Dates: Saturday 11 August – Sunday 12 August
Olympic Venue: Greenwich Park
Set in legend, the Olympic Modern Pentathlon is a series of challenges said to have been completed by a 19th Century French cavalry soldier delivering a message on horseback. During his journey this soldier encountered a number of obstacles that meant he had to ride, run, swim, shoot and fence just like the events that modern Olympic Pentathletes will have to complete in to win one of 2 gold medals at the London 2012 Games Modern Pentathlon competition.Elite Modern Pentathlon competitors battle it out in knock out fencing rounds, swimming 200m freestyle, riding unfamiliar horses over a long course and then completing a combination shooting and running events.With a Thomas Cook Games Break you not only get tickets for the Modern Pentathlon at the Games you also get the peace of mind of a great value hotel close by to enjoy a terrifc London 2012 short break.

Athletes must compete in five different sports, fencing, swimming, riding and the combined running and shooting discipline in one day at London 2012.
They first fence against every other athlete in sudden death bouts, before swimming (200m freestyle) and riding (jumping over a 12-jump course) with a score being earned in each individual event.
After the first three competitions, the athletes’ total scores are converted into a time handicap, which determines the starting times for the combined running and shooting, where athletes run a short distance to the shooting range and aim to hit a target five times in 70 seconds.
They then run 1,000m, shoot a further five targets, run another 1,000m and shoot another five targets before running a final 1,000m to the finish line. The winner is the individual who crosses the line first.