BROMSGROVE & Redditch Athletic Club's Sharon Tonks teamed up with the Great Britain squad to compete in an international match at Barcelona's Olympic Stadium last week.

Tonks - along with Worcester AC's Wendy Bennett - represented GB in the first event, a 12 lap 5,000m walk which included competitors from Catalunya, Spain and Italy.

Both athletes were aware that the competitors from Spain and Italy were among the world's best.

As if to underline the task ahead, the whole track was in the full glare of the sun with temperatures soaring to the low 40-degree centigrade.

Tonks decided on a cautious even-paced race in an attempt to gain good points for GB.

After six laps of the track, she realised she was pulling back the fourth-placed Italian athlete. She then made a concerted effort and by the final lap the gap was down to just 15 seconds.

Unfortunately, Tonks weakened from sheer exhaustion in the heat. Only total concentration allowed her to maintain the 15 second gap and she finally crossed the line in fifth place in a time of 25 minutes dead.

Bennett finished sixth, 36 seconds behind her British teammate.

Although Tonks felt her time was around one minute slower than she had hoped, the gruelling, painful race was by far the most difficult 5km track race she had competed in.

The GB team finished second overall with Catalunya, Spain,first and Italy third.