When he signed up for a grueling 7-day marathon through the Gobi Desert, ultra-runner Dion Leonard thought the only thing he would end up taking back home with him would be a medal. But he got so much more – a cute, furry friend that ran alongside him for 125 kilometers of the 250-kilometer race.
Leonard remembers seeing Gobi the stray dog hanging around the runners’ camp on the first day of the Gobi March. When the race started, the tiny dog, which turned out to be just 18 months old, decided to join them and managed to keep up the pace despite the harsh terrain. On the second day, Gobi started running with Dion and the two of them became inseparable. “Once we had begun the stage Gobi seemed to like the bright yellow color of my gaiters and proceeded to run next to me,” the 41-year-old British runner told 4 Deserts. “When she came into camp she followed me straight into my tent, laid down next to me and that was that – a bond had been developed.”
Over the space of a week, Gobi ran alongside Leonard for four of the six stages of the desert marathon. “She would run ahead of me and wait for me 20 or 30 meters down the road and then I’d have to catch up with her,” the runner said. “She’s such a small dog but has a massive heart.” At one point he had to carry her in his arms through a river, as it was to wide for her to cross, and even though it meant losing precious seconds that could cost him the race, he realized he just had to take her with him. More + photos...
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Leonard remembers seeing Gobi the stray dog hanging around the runners’ camp on the first day of the Gobi March. When the race started, the tiny dog, which turned out to be just 18 months old, decided to join them and managed to keep up the pace despite the harsh terrain. On the second day, Gobi started running with Dion and the two of them became inseparable. “Once we had begun the stage Gobi seemed to like the bright yellow color of my gaiters and proceeded to run next to me,” the 41-year-old British runner told 4 Deserts. “When she came into camp she followed me straight into my tent, laid down next to me and that was that – a bond had been developed.”
Over the space of a week, Gobi ran alongside Leonard for four of the six stages of the desert marathon. “She would run ahead of me and wait for me 20 or 30 meters down the road and then I’d have to catch up with her,” the runner said. “She’s such a small dog but has a massive heart.” At one point he had to carry her in his arms through a river, as it was to wide for her to cross, and even though it meant losing precious seconds that could cost him the race, he realized he just had to take her with him. More + photos...
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