The purpose of this study was to examine the extent of eating disorder symptoms and differences in exercise motivations in female distance runners at various exercise investment levels. One hundred and seven distance runners, aged 19 to 59 years, who run a minimum of five kilometers, three times per week, were asked to complete three questionnaires. The runners across exercise investment levels were not found to differ in Eating Disorder Inventory sub-scale scores. They differed from college women only in exhibiting fewer symptoms on Drive for Thinness (p < .05), Body Dissatisfaction (p < .001), and Interoceptive Awareness (p < .001). Significant differences in the Exercise Orientation Questionnaire sub-scale scores were found between the least and most exercise-invested runners with the latter scoring significantly higher on Exercise Orientation (P < .0001), Identity (p < .004), and Competition (p < .002). It was concluded that while eating disorder symptoms among female distance runners at various investment levels are no different, exercise motivations are different across levels of exercise.

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