Adapted by Aaron Rosenberg

First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Children’s Books 2017

HarperCollins Children’s Books is a division of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd,

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Text copyright © Dion Leonard 2017

Cover design copyright © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2017

Photographs reproduced by Hermien Webb, reproduced courtesy of KAEM

Dion Leonard asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Source ISBN: 9780008244521

Ebook Edition © 2017 ISBN: 9780008244538

Version: 2017-05-09

To all dog lovers:

no matter where life takes you,

your dog will always be there for you.

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Picture Section

Keep Reading …

About the Publisher

ey, check out the dog!” a man shouted from somewhere in the crowd. “Maybe it’s here for the race!”

“Is that right, girl?” another man asked, bending down to scratch her behind the ears. “Are you here to run with us?”

The dog didn’t know what to make of all this. There were a lot of people, more than she would have expected out here away from town and right on the edge of the desert. Most of them were dressed funny, but they were nice. Many of the runners stopped to pet her, and more than a few gave her scraps of food.

She was hungry. She was always hungry. She couldn’t remember a time when she hadn’t been hungry. These people seemed to like her, and when she danced around them they fed her. So she danced. And got fed. And everyone was happy.

Then she saw him. He wasn’t feeding her. He wasn’t laughing or shouting. He wasn’t even standing with most of the other people. He was off to the side, shifting back and forth on his big feet. He was tall and skinny, and dressed all in bright yellow. He looked funny, but he wasn’t smiling.

The dog didn’t know what to make of this tall man. But she decided that she wanted to find out more about him.

“Well, hello there,” Dion Leonard muttered, glancing down at the small bundle of sandy-coloured fur bounding around his feet. “Where did you come from?”

She wasn’t a very big dog, he noticed. She was small and compact, and she had big dark eyes and tufts of fur around her mouth that made it look like she had a moustache and beard. He’d seen her with a bunch of the other runners earlier, doing tricks for food. But for some reason she’d singled him out.

It was probably his gear. Dion’s running clothes and even his shoes were all bright yellow. He knew he probably looked like a neon light.

He reached down and patted the dog, but he didn’t have time to give her too much attention. Today’s portion of the race was about to start, and he needed to be ready.

This six-stage ultra race would stretch over seven days and cover almost 155 miles. Dion had never been to China before, but he had done other multi-stage races like this. He used to be good at them. Then he’d hurt his leg. It had been a while since he’d entered a race, and he was worried. This was his last chance, he figured. If he didn’t do well in this race, he might as well just quit completely.

He didn’t want to quit though. He wanted to compete well – not necessarily to come in first, he wasn’t expecting that, but to make it into the top handful, at least. Even placing fourth would be enough to show that he could still do this.

Yesterday had been the first day and he had come in third, so that was an excellent start. But in order to stay in that top handful, he needed to concentrate. And that meant not spending any more time with somebody’s dog, no matter how cute she was.

“Better get back to your owner now,” he murmured, leaning over to pet her one last time. She looked up at him with those big eyes, almost like she understood him, and barked once. But she didn’t go away.

“Take your positions!” one of the race organisers shouted. Everyone tensed and moved to the starting line, completing final stretches. Dion was already done with all of that. He just made sure his shoes were tied tight and his backpack was securely on, and concentrated on the path up ahead. Little pink flags marked the way.

The starting gun sounded, and they were off! Dion didn’t try to push past people. This wasn’t that kind of race. You had to keep up a good pace, but it was more about endurance than bursts of speed. He knew enough to pace himself. The racers who sprinted out in front now would be worn out later. He had plenty of time.

He concentrated on his footing and his pace but was startled when a small blur appeared by his feet. It was the dog! She hadn’t gone away, and now she was running alongside him! Her little legs moved fast, but she was keeping pace.

Despite himself, Dion laughed. “All right,” he told her. “If you want to come with me, you can. As long as you can keep up.”

The dog barked in response. And kept right on running.

This is fun! the little dog thought. The bright yellow man was nice after all – he’d pet her and he’d talked to her, and he’d laughed when she started running with him. She liked to run. It was nice to feel the fresh air and watch the ground speeding by beneath her feet. He seemed to like it too. So she settled in and ran with him. They ran together.

