Constructing the FLOW experience mechanism of mass sports events participants: a cybernetic-ecological study based on marathon cases

Purpose This study aims to construct a systemic understanding of how flow experience is generated, regulated and sustained in mass sports events, with particular emphasis on marathon participation. It addresses the lack of research on dynamic feedback mechanisms that underpin the emergence and regulation of flow among amateur runners. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on thematic analysis, this qualitative study analyzes data from 59 marathon participants through interviews, field observations and netnography. The analysis integrates cybernetic feedback theory and ecological psychology to develop a flow experience mechanism (FEM) model. Findings FEM emerges as a “dynamic ecology”, a multi-phase, self-regulating system shaped by complex bodily, environmental and social feedback loops. FEM follows the trajectory “Expectation and emancipation → Flow state → Improvement and growth” and is governed by three types of feedback: negative (stabilizing), positive (amplifying) and disruptive (recalibrating). Ten flow dimensions are identified, including bittersweet experience, perception of the event field, and deep return to self. Originality/value This study provides a context-grounded, integrative account of flow in mass sports events, conceptualizing it as a dynamic ecology, an adaptive, self-regulating system driven by cybernetic feedback and ecological interaction. Rather than a simple theoretical juxtaposition, this conceptualization synthesizes classic flow elements with mass sports events' specific affordances and feedback processes beyond static psychological models. By bridging cybernetics and ecological psychology, this research innovatively models flow as an adaptive system embedded in real-time social and environmental interactions, while also identifying new dimensions beyond classical models, thereby enriching flow theory. In addition, the study provides a theoretical framework for understanding optimal experience in mass sports events, clarifying how flow is generated, regulated, disrupted and re-entered across pre-, in- and post-event phases, and offers practical guidance for event management.