I know what you mean... sometimes when you stop being a competitor and take on another roll, our sports don't make as much sense.

I've had the same experiences being a volunteer in triathlon and cycling. In tri, I did registration and was the weigh-in girl for an Ironman. Seeing all the people (men, mostly) act like weenies about getting on the scale was sort of a turn-off to the sport. I had a similar experience working in T2 at Ironman Wisconsin the year it was so cold... the women had completely overridden their natural instincts for self-preservation and survival and dragged themselves out onto the course despite many of them being close to hypothermic.

I think when you're concerned about the well-being of the an athlete and you see them focusing on something as 'trivial' as a PR, it's kind of a jarring experience. It makes you question the sanity of what we do...