The crowds have been exceptionally polite, you could hear a fresh croissant being pulled apart once they are under starter's orders. It's sort of like baseball managers coming out of the dugout to yell at the umpires after one of their players has been ejected, everyone knows it is meaningless theater but you have to go through the motions anyway because it's just how the thing is done.
Holy shit it hurts just to watch, why would anyone put themselves through this, why does this event still exist. What if we did swimming but instead of kick-turns you had to slam your forehead into the wall of the pool. What if hurdles but the first thing that touches the ground after each jump has to be one of your knees. What if rowing but your oar handles have to be covered in coarse grit sandpaper and your sliding seat has to bang into your achilles tendon at the beginning of each stroke.
Stop this madness, I beg you. It's not worth these people grinding all the use out of their hips before they reach their mid thirties.