A council has launched an investigation after runners on a local 10km race were accidentally forced to run an extra 1.8miles.
A marshalling error at Sunday’s Bournemouth Bay Run left around 300 of the fastest competitors covering an extra 3km.
Bournemouth Borough Council – which has been running the event for 33 years - has apologised to the competitors and pledged to examine why runners were left covering extra ground along the Dorset coastline.
It is believed a marshal tasked with directing the runners might have gone missing from their post.
Competitor Andy Isaac described the event as ‘absolute mayhem’, describing one point where an elderly woman ‘managed to drive on to the route and was flashing her lights at oncoming runners’.
Bournemouth BC said: ‘This year saw new routes and overall the changes were well received. However, unfortunately there was some confusion with marshalling arrangements at one point which led to some of the fastest 10k runners going a longer distance.
‘We apologise unreservedly to those front runners. In 33 years of running the Bournemouth Bay run this is the first time this has happened, and as part of our debrief we will be analysing the arrangements carefully in this area to learn for 2016.’