A lot of runners listened to music when they ran. Dion didn’t most of the time – he preferred to keep his eyes and ears open. But he did get lost in his thoughts. A part of his brain concentrated on his footing, and the path, and the sun overhead, and the other runners. But a lot of him just tuned out. He thought about his wife Lucja back in Edinburgh, his job, his friends, his family. It helped the time pass quickly.

He wasn’t too surprised when he glanced down at one point and didn’t see any sign of the dog. She must have got bored or tired or distracted and decided to quit. That was fine. It had been nice having someone to run with, but Dion wasn’t here to make friends, even with a dog.

He was here to compete at his best. And now that he didn’t have to worry about tripping over the dog, he picked up his pace even more.

Time to get serious about this race.

Dion wasn’t sure how much time had passed – maybe an hour, maybe two – when he noticed a shadow near his feet again. The dog was back! He hadn’t heard her return, but she fell back into step beside him like she’d never been away.

“Welcome back,” he told her, and she barked once. She didn’t seem to mind the new pace either. For such a little dog, she was fast! And she had stamina too. They’d already been out here for hours, and it was hot, with no shade around for miles. Dion didn’t mind, and apparently the dog didn’t either. That was fine. “Let’s keep moving,” he told her, and she just wagged her tail in response.

The dog stayed with him for a while after that. Then the trail led across a small creek. It was about three feet wide, and Dion jumped across without even slowing down. The dog didn’t follow though. Her legs were much too short to jump that distance. And the water that ran through the creek was much too fast for her to wade across. Instead she sat down and barked at him, like she was calling for him to stop. Then she whimpered a bit too. She sounded so sad!

Dion didn’t stop, though. He couldn’t. He had a race to run, and she wasn’t even his dog! Instead he just put her out of his mind and concentrated on running.

Dion had only covered a few feet when the barking and whimpering stopped. Then, not ten minutes later, he saw a flash of brown and the dog was back by his side again. She must have jumped the creek after all, he thought. Or somehow gone around.

Dion laughed. “Determined little thing, aren’t you?” he asked. She barked in reply.

When he reached the next checkpoint, people cheered him on. But they cheered the dog even more! “There’s that dog again!” they shouted.

The dog wagged her tail and barked happily at the people. They were excited to see her, and she was happy to see them too. Someone gave her some food, and someone else gave her some water.

But she never let the man in yellow out of her sight. There was something about him, something she really liked. He was special.

He sat for a few minutes, talking to some of the other people. But when he rose to his feet and headed out of the tent, she followed. And when he started to run again, she was right beside him.

Dion had to admire the little dog. She didn’t know when to quit! Well, neither did he. The path led up into the mountains, which was tough. Then back down, which was even tougher because he had to worry more about keeping his balance and not falling. He could feel himself getting tired, but he refused to stop or slow down. One of the other runners, Tommy Chen from Taiwan, was out in front. He was really popular, and everyone figured he’d win. He’d come in first yesterday. Another guy, Julian from Romania, had come in second. Dion had been third. Not bad for the first day and his first race back. But Tommy, Julian, and another runner, Zeng from China, were all ahead of him already. Still, Dion managed to come in a close fourth. He was happy with that. It meant he was still in third place overall.

The dog had been right beside him when he crossed the day’s finish line. Even Tommy had noticed. “That dog, man!” he told Dion. “It’s been following you all day!”

“Has it had any water?” one of the volunteers asked.

Dion frowned. “I have no idea,” he admitted. “Maybe it drank at some of the streams on the way.” Someone set out a small bucket of water, and the dog practically attacked it. Dion felt a little bad about that. Still, it wasn’t like she was his dog.

When he started to move away, the dog looked up from the water. Then she trotted over to him. And that was that. She followed him to the tent he’d been assigned for the race and went inside with him. He’d brought an inflatable mattress with him – normally he wouldn’t have, because you had to carry all of your own gear, but he hadn’t wanted to risk hurting his leg again. Now the dog watched as he blew it up, then hopped up onto it as soon as Dion sat down.

Shaking his head, Dion pulled out a packet of nuts and dried meat. You had to carry your own food too. He was about to pop a piece of meat in his mouth when he stopped.

