Understanding the experiences of virtual race participants through the lens of mindfulness theory

The development of digital technologies and innovations has contributed, in part, to the rise of virtual races. As a type of active leisure event, virtual races have the potential to overcome geographic constraints and attract more participants. To further our understanding of participants’ virtual race experiences, we adopted mindfulness theory to examine components that contributed to participants reporting a mindful experience or a mindless experience, respectively. Qualitative data were collected via photo-elicitation interviews with 20 informants who completed the 2020 Illinois Marathon Virtual Race in the United States. Findings showed that components that led to informants reporting a mindful experience included: 1) a self-created connection to place, 2) bounded creativity, and 3) an adaptive mindset, whilst components that led to informants reporting a mindless experience included 1) the absence of event formalities and 2) anchoring bias. Based on these findings, we developed a model of mindful/mindless virtual race experiences. Implications for active leisure event literature and mindfulness theory were discussed, along with practical recommendations for how event managers and participants can co-create a mindful virtual race experience.