Amazingly there were parents out there pacing kids and coaching them through technical sections!!!

Had I paced my kids just through the entire race, let alone the first 1-mile climb, it would have made a substantial difference in their races but that goes against my philosophy of parenting and competition in sports. I let my kids race their own races. At every race I give them a kiss at the starting line, tell them to "have fun and do well" and then ride to a difficult part of the course and cheer them on.