She was watching him intently. But she wasn’t begging. She hadn’t whimpered once, other than back at the creek. And as far as he knew, she hadn’t eaten anything all day.

“Here you go,” he said, tossing the meat in front of her. She wolfed it down and wagged her tail. Then she turned around a few times and settled down. Within seconds she was snoring, fast asleep.

“Great,” Dion muttered. “Just what I need, another roommate.” He was sharing the tent with several other runners, and three of them had stayed up all last night talking. Now he had the dog to deal with too. And she snored!

But he couldn’t bring himself to shoo her away. She’d run hard the whole day, after all. He couldn’t blame her for being tired. And if some soft snores were the worst she did all night, well, he could live with that.

he next morning, Dion smiled down at the little dog prancing around his feet. “You ready?” he asked. She barked in reply.

She’d been curled up beside him when he woke up this morning. “You know what you’ve got to do now, don’t you?” Richard, one of the other runners, asked him.

“What?” Dion replied.

Richard had smiled. “You’ve got to give her a name.”

Dion had groaned at that. She wasn’t his dog! But she did seem to have attached herself to him. And he couldn’t just keep thinking of her as “dog”. Richard was right. She needed a name. But what name?

It should be short, he thought; long names just got shortened anyway. It should be fun and playful but not silly. It should suit her. And it should have something to do with the race, maybe.

Then he had it. Part of this race led through the Gobi Desert. And that was the perfect name for her. Gobi.

Gobi was excited. Now she had a name! And the man had given it to her! And he’d fed her and let her curl up beside him to sleep. This was so great!

And now it was daytime again, the sun was out, and it was nice and warm, and they were about to run some more! She couldn’t wait!

She was so excited she actually wandered away for a little bit. There were lots of other runners, and many of them said hi to her and petted her. Some even fed her or gave her water. It was really nice.

But once the race got underway, Gobi went looking for one runner in particular. A tall one all in yellow. She found him after a little bit, and he smiled when he saw her.

Then they started running together again.

Dion was surprised at how happy he was to see Gobi return. He’d thought she’d got tired of him or found her owner, or something else. But here she was, running alongside him like she’d never left.

Today’s race led through a bunch of boulders. The footing was tricky because the rocks shifted around beneath your feet. You had to be careful if you didn’t want to get hurt.

Dion slowed a little as he reached the boulders. Gobi didn’t. She was light enough that she could leap from rock to rock without a problem.

Julien was the same way. Dion had seen him leap from rock to rock the day before. Today Dion had made sure to be in front before they got to the boulders, because he knew he’d lose some time once they reached that section. Sure enough, he soon heard Julien coming up behind him.

But when Dion got to the top of the pile, he stopped. He could see for miles from up here. There was the next checkpoint, way ahead, just past a small village. There was the starting line, way behind them. There was the path from here to the village – it was nice and flat and straight, and they’d been running on that until the markers had led them up here.

And there was one runner, flying down another path.

It was Tommy.

“Whoa,” Julien said from beside Dion. “Not right.”

When Dion reached the checkpoint, he stopped and found one of the race organisers. “Tommy somehow skipped that whole rocky section back there. I don’t know if he did it deliberately or not, but it’s not fair.”

The woman raised her eyebrows. “We’ll look into it,” she said.

Dion still wasn’t sure the organizer believed them, but he’d done all he could do. Time to get back in the race.

Tommy was way ahead, but the race path curved a bit. At one point, he and Dion were maybe half a mile apart.

Dion assumed Tommy had seen him and would slow down but Tommy continued running fast ahead and didn’t stop for Dion so that they could run together as they had before Tommy had gone another way.

Dion tried to catch Tommy. The gap was too big, though. All that happened was that Dion wore himself out, and Julien shot past him.

Dion was mad at himself. He’d had this problem before. He got angry, and then he got careless. During his first ultra race he’d got so angry he’d actually quit the race partway through. He was starting to feel that same way now. Usually his wife was there to help him get over his anger, but she was back in Scotland. Dion was all alone.

