[eru]

> There's something to be said for racing _someone_ and not just the clock, for the swimmers/racers, not even thinking about the audience.

Yes, it's more fun.

> Additionally, it would make races take 8x to 10x amount of time.

Well, that's not a problem, they can run different events in parallel. Eg swimming and running shouldn't interfere at all with each other.

[jimktrains2]

It's not just about the fun; having someone next to you can make you push a little harder.

They already run events in parallel.