Youth Marathon Training with Humanitarian Purpose: A Window into Adolescent Identity Work

Cornerstone Ballroom

Athletics are an important context for youth development, but research findings have been mixed in terms of how sports participation fosters identity development and character growth. Adolescents’ active processing of who they are and who they could become is an integral part of identity work and fostered by altruistic activities. Twenty-four youth were interviewed surrounding their participation in full- and half-marathons through a non-profit humanitarian organization. Thematic results describe their self-concept, how they framed their purpose for running, the role of struggle in identity work, and new perspectives that emerged from the physical and social marathon experience.