Hi Leah, the simplest way to get into Modern Pentathlon without massive outlay is to look at competing in the 5 elements separately, so finding Laser Run competitions that he can enter ( as Kevin said, in Europe most events offer rental equipment for this exact reason and i would guess the US guys would to ) swimming is different as it is a 100m sprint so you can cover this in his normal training, OCR is what it is and you can get a great appreciating of the MP version by looking on Instagram like ours at Pentashot UK and other UIPM channels. Doing Biathlons, Biathles, Triathlons and Triathles will also prepare him for the hectic transitions which make MP such an exciting sport to do. The mistake a lot of people make is trying to start with MP when actually it is best to do the others first. I hope that makes sense and is a help./

UIPM do not typically air the qualifiers at these competitions, airtime starts in the semis. We attend most of these competitions and often provide Live streaming and reels of the OCR segment and then the final Laser Runs time permitting. You can join live on Instagram by searching Pentashot UK or catch up on the action with the Reels we save after each event. We streamed the ladies qualifiers yesterday and will continue to do so for the men today ( 10th June 2026 ) and you are welcome to watch, especially if you are new to Pentathlon and want to see what all the fuss is about.

Did very well to be fair, strong GB line-up and the 3 German athletes were really up for it! I saw some of his fencing and the Laser Run, good preparation for Cairo!

Alex, for perspective, most clubs will try and offer loan equipment at competitions and training venues to help people new to the sport or youngsters just starting out. As with any sport if your aim is just to participate then using loaned equipment will not dampen your fun but if you want to be competitive then you will need to invest in your own equipment. For example, if you want to do a fencing competition then hoping the organisers will have tons of kit available to borrow isn't a reality and as @Pablo Borceguin Jr says, it will always be limited. Same with the laser pistols, the training pistols are exactly that, good for training and learning the basics of Dynamic shooting but the elite athletes have pistols that are so highly adjustable that they become more than just a piece of equipment. I compete with an FLP15 v5 Compact with red foresight and a green rear sight, I like a single stage pull on the trigger and very light load on the sear. If I put my pistol down on a 30 pistol range and put a blindfold on I could tell you which one is mine. If you want to learn the basics borrow absolutely, but at some point you have to invest in the sport if you want to be competitive.