Why endurance events?

There's no faking it, and no handicap. It's not who you know, or who's on your team, and it's not as much about natural ability as other activities. For the most part, your performance is a direct result of how much you put into training.

It would be even more fair if you couldn't buy speed, and if everyone didn't get the same finishers medal. Those are such small factors in the grand scheme, it's hardly worth mentioning.

To compare with strength training - I hate the gym. Traveling there, public showers, shared equipment, crowded, bad music, to get the list started. Get me outside where I can sing loudly, enjoy the scenery (without leering at the one hot chick in the gym), listen to the dogs, mowers,birds, waves, and leaves in the wind. Workout equipment at home takes care of most of those things, but I just can't confine myself to one room for 10+ hours a week.

Team sports - They don't allow you to practice at your convience, it's on their time. The performance is determined in part by myself, but mostly by the team. I want results that reflect what I put into it.

Measured results - Some people have the personality that doesn't require a competition. They want to exercise to live longer, socialize, or look better. I need a race. I get nervous about the races, and even get nervous about the hard workouts that will improve my race. The race is the reward for all the work. When the race is happening, I'm not having fun, but as soon as it's done... that's when it's all worth it. I sit back and know that my work has paid off, or know what I need to do for better results. There's no wondering if I'm getting the results I want. I know for certain if I've achieved my goal or not.