{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T01:38:08Z","timestamp":1760060288600,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":70,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"16","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,10]],"date-time":"2025-08-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1754784000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Although nutrition is widely recognized as a key factor in post-event recovery in sports, little attention has been given to how its cultural and social dimensions\u2014embodied in local cuisine\u2014intersect with the needs of traveling athletes, for whom food often also serves as a medium of cultural immersion and sensory exploration. Poland, with its rich regional culinary traditions and numerous international running events, offers a compelling context in which to explore these interactions. This study aims to understand the role of local cuisine in the experiences of foreign runners participating in the Poznan Half Marathon 2025, with particular attention on cultural engagement, tourist motivations, and post-exercise recovery processes. Methods: This study was based on a qualitative approach, utilizing semi-structured in-depth interviews conducted with 12 international runners from the United Kingdom, Germany, and Ukraine. The participants possessed a minimum of two years\u2019 experience in traveling for sports. Results: The findings identified three main areas of the significance of food: (1) food as an element of cultural exploration, (2) local cuisine as a motivator or barrier when choosing a race, (3) food as a symbolic reward and structured recovery practice supporting nutritional and psychological processes. Approaches varied by nationality\u2014British participants preferred spontaneous taste discovery, Ukrainians valued culinary comfort similar to home, and Germans planned their culinary experiences with greater awareness. Conclusions: Local cuisine plays a multifaceted role in international running events, serving not only nutritional needs but also emotional and cultural functions that shape the overall participant experience. Both event organizers and local restaurants should consider offering diverse and culturally sensitive food options to enhance recovery, satisfaction, and the appeal of sports tourism destinations.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu17162601","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,11]],"date-time":"2025-08-11T09:04:53Z","timestamp":1754903093000},"page":"2601","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Nutritional Dimensions of Sports Tourism: Runners\u2019 Encounters with Polish Local Food Cultures"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5955-0790","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mateusz","family":"Rozmiarek","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Sports Tourism, Faculty of Physical Culture Sciences, Poznan University of Physical Education, 61-871 Poznan, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"71","article-title":"Specific and Developmental Trends of Sport Tourism","volume":"28","author":"Kazimierczak","year":"2013","journal-title":"Folia Tur."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Higham, J., and Hinch, T. 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