Then he glanced down at Gobi, still running beside him. He smiled. No, he wasn’t alone. And having that little dog there was enough to take his mind off chasing Tommy down – and everything else. Just having Gobi with him was enough to keep Dion going.

This race wasn’t over yet.

obi was happy. The sky was clear, the weather was warm, the ground was firm beneath her feet, and she and the man were running together. From time to time he would look over at her and smile. The warmth of that smile was even brighter than the sun beating down on them, but in a good way. It filled Gobi up.

Then she heard a strange rushing sound up ahead. What was that? Whatever it was, it was getting closer!

Dion heard it before he saw it. It was the rapid beat of running water. He could tell from the noise that this wasn’t another creek. No, this was something a whole lot bigger and faster. Sure enough, as he topped the next rise, he spotted a broad expanse ahead. It was a river! Dion had no idea how deep it was, but the race markers led right across, so he had to assume he’d be able to make it across as well.

With a sigh, he shifted his bag higher on to his back. All of his food was in there – if that got wet, he’d be in real trouble. Fortunately his clothes were made to dry quickly, and he had covers over his shoes that kept out pebbles and things, and also made them reasonably waterproof. That was all he could do.

Drawing a deep breath, he took a careful step into the water. It was surprisingly cold considering how warm the day was, and he sank down up to his waist, but that was it. At least the riverbed seemed solid. He could make his way across, he just had to go slowly. One wrong step and he’d get completely wet. Plus he could hurt himself since he couldn’t see where he was putting his feet. This was going to take a while.

Gobi watched as the man plunged into the water. She wagged her tail, but he didn’t look her way. He was clearly busy concentrating. She sat down just beside the water and watched. Surely he would turn around and notice that she wasn’t with him. But several minutes passed, and he got further and further away. Finally Gobi couldn’t take it any longer. She began anxiously running up and down the river bank. Was the man going to leave her?

At the sound of her bark, Dion stopped. He always made a point of facing forward, always forward, during a race. There was no point in looking behind you, after all. It was just about what lay ahead. But this time he did glance back. Gobi was sitting at the river’s edge, barking and whining, anxious that Dion was going to leave her. It was the same thing she’d done at the creek the day before. She made it across that somehow, Dion told himself. She can do the same here.

Except this wasn’t the same. The creek had been only a few feet wide, and not much deeper than his ankles. This was at least a hundred feet across and waist-deep on him. There was no way the little dog could cross that on her own, not unless she knew how to swim. And if she could swim, wouldn’t she already be doing that?

Not my problem, Dion told himself. He was here for the race. That was it. He hadn’t asked for Gobi to follow him. That was on her.

But he’d fed her. And given her water. And named her. And he had to admit, he liked having her with him. She lifted his spirits.

And right now, listening to her whimper and whine as he left her behind nearly broke his heart.

“Oh, fine!” Dion declared at last. Turning carefully, he started to make his way back. The second she saw him turn around, Gobi was on her feet, tail wagging furiously, her whimpers changing to happy barks.

He was coming back! Gobi was ecstatic! She barked with joy and even pranced in circles as she waited for the man to reach her.

When he was close enough, Dion reached out one long arm and scooped Gobi up off the ground. Then he hugged her to his chest. The little dog lifted her head and licked his cheek, which tickled. Dion laughed.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re welcome,” he told her. “Now let’s get going, okay? Just try not to squirm too much. This is going to be tough as it is.”

And it was. Before, Dion had kept his arms out for balance. Now one of them was clutching Gobi instead. That meant he only had one arm free. He had to go even more slowly and more carefully than before. And he still slipped a few times, though never enough to go completely underwater.

Through it all, Gobi was amazingly good. She didn’t struggle at all. She didn’t bark. She didn’t whimper. She just snuggled up against his chest and watched as they slowly inched their way across the river.

Once they’d reached the other side, Dion set her down. She quickly circled him, barking and wagging her tail. Then she nipped at his shoes.

“Yeah, yeah, we’re going,” he agreed. He was tired from the river crossing, but he knew he couldn’t stop now. Especially not with Tommy already so far ahead.

Remembering what Tommy had done earlier was enough to make Dion mad all over again. But this time, instead of frustrating him, that anger gave him strength.

