I think we can agree that many runners can be geeky or socially awkward.
In my mind this is due to a long chain of events, starting in high school where the ones at the bottom of the food chain are willing to sacrifice some vanity/coolness/popularity/football fraternity fantasy that they never knew of or were aware of to commit to the sport. The cycle of geekiness can continue for many. Even many pro runners have their own quirks I'm sure you've noticed. That's not to say that we don't all(or many) have our quirks.
I do think many people get stuck in an obsession that can be dangerous to someone who lacks some balance in their approach to things. Slogging mile after mile not really conscious of their true reasoning for doing such a thing. I think that endurance athletes in general can become masochists and develop superiority complexes about themselves when ultimately they don't actually enjoy the process, they do it out of some deluded thinking of "bettering yourself is life's main purpose" or "I'm better than those fat asses on the couch.". A main example of this is something so many runners have gone through including myself, which is always running hard on easy days. Why do we need to feel like we've always pushed ourselves to some threshold to get some satisfaction out of a run? Ultimately I see it as an insecurity of being normal- being slow. Runners fear lumping themselves in that same category of being a hobby jogger and so they blindly ruin their training out of fear.
On the other side of things running 100 miles per week takes what- 8min miles avg. * 100miles/60min/h takes 13 hours of your time. 4 rounds of golf might take 20 hours minimum per week. You could also say that running is the most accommodating sport for those looking for a real challenge while still dealing with other commitments.
There is certainly an interesting psychopathology behind endurance athletes. I believe running is one of the most satisfying pursuits however it tends to get blown out of proportions in the minds of many who see it as their everything. Many wind up depressed and dissatisfied about lacklustre training and results because they are doing it for all the wrong reasons. Running can enhance your life but it certainly can't make you happy overall. I feel like many struggle with this.