Being the last event, the running has major significance and constitutes the last chance for athletes to catch up on possible point losses sustained in the previous events.

This event consists of a cross-country race conducted on an uneven terrain or on a public road and over a distance of 3 km (3,000 m) for both men and women.

Completing this course within 10 minutes and zero seconds for men, and within 11 minutes and 20 seconds for women adds 1,000 points to the overall score of the athlete.

The starting order of the running event is arranged based on the handicap system, according to which the score of the athletes after the first four Pentathlon sports is totalled up, and the differences in their standings are converted into different starting times.

This procedure is followed because the order in which the athletes finish is also the final standing in the competition.

This handicap starting system was adopted for two main reasons.

Firstly, spectators can directly assess the finishing order.

Secondly, the athletes are motivated to overtake as many competitors as they can, since they are competing against their opponents and not just the clock.

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