Luigi de Guzman wrote in message
. ..

"sure," i say. "On three. One....two...three!"

Luigi, you don't do sprints by counting down, the
art of sprinting is in the tactics.

You should have let her led out, and then with 50 meters
or so to go you come around her, if done right she won't
have any more to put into her sprint.

Anyway, with little kids you can always win by changing
the location of the finish line to suit you.