The primary purpose of this study was to explore how professional runners form attitudes toward sponsors. The secondary purpose was to understand perceived relationships of professional runners with sponsors. This study was guided by the relationship marketing theory, and the conceptual background on sponsorship relationships was presented in detail. The research was conducted with a USA Track & Field certified professional running team, using semi-structured interviews with eight of 12 team members. The results were categorized into three common themes: (1) relational benefits, (2) relationship quality, and (3) satisfaction. Five additional sub-categories were produced and warrant further consideration: (1.1) confidence benefits, (1.2) social benefits, (1.3) special treatment benefits, (2.1) trust, and (2.2) commitment. Key findings fill a gap in the existing literature and advance the limited knowledge on the professional running scene by offering a new perspective yet to be explored.

DOI: http://doi.org/10.32731/SMQ.342.062025.04