“Let’s go,” he told Gobi. “Let’s see what we can do to cut down his lead.”

She barked once, and when he set off she settled in beside him, matching his pace perfectly. Dion shook his head. He didn’t know where she’d come from, but this little dog sure could run!

The day was winding down, and Dion guessed that the finish line would be visible from the top of the next hill. He and Gobi had kept up a steady pace since the river, and he was pleased with their progress. Once or twice he’d caught a few glimpses of two other runners up ahead. That had to be Tommy and Julien, because no one else had passed him. But the path had twisted enough that Dion hadn’t been able to tell how far ahead they were.

Now, as he reached the top of the hill, he looked – and stared. What? he thought. There, past a series of small hills, was the finish line, and the tents beyond it. And there were Tommy and Julien, still only halfway there! How was that even possible? Dion had been sure the other two would have finished already.

But they hadn’t. In fact, they seemed to be walking. They must have used up too much energy getting across the river.

Which gave him an idea.

“Come on, Gobi,” he told her. He hurried down the hill, then raced up the next one. But he slowed just before he reached the top and moved as carefully and quietly as he could. He was tall and thin and dressed all in yellow – if Tommy and Julien looked back, they’d definitely see him. So he sprinted when he was out of sight, and moved quietly when he was visible at the top. And the other two runners didn’t look back.

The distance between them started to shrink. Dion ran down each hill and back up as fast as he could, then moved quietly across the top. Gobi somehow understood his intent, because she didn’t bark or yip at all. She was as silent as a ghost, though her tail wagged furiously. It was clear she thought this was the best game ever. Together they ran, and Tommy and Julien got closer and closer. But so did the finish line.

Finally, Dion crested the last hill. He was no more than a few hundred feet behind the other two. This time he crept down the hill as well, and together he and Gobi snuck up on the two runners, moving as fast as they dared.

Amazingly, Tommy and Julien didn’t look back. Were they that tired? Dion had had a lot of practice running in the heat – he was from Australia originally, so he knew all about hot days. Maybe Tommy and Julien weren’t as comfortable in the high temperatures. Whatever the reason, the gap between them kept shrinking. A hundred feet. Eighty feet. Sixty feet. Forty. Twenty.

Dion’s foot must have scuffed a rock, or maybe it was his shadow suddenly appearing near them, because Julien finally glanced back and saw him. Dion grinned. Too late!

He put on a burst of speed. Gobi barked and sped up to match him. Together they sprinted past Julien. Then past Tommy.

Dion saw Tommy’s eyes widen as they raced by. Tommy struggled to catch up, but staying out in front had worn him out. He just didn’t have enough strength left to match Dion’s sudden surge forward.

Dion charged past. He crossed the finish line first, with Gobi right beside him. The race volunteers all clapped and cheered. “That was amazing,” one of them told him. “You’re having a super race!”

Dion smiled and nodded. It was true. He’d come in third the first day and fourth the second, but today he’d come in first. That put him in really good shape. “I owe a lot of it to my little good luck charm here,” he said, kneeling down to ruffle Gobi’s fur. She barked and licked his face. “Isn’t that right, Gobi?”

When he straightened back up, though, Dion was all business. “Can I come by and talk to you later about what happened before the first checkpoint?” he asked the organiser. “I need to clear my head first.”

“Sure,” she agreed.

The organisers did take Dion seriously this time. It helped that other runners also confirmed what had happened. In the end, they adjusted Tommy’s time by five minutes. Dion thought it should have been more, but at least it was something.

Besides, he had finished first today. That was something too.

Dion wondered if tomorrow Tommy would go for the win from the start of the race to make up for not winning today.

Gobi didn’t seem to mind any of it. She was just happy to eat some of his food, drink some water, and then curl up beside him and go to sleep.

And Dion had to admit, he was getting used to having her there.

obi was sad. She barked and whimpered, but the man just shook his head. Then he walked away, leaving her with the woman holding her. The woman was nice and friendly, and she kept petting Gobi and giving her treats. But she wasn’t the man. Gobi barked again, but the man was already out of sight.

Dion had to force himself not to look back. It was for her own good, he kept telling himself. Today was going to be long, and hot. Gobi had done amazingly well so far, but there was no way she’d be able to handle the run today. Especially since there wouldn’t be any shade or any water. It was better for him to go without her. One of the race volunteers had agreed to keep Gobi safe today while Dion ran. She had also promised to bring the little dog to tonight’s campsite with her. But Dion still couldn’t stop hearing the sorrow and desperation in Gobi’s voice as she whined and whimpered and barked at him to return.

An hour later, Dion was still gritting his teeth. Only now it wasn’t because of Gobi. Something else was frustrating him – or someone else.

Everyone had heard about Dion finishing first yesterday, and he’d got a lot of congratulations from the other runners as they’d lined up that morning. Dion was feeling good, strong, and rested, and he took the lead right away. He had long legs, and they ate up the ground despite the heavy wind. But one runner was deliberately not passing Dion.

Tommy.

Running into the wind was hard. It took a lot of effort, and could easily drain even the strongest runner. But if you were running behind someone else, that person would take the wind instead of you. You’d be able to run more easily. It was called drafting and it wasn’t against the rules. The polite thing to do would be for two or more runners to take turns – first one ran in front and the others drafted, then they traded places. That way nobody had to fight the wind the whole way. It was more fair if everyone shared in the effort.

Tommy deliberately stayed right behind Dion. Not ten or even five feet behind either. Dion could practically feel Tommy’s breath on the back of his neck, that was how close they were. When he looked down, their two shadows were merged into a single long blur.

Which meant that Dion was doing all the work, the whole way. And Tommy was relaxing and saving his own energy for later.

All through the day, Dion stayed in the lead. And Tommy was right at his heels.

Then, finally, they reached the last of the day’s checkpoints. Dion was exhausted. And while he paused to drink some water there, that was when Tommy made his move.

Whoosh! It was like someone had strapped a rocket to Tommy’s back. When Dion slowed to a stop at the checkpoint, Tommy zoomed past. Now he was using all that strength he’d saved. And Dion didn’t have the energy to stop him.

Julien and Zeng appeared while Dion was still regathering his strength. They nodded at him but didn’t pause either. Instead they spotted Tommy up ahead and took off after him. It was clear that Julien and Zeng were hoping to catch or even pass Tommy, just like Dion had yesterday. Maybe they could, although Tommy now had a big lead – and fresh legs.

Dion kept running. What else could he do? But he was frustrated all over again. And he was wondering again if coming here had been a huge mistake. He was tired, so tired, and his legs ached and his head was swimming. Why did he want to keep doing this to himself? Maybe he should just quit. There was no way he could win, anyway.

But he kept running. He could barely feel his legs, and he felt like he was swimming through a fog. But he kept going.

Finally the finish line came into sight. Tommy was long gone. So were Julien and Zeng. Another runner had passed Dion as well. But none of that mattered.

Because sitting there patiently by the finish line was a small brown lump. And as soon as Dion got close, the lump sprang up into the air, unfolding as it went. Now suddenly it was a small, fuzzy brown dog, and it was running for Dion, tail up, tongue out.

And, seeing Gobi, Dion smiled for the first time that day.

It was Gobi’s presence, her enthusiasm, and her support that got him across the finish line that night. Without her there, Dion wasn’t sure he’d have made it at all.

Gobi was thrilled to see the man again. He hadn’t forgotten her! And he was smiling at her too. Once he’d finished running he scooped her up, and she covered his face in licks. He laughed, and then the two of them crawled into their tent to eat and drink and rest. Gobi had been well looked after that day, but she had still missed him. He was back now, though, and that was all that mattered.

ion glanced around himself. He kept expecting to see a small sandy-brown shape bounding about his feet, but there was nothing there.

It was his own fault. Dion made arrangements for Gobi to travel in one of the race cars again. Today was the longest day of the race, covering over fifty miles and cutting right through a section of the Black Gobi Desert. The temperatures were going to be well over 125 degrees. Tough as she was, there was no way the little dog would be able to handle that kind of heat, especially over that distance. This was for her own safety.

But that didn’t stop Dion from missing her.

