A holidaymaker determined to get the best spot around the pool donned runner gear to make a dash for the sunbeds.
The tourist was spending time at a Spanish resort where demand for a poolside lounger was particularly high.
Not content to be stuck with the have-nots miserable and without a sunbed, the man decided to put on full work-out kit and trainers.
He was filmed standing patiently in the queue by tourist Olivia Stanton who captured the eager beaver bursting away from the pack as soon as the pool area is opened.
With towels tucked under his arm he makes a hasty shortcut, reducing the distance of his sprint and powering away from the other, slightly bemused looking sun worshipers.
Despite the fact there are only a handful of holidaymakers around him - most of whom are ambling slowly towards the beds - the man's impressive pace make it clear he does not want to miss out.
TikToker Olivia said: "Our hotel has a sunbed war every morning, look at him in his running gear ready to go."
As the days get longer, the sun warmer and the prospect of lounging by a pool more tempting, the need to get a prime spot on the water's edge grows.
Every year ray-seeking holiday makers are pitted against one another to see who can bag the best sunbed a resort has to offer.
In another video shared on TikTok the theme tune from Mario Kart can be heard, signalling the start of the race at the Bahia Principe Hotel in Tenerife.
One holidaymaker caught the action at 7.47am, filming a crowd of tourists racing to the pool area to reserve sun loungers by the water.
Some can be seen running to the sunbeds and plonking down their belongings, while others fling their towels onto the seats in front of them.
Do you think there should be stricter rules to prevent sunbed wars? Vote in our poll HERE to have your say.
Thomas Clifford, who captured the video, said: "I couldn’t believe it! People were sniping by throwing their towels off the top of the stairs. I felt sorry for the poor man trying to clean the pool as everyone stampeded him!"
As a means of levelling the playing field so it isn't just early birds who catch the lounger shaped worm, hotels have kept pool areas closed until a certain time of the morning.
Necessity being the mother of invention, some people - presumably Brits given the expert queuing technique on show - have started lining their towels up outside the swimming zone overnight.
"In an effort to control the sunbed madness, the door from the hotel to the pool area was kept locked until 8am," holidaymaker Geoff told The Mirror.
"So people were lining their towels up on the floor in a queue order by the door before it opened. I must add this wasn't youngsters, but mostly elderly and middle-aged people."
Geoff was visiting a four star hotel in the Camp de Mar region of Majorca, Spain when he witnessed the technique being deployed.
"The towel line actually went back much further (than the picture shows) and the owners were seated on the sofas just out of sight, ready to fly outside when the door was unlocked," he continued.
