Are Triathletes Filling a Religion-Sized Hole With Endurance Sports?

September 5, 2024

I looked up at the sky. A streak of silver flashed across the dark dome. In that glorious moment, I felt at one with the universe. Swimming was no longer just a physical experience, but a spiritual one.

It turns out I’m not alone. This phenomenon is documented in a recent study, “The Church of the Sunday Long Run: Endurance Sport as an Alternative to Institutional Religion?” conducted by Dr. Kathleen Mroz, assistant professor of theology and religious studies at Emmanuel College in Boston.

For the study, Mroz interviewed 63 people who self-identify as either long-distance runners or triathletes. She asked whether they felt their participation in endurance sports bore a relationship to their feelings on institutional religion. The responses Mroz received were eye-opening, she says. Triathlete