Massenstart

Massenstart, or mass start, is a competition format in which all competitors begin from a single starting line at the same moment. It is used primarily in endurance and racing sports and contrasts with staggered or interval starts, where athletes begin at different times.

Common in sports such as cross-country skiing, biathlon, road cycling, and long-distance running, mass-start events group a large field at the start. In cross-country skiing and biathlon, the field may include 30 to 60 athletes depending on the discipline and event; all skiers or biathletes then complete the full course from the same starting moment. In road cycling, most stage races and one-day events feature a mass start for the whole field.

How it works: On signal, all participants race the course concurrently. The winner is the competitor who crosses the finish line first after completing the distance. Since many athletes are on the course at once, pacing, positioning, and sometimes drafting play important roles, and congestion can influence strategy. Some events use seeded or rolling starts within a mass start to reduce crowding, while others keep a pure simultaneous start.

Variations and related formats: A "pursuit" or "interval" start uses earlier results to set start times, so the winner is the first to catch the previous leader. Mass starts are common in World Cup and Olympic events in skiing and biathlon, as well as professional cycling races, where teams coordinate efforts during the early and middle portions of the course.

Origin of term: The term is English but used in German-language contexts as Massenstart to describe the same format. The concept emphasizes simultaneous competition rather than time-trial style starts.