When Ethical Values Drive the Creation and Development of Sporting Events

Based on the case study of ColleMarathon, this chapter aims to describe how local volunteers were able to transform a very small-scale sporting event into a successful occasion that merged sports with ethical values and generated positive outcomes for the local communities. Members of the local sports associations and volunteers are the inventors, managers and workers of the marathon that want to communicate the spirit of care and authentic values as its title suggests, “The Marathon of Values.” Ongoing growth (from 350 to more than 1000 athletes) and the participation of new businesses and entities has not changed the governance and the aim of the race: after 17 years, ColleMarathon is still managed by an organising committee made up of representatives of the sports associations and volunteers, who are set in motion by the values they want to disseminate with the event. Values are the glue that binds all actors and still attract participants that run through villages, hills, and old castles, meeting the local people and learning their cultural traditions.