BRIDGTON – Shortly after being taught the basics of the sport, people got a chance Sunday to participate in a biathlon race, an event which has been largely absent from southern Maine.

A biathlon clinic, taught by instructors from the Maine Winter Sports Center, was followed by a 3 kilometer children’s race and a 5 kilometer adult race.

The events, which took place at the Five Fields Farm cross-country center, were part of a larger series of Musher’s Bowl attractions put on by the Greater Bridgton Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce.

“I’m told this is the first biathlon in southern Maine since 1970,” said Michael McClellan, executive director of the chamber.

Biathlon combines cross-country skiing with making regular stops to shoot a rifle at targets. For every target they miss, they are penalized with a short loop of extra distance.

The clinic taught skiers the basics of the sport, including safety, taking position at the range, and how to sight the rifle, which they carry on their backs while they ski.

“Clinics are good because I think people are less intimidated,” said instructor Mike Yeo. “I do think if they keep promoting it here in the Lakes Region, it’s going to be a popular sport.”

Kristina Sarasteanski, a Raymond resident who competed in the biathlon in the 1998 and 2002 Olympics, said she was a high school cross-country skier who got started in biathlon through a clinic in Bretton Woods, N.H.

“It’s not an easy sport to get introduced to,” said Sarasteanski. “Not everybody has a range in their backyard.”

Sunday’s clinic started at the ground level. Instead of requiring racers to carry a rifle, the guns were set up at the range with an instructor ready to assist. Racers also only shot from the prone position instead of alternating between prone and standing, and were allowed to use a balancing block for the barrel if they wished.

The guns themselves were air rifles with five-pellet magazines, and the targets were placed 30 feet away. Yeo said professional biathletes shoot at targets 150 feet down the range.

Yeo said biathlon has been popular in northern Maine, and that the University of Maine at Fort Kent will host the Biathlon World Cup this year.

“It literally brings in millions of dollars in revenue,” said Yeo.

While a lack of biathlon ranges in southern Maine has made the sport a rarity, it may be seeing a comeback. The Southern Maine Biathlon Club was formed last year and is being coordinated by Joel Hinshaw of Freeport. Several children took part in Sunday’s race, and Yeo hopes younger skiers will become interested in the sport.

“If a kid really loves the sport, everything’s here for them in Maine,” he said.

While many of the participants in Sunday’s clinics had never done a biathlon before, they were eager to take part in the scheduled race only hours after their first tutelage in the sport.

“It’s a lot harder shooting after racing than during practice, that’s for sure,” said Jeff Latimer of Rye, N.H.

“I’ve always wanted to try it, but it’s never been accessible,” said Tom Gosselin of South Portland. Gosselin said his main sport is road biking, and he would be interested in cross-training as a biathlete if the sport returns to southern Maine.

Ted Hall, chairman of the Southern Maine Bill Koch League, skied in the race with his two sons. Hall says the skiing activities of the league include “tennis ball biathlon,” in which skiers must throw tennis balls through a hula hoop until they make five shots.

“Kids love to do something a little different than just racing,” said Hall. “I’m sure my kids are going to want to do it again.”