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：量表开发和验证


本研究旨在通过采用严格的量表开发方法来开发衡量马拉松游客个人发展（MTPD）的量表。我们进行了一项涉及 21 次深度访谈的定性研究，以生成一系列项目。然后，通过两项广泛的调查分别对 504 名和 452 名参与者进行了验证，这些项目得到了验证。结果显示了衡量马拉松旅游中游客个人发展的六维23项量表。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领域进一步的实证研究，还为马拉松目的地管理者提供了可操作的见解，以增强精准营销策略。此外，通过将严肃的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，为未来体育和休闲的跨学科研究铺平了道路。