In the Mass start, all biathletes start at the same time and the first across the finish line wins. In this 15 km for men or 12.5 km for women competition, the distance is skied over five laps. The are four bouts of shooting (two prone and two standing, int that order). First shooting is corresponding to the competitor’s bib number, with the rest of the shooting bouts being on a first-come, first-served basis. As in Sprint and Pursuit, competitors must ski one 150 m penalty loop for each miss. Again, to avoid unwanted congestion, World Cup Mass starts are held with only the 30 top ranking athletes on the start line.
Starting in the 2018/2019 season, the Mass Start 60 becomes part of the International BIathlon Union (IBU) competition formats. The Mass Start with 60 starters does not replace the current Mass Start with 30 starters
biathlon 