The relay is a four-person team speed event where each athlete tackles a section of the course: 7.5km each for a total of 30km for men and 6km each for a total of 24km for women. It begins with a mass start with the first skiers from each team. Each team member has two shooting sequences and three extra bullets (for a total of eight) to hit the five targets required for each shooting phase. The three extra bullets can be loaded one at a time.