What is the value of intrinsic motivation and how does it work?
Intrinsic motivation for most endurance athletes should be the only reason to be out there. For Olympic and professional endurance athletes, extrinsic motivation, in the form of the money and fame, can help a little, but even for those athletes, what ultimately drives them comes from deep inside. Parents often provide extrinsic motivation for young athletes and this external push can range from helpful to destructive. Ultimately, for most endurance athletes, they should be out there because they love the sport, enjoy the challenges, and gain fulfillment from working hard and achieving their goals.
