Impact of Motivation on the Performance of Long Distance Runners
Introduction
Past studies have demonstrated that athletes compete for a variety of reasons. Extrinsic and intrinsic motivation are two categories used to classify the motivations for competing. Athletes compete for intrinsic motivation because they have an internal competitive and success drive (Gillet et al., 2013). On the other hand, those that are extrinsically motivated will participate in the competition due to some external impulses, such as the rewards anticipated from winning. It has been discovered that extrinsic motivation plays a crucial role in competitive sports (Smith, Cohen & Pickett, 2014). One of the things that motivate athletes to compete in the public ceremony where winners in athletics are recognized. According to Peters & Schnitzer (2015), the sources of motivation, if properly utilized, can significantly impact how athletes participate in competitions and can serve as the inspiration for striving for success.
Goose and Winter (2012) highlight the significance of motivation to athletes based on the characteristic of loneliness that defines training and participating in long-distance learning. Athletes are liable to lose their feeling of purpose in their sport if they lack motivation. To provide the incentive to continue participating in training and competition, it is essential to define the behaviors of the coaches and the athletes. The intrinsic motivation, equally significant in long-distance athletics, could decrease as extrinsic drive increases. There has been a lot of interest in the studies on the coach’s role in enhancing athletes’ internal motivation. Enhancing the coach-athlete relationship and increasing internal motivation are two strategies to accomplish the goal. Yet, studies have also shown that the situation affects an athlete’s need for inspiration.