A Trap or Benefit of Immersion in Long Distance Running? Leisure Time Spent in an Active Way

The article describes, explains and interprets the phenomenon of long-distance running through the prism of the immersion category. This concept is rather absent in social sciences, including sociology, therefore an attempt to define it, was made. A search of materials dedicated to the phenomenon of running, posted mainly on Italian and Polish websites was used in this analysis. The method of describing the interpretation of the discourses and content contained in the mottos dedicated to running was applied. First of all, the theory of relationality and the thesis about placing the individual in the space of two social mechanisms: determinism and individual abilities were taken into account. The problem was developed and updated both in its specific cases (narratives and experiences of runners, the author’s personal experience with the phenomenon of running, lofty and distanced opinions about running) as well as in an universal scope (descriptions and interpretations present in various studies dedicated to long-distance running). Based on the carried out analyses, it was concluded in the case of runners, that the phenomenon of running is both liberating, reconstructing their biographies, and immersive, i.e. absorbing, “captivating”.