Bottomley, Jenny N.2019-11-062019-11-062019-10-15https://laurentian.scholaris.ca/handle/10219/3372This project sought to explore identities used by leading competitor master level runners in order for them to continue down the road of success. The following research question was explored: How do leading competitor masters level long distance runners describe their life as a runner, in relation to today, and the context they are training in? The participants were three leading competitor master level athletes (age 50+), who all reside in Sudbury, Ontario. Artefacts brought the project to a deeper level. An inductive thematic analysis was carried out. Themes and sub-themes highlighted specific ways each masters’ athlete navigated their running journey to allow them to maintain their competitiveness as a leading competitor. In conclusion, the study discussed the importance of the athletic identity: how it functioned, shifted, and changed over time to allow the athletes to navigate their other identities and go through processes such as identity management.enmasters athleteleading competitorathletic identitypost-positivismcritical realismartefactsdescriptionsThesis