It is widely believed that athletes are in excellent physical and emotional health. This belief is perpetuated by studies that have found that regular and consistent participation in exercise provides both physical as well as psychological benefits. Those participating in endurance sports must follow stringent and physically demanding standards for training. One well known endurance sport, the marathon, requires the completion of a competitive race of 26.2 miles without stopping within a six hour time period. Training for this sport is intensive, physically demanding, and time consuming. In a culture where athleticism is highly revered, less criticism or suspicion is given to a male athlete who works hard in his training and follows a strict diet for performance enhancement. Athletes who excessively exercise or restrictively eat may be at a higher risk for developing health problems. This quantitative causal-comparative study uses data collected from 116 male marathon runners aged 19 and over who had completed at least one 26.2 mile race. Participants completed four surveys that explored motives for running a marathon and eating and training behaviors. Results indicated that motives related to General Health Orientation, p = 0.042, eta[superscript 2] = 0.056, Weight Concern, p = 0.003, eta[superscript 2] = 0.102, and Personal Goal, p = 0.003, eta[superscript 2] = 0.104, were found more among runners that over trained than those that trained less. This supports research that many runners engage in running for health purposes. Elite runners identified Competition p = 0.023, eta[superscript 2] = 0.05, as a motivating factor to running a marathon. This supports the literature related to influences on male training behaviors as being performance driven. Identifying and understanding an athlete's motives to engage in sports can be beneficial in guiding nutritional and training behaviors to enhance success. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]