This study aims to develop a scale to measure marathon tourists' personal development (MTPD) by employing a rigorous scale development methodology. A qualitative study involving 21 in-depth interviews was conducted to generate a pool of items. These items were then validated through two extensive surveys with 504 and 452 participants, respectively. Results show a six-dimension 23-item scale for measuring tourists’ personal development in marathon tourism. These dimensions are self-perception, personal willpower, physical quality, emotion, skills, and ability. This study not only facilitates further empirical research in sport tourism but also provides actionable insights for marathon destination managers to enhance precision marketing strategies. Moreover, by applying the serious leisure framework to marathon tourism, this study offers significant theoretical contributions, paving the way for future interdisciplinary research in sports and leisure.

中文翻译：

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马拉松游客的个人发展：规模开发和验证


本研究旨在通过采用严格的量表开发方法来衡量马拉松游客的个人发展 （MTPD）。进行了一项涉及 21 次深入访谈的定性研究，以生成一个项目池。然后通过分别有 504 名和 452 名参与者的两项广泛调查验证了这些项目。结果显示了一个包含六个维度的 23 项量表，用于衡量游客在马拉松旅游中的个人发展。这些维度是自我认知、个人意志力、身体素质、情感、技能和能力。这项研究不仅促进了体育旅游的进一步实证研究，也为马拉松目的地管理者提供了可行的见解，以增强精准营销策略。此外，通过将严肃休闲框架应用于马拉松旅游，本研究提供了重要的理论贡献，为未来运动和休闲的跨学科研究铺平了道路。