Turystyka biegowa w Polsce według opinii uczestników biegów masowych

Background. Running tourism began to develop along with a growing popularity of running as a form of recreation. The aim of this study was to define the concept of running tourism and to find out the Polish runners’ motives for participation in this form of tourism. Material and methods. The research tool was a questionnaire developed by the authors. It was possible to fill it in during the Cracovia Marathon (04.22.2012) or online; 186 runners answered 20 questions in the detailed part of questionnaire. Results and conclusions. The runners chose the competition venue taking into account the length of the run and the distance from the place of residence. Other important factors were also: attractiveness of the competition, atmosphere and a desire to visit interesting places after participating in the competition. Awareness of running tourism among the runners in Poland is low. The majority of respondents (74%) stated they knew this term, but only 47% of respondents clearly admits participating in it. In Poland the form of running tourism – a guided running tour – does not exist, but it is a niche sector of travel services that has not been developed yet.