Racewalk rivals Sharon Tonks and Katherine Horwell travelled to Bedford on Bank Holiday Monday to compete in the CAU Inter-counties Championships - Tonks representing Worcestershire while Horwell entered as an independent.
The 3km (7.5 lap) race was a combined male/female affair and when the starter lined the men across the track with the women in a line behind them, disaster looked inevitable.
At the gun the slower men on the outside made a dive for the inside lane causing absolute chaos.
European Championship representative Joanna Jackson got away cleanly with the leading men but the rest of the women didn't fare so well.
Tonks collided with South African Estle Viljeon and then found herself in the fifth lane.
She managed to get back to the inside lane only to be boxed-in.
An Australian allowed Tonks to get free and she managed to catch some of the leaders before halfway.
She continued to narrow the gap but had to be content with third in a time of 14.05m.
On Friday Tonks and Horwell travel to Spain to compete in a 20km event.
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