo)man has a lot to choose from) • Diversification, both in type of events and duration e.g. by adding walking events/ from one-day event to a weekend program around the race • Dedicated sponsors: e.g. for one of the days, or for one of the satellite events. • From race to an experience: it needs to be entertaining both to the audience and to the participants • The use of technology, e.g. monitoring the participants, following the audience, sharable performance. MARKETING TRENDS
A multi-channel + multiple-tools approach:
• Social Media • Influencers (e.g. as a runner as front face). • Provocative campaigns.
******************************** side-by-side with:
• Internal marketing (at sponsor organizations). • Exposure at local magazines (e.g. with regular featured interviews related with the event). PERCEIVED IMPACTS OF RUNNING EVENTS
• Economic impact for local businesses (in particular restaurants and hotels).
• Perceived positive impact in the city’s image.
• Perceived added-value for SPONSORS: visibility and team-work.
• Perceived positive impact in mobilizing the inhabitants:(forgotten) neighborhoods get visible as part of the parcours.
• The event can also be an igniter to re-think public space. SUPPORT FOR RUNNING EVENTS: A SUMMARY
• The importance of sports starts at national level, with national policy.
• Some stakeholders would like a more proactive role of the government in schools
• There is a call for a collaborative approach in drawing policy.
• It does happen that sports have to compete with other flagships in the city, e.g. culture; or with other sports.
• Less support (due to lack of resources) of emergency services and police are being announced. SUSTAINABILITY ISSUES
• The average age of both participants and volunteers has increased in the last years. Rejuvenating runners and volunteers is important for the survival of the event. • One of the running events explicitly positions itself as being inclusive and therefore it does have a pararun and a kidsrun. [authenticity; practice what you preach]. The other deploys people with autism. • Regarding the environmental impact of the event: there are many challenges (e.g. use single-use plastic on the day of the event), but there are also opportunities: e.g. more intense use of sports facilities in the city. For this to be stimulated, needs to start at city level: one organization called for the city to be proactive in bringing measures that benefit both the environment and the people (such as reducing speed limit in city center would stimulate people to use less the car and move more). • Key for sustainability management is stakeholder’s engagement, such as keeping your volunteers engaged. One organization explained how they do that. SWOT ANALYSIS
- based on the two Dutch case studies STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES
• Various promotional activities • Limited possibilities to increase • Many volunteers distances • Use of social media • No/low involvement of local • Broad target group government • Atmosphere during the event • Music and entertainment along the course CHALLENGES OPPORTUNITIES
• Stagnation of number of participants • Commercialization of the in the Netherlands in running events running events market • Increasing number of offer in running events in the Netherlands • Technological innovations • Many different types of running • Increased number of events recreational runners • The volunteering group is aging • Running is a cheap sport • Weather situations become more critical • Cooperation with local running • Injuries and walking events • Loss of sponsors • Competition from other sports BEST PRACTICES
Running events in the Netherlands have best practices in mind when looking at other running events: Midwinter Marathon (Apeldoorn), the Venloop (Venlo), the Dam tot Dam loop (Amsterdam), the Egmond halve Marathon, the Marathons of Rotterdam and Amsterdam, the Zevenheuvelenloop (Nijmegen), the Parelloop (Brunssum) and the 7 mijl (Groningen).
Why? These are good practices, because of a strong, professional organization, broad experiences and relatively high budgets KAHOOT QUIZ!
Let’s test
what YOU remember of the Runner’s Profile in the Netherlands:
Click here ESSAY QUESTIONS Type of Open Questions
WHICH TYPE OF IMPACTS WOULD YOU WHICH STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES CAN WHICH CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES EXPECT FROM A RUNNING EVENT (BOTH BE CURRENTLY POINTED OUT FOR DO RUNNING EVENTS CURRENTLY FACE? POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE)? RUNNING EVENTS (IN THE NETHERLANDS) BIBLIOGRAPHY
BIBLIOGRAHPY Alexandris et al. (2020). Promoting Health and Enhancing Physical Activity and Social Welfare through outdoor running Events, Run for Health project. Hover, P.; Eldert, P. van; Brito, M. de; Middelkamp, E.; Mitas, O. (2020) The Effect Of Running Event Participation On Sport Participation And Healthy Lifestyle Adoption. A Dutch Case Study, abstract, virtual EASM Conference, 17-25 September.
Herstein, R. & Berger, R. (2013). Much more than sports: sports events as stimuli for city re-branding. Journal of Business Strategy, Vol. 34, No. 2, pp.38-44. Knott, B. (2012). All the world’s a stage. Vision, Fresh perspectives from Dubai. Koeningstorfer, J., et al. (2017). The legacy of mega sporting events: a systematic review of empirical studies (1997-2016). European Association for Sport Management (Conference proceedings).
Scheu, A. and Preuss, H. (2018). The legacy of the Olympic Games from 1896-2016. A systematic review of academic publications. Working papers Series – Meinzer Papers on Sport Economics & Management, 14.
Solberg, H. & Preuss, H. (2007). Major sport events and long-term tourism impacts. Journal of Sport Management, 21, pp. 213-234. Richards, W., Brito, M.P. de & Wilks, L. (red.). Exploring the Social Impacts of Events (pp. 97-110). London/New York: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group. CONTACTS
Senior Lecture/Project Leader at Breda University of Applied Sciences • M. P. de Brito: [email protected]
Project researcher at Breda University of Applied Sciences • Ellis Middelkamp: [email protected]