I can't think of a single climber, mountaineer or ultra runner I know that any of that applies to (including myself). Do you have any actual examples of people like that?
> setting is just a convenience
Nothing about ultra running in the mountains is a "convenience"... in my experience the opposite is true, and almost everything done in the mountains is done easier on flat ground.
The grind and checkboxing mentality extends to many walks of life. Game players. Bird watchers (I think such people are explicitly known as "tickers" in that field, but I couldn't tell you where I picked that up). Collectors.
and almost everything done in the mountains is done easier on flat ground
Sure. And how many mountain ultramarathons are on flat ground? None, I bet. The flat ground ones attract the obsessive marathon runners; those who have a target of fifty or some such and grind away at them.
I'm not decrying these people. The event happens inside their heads. They're clearly getting something out of it.
Seems like a safe bet.