Marco,
First things first....
Hare Scramble/Cross Country:
Mass start - run flat out till ya puke or there is a checkered flag.
Course may be any thing from a 6 mile loop traversed many times to 40 mile loop done once, twice if you are fast & beat the checkered flag.
Enduro (pull up a chair, this is going to kill my typing finger):
Release start. Normaly 4 riders to a minute, but up to 5 not uncommon.
You are not racing any one but the clock. The object is to cover the ensuing 75 to 130 miles (broken into 2 or 3 loops) on a set schedule using pre-determined speed averages. There will be check points along the way that are normaly in unknown locations. You do not want to be early or late to these check points. The penalties for bing off your minute are 1 point per minute late, 2 per minute early, & a big fat D/Q for being over 15 min early. There are many rules that I am not going to go into here because we are not yet discussing full enduros.
Family Enduro:
Release start, same as enduro. The course is normaly 2 loops totaling no more than 75 ground miles. There are still hidden check points, but the speed averages are normaly so low that a steady trail pace keeps you on time. The first loop of a family enduro is normaly a little longer, but easier than the second. this allows people to "bail at gas" (this is still scored as DNF, but you still could winn your class) and still have a good ride for their $. Those who whish to continue are treated to slightly more demanding trails, but less milage with the same low speed averages.
These are short blanket summaries of these types of events.
A good thing to consider is how comfortable are you on that KX? For me 40 miles on a XR100 would be too much let alone 63 to 75.
As I recall your son on the XR80 rode the entire time at Hollister, pretty much non stop, so endurance should be okay. How does he react to new challenges on the trail? Keep in min Clear Creek is NOTHING like Hollister or Praire City. I used to tell people that my son can ride all of the Family loops no problem, But then I noticed that at 8 almost 9, he has over 6 years of riding experience & can ride all of the Troll trails as well as Jay's Way & Pete's Path at Hollister.
Probably THE most important thing to remember with Family Enduros is to just show up with a smile & never let it go. Sounds goofy, especially when you have no idea what is going on, but it works. Enduros & Family Enduros can not be correctly described hands off.