The starting gun sounded, and they were off. A bunch of runners shoved past, trying to take an early lead. Dion let them. He wasn’t too worried. He was having a great race so far, but it was more than that. He was good at the long distances, and at handling the heat. Not everyone was. They were using up a lot of valuable energy by sprinting now, and they wouldn’t have a chance to rest and recharge later. Today’s race was all about being smart and conserving energy as much as possible.

Fortunately, they didn’t have any wind today, and Tommy was off running his own race and Dion didn’t see him after the start. Though boiling hot, the day was clear, and Dion settled into a nice, easy stride. He wasn’t worried about coming in first. The important thing was to make sure he could cover the full distance. A lot of runners wouldn’t be able to do that. As long as he reached the finish line today, he’d be in good shape.

Time passed. Several times Dion saw runners walking, already exhausted. Many of them stared as he jogged by. He just waved, but not meanly. A few even cheered him on, or clapped for him. He waved at them too. He was covering the distance well, and felt good and strong. He had this.

He also decided it was time to finally use his secret weapon – his iPod. The tiny device could only run for a few hours, so he hadn’t bothered with it before this. But on a day like today, it was the perfect way to distract himself and let his body handle the running. Dion pulled out the iPod, put in his earbuds, and hit Play. The music started, and he could feel his spirits lifting. This was exactly what he needed.

Dion did stop at every checkpoint. It was important to refill your water bottles whenever you could, and it helped to check in with the race crew. They were being especially careful today. It was much too easy for a runner to get heatstroke out here. If that wasn’t caught in time, it could become heat exhaustion, which was dangerous. When someone had heat exhaustion they got foggy. They could no longer make smart choices – including knowing when it was time to get help. People could die from heat exhaustion, so the organisers were making sure every runner was okay.

Dion felt fine, and the checkpoint volunteers quickly allowed him to keep going. But another runner wasn’t having as easy a time.

It was Tommy.

He looked terrible. He was slumped in a chair while several volunteers sprayed him with water or fanned him with a clipboard. But Tommy still looked dazed. He also looked more tired than Dion had ever seen him. The heat had clearly taken its toll on him and he wasn’t looking to leave the tent quickly. Or he was just having a bad day. But Tommy was still one of the people ahead of Dion in the overall race. If he wasn’t running well today, that gave Dion a chance to pull ahead.

Dion was listening to his music but still heard the volunteer ask him if Tommy could run with him. Dion agreed because it was what you did, looking after another fellow runner. Races like this were more about doing your best than about beating someone else. And if you did beat them, you did it fair and square. You didn’t take advantage of someone. And you never turned your back on a fellow runner in need.

Tommy nodded and rose from his seat. He came over to stand by Dion. He still looked wobbly though.

“Are you sure you’re okay, Tommy?” Dion asked.

“Yeah,” Tommy replied. “I’m just struggling. It’s too hot.” His voice was so weak Dion could barely hear him, and he was swaying on his feet. But when Dion started running, Tommy ran with him.

It was even hotter than before. Dion liked that. He enjoyed the heat. He felt good. Only Jax, Brett and Zeng were ahead of him right now, and Dion knew he could catch up with them. This was his chance to take the lead. He picked up his pace.

Tommy kept up, but it was clear he was struggling. Dion felt bad for him, but he didn’t slow down.

They reached a long and sandy straight section with no shade. “Come on, Tommy,” Dion told the other runner. “Let’s run the flags.” The pink markers were set in a line every fifty feet.

Tommy sped up to match Dion as they ran to the first marker. Then they slowed down and walked to the next one. They ran the next, then walked, and kept up that pattern for a while. The ground around them became more sandy and rose to form sand canyons. But the track was still straight and solid.

Dion increased his speed again. He was careful not to overdo it, but he was starting to cut into Zeng’s lead. He noticed that Tommy wasn’t running beside him any more. That was fine though. He must have decided to walk for a bit.

But a part of Dion worried about Tommy. Was he still okay? He slowed down, and finally stopped. Then he looked back.

Tommy was swaying on his feet, flailing his arms to keep his balance. He looked like he was caught in an earthquake.

Dion felt his heart sink. But he didn’t hesitate. He turned and ran back towards Tommy instead.

“Tommy, tell me what’s going on,” he said when he reached the other runner.

“Too hot,” Tommy mumbled back. His words were slurred. He pitched forward suddenly, and Dion just barely caught him in time. This was bad.

Dion checked his watch. They were a little more than a mile into this section. The next checkpoint was another three miles ahead. It was just past one, and the sun was right overhead. The day was only going to get hotter. And the only shade around was provided by some rocks maybe half a mile away.

There was no way Tommy would be able to make it back to the last checkpoint on his own. He could barely stand. He had also already drained both of his water bottles. They had only left the last checkpoint thirty minutes ago!

“I need to sit,” Tommy declared. He slumped down in the sand, right there on the path. “Can you wait?”

“There’s no sitting here, Tommy,” Dion warned him. “You’ve got to get into some shade.” He couldn’t carry Tommy back to the last checkpoint. But he did manage to drag the runner towards the rocks he’d spotted. It took twenty minutes, and Dion was exhausted by the time they reached the shade. Still, he didn’t have a choice. They couldn’t risk waiting for someone else to come along.

“Listen, Tommy,” Dion said once he’d sat him down. “You need help. I’m going to keep going to the next checkpoint and get them to drive back to you, okay?” He knew he could return to the last checkpoint, too, but he just couldn’t bear the thought of going backward.

“I don’t want to run any more,” Tommy mumbled.

Dion nodded. “I know, mate. You don’t have to. Just stay here and wait for them to come. Don’t move.”

Dion had one water bottle left. He handed it to Tommy, then rose to his feet. It was time to go.

Helping Tommy had cost Dion a lot. He’d lost forty-five minutes of his time. He’d also given away the last of his water and hauled Tommy and his gear around in fifty degree heat. That had used up all the energy he’d been saving, and then some.

But Dion couldn’t stop now. If he did, Tommy could die. So could he. He had to make it to the next checkpoint.

Half a mile from the checkpoint, Dion spotted a race car. The organisers used them to patrol the race, in case any runner needed help. He flagged it down and told them what had happened.

“You’ve got to get there quickly,” he warned. “He’s in real trouble. And I’m out of water myself. You haven’t got any, have you?”

The driver handed over a half-empty bottle. They must have handed out all their other water to other runners. It would have to be enough.

Dion made it to the checkpoint and collapsed into a chair. Then he told them about Tommy all over again. He also gulped down as much water as he could. He was feeling weak and queasy. His head hurt and his heart was pounding. But he was still thinking clearly. It was bad, but it wasn’t heat exhaustion.

After he’d recovered a little, Dion thought to ask about Zeng. He was surprised to hear that the Chinese runner was only twenty minutes ahead. He must have been having trouble in the heat too.

Which meant that Dion still had a chance to catch up.

But half a mile past the checkpoint, Dion started feeling funny. It was his chest. It felt tight. He was having trouble breathing. When he took a drink, it felt like the water was boiling inside him. He slowed down more and more. Soon he was barely shuffling along.

This was exactly what he’d been afraid of. He was having heart palpitations.

This had happened to Dion a few times before. It felt like his chest was going to explode. He felt sick, and dizzy. The doctors had said he was drinking too much coffee. But Dion had stopped drinking any coffee at all when he began training for this race. So why was he getting palpitations again now? Was it just the heat and the stress and the exhaustion? Or was there something seriously wrong with him?

Up ahead he saw another race car. Dion staggered towards it. They could help him – but only if he could reach them before he collapsed.

ion stumbled towards the car. As he got closer, the two men inside jumped out. “Are you okay?” one of them asked. “Do you want some water?”

“I need to sit in the car,” Dion replied. “I don’t feel very well.”

That was an understatement. He felt awful! His head was pounding and his chest hurt and his vision was blurry and he felt like he was about to throw up or fall down or both. But he hoped that sitting in the car’s air-conditioning for a few minutes would make him feel better.

It did at first. The cold air felt amazing. Dion just sank down into the seat and closed his eyes. He’d thought he’d never feel cool again!

When he opened his eyes again, he saw the car’s dashboard display. “Does that really say fifty-five degrees?” he asked.

“Yeah,” said the guy behind the wheel. Both he and the other volunteer were watching Dion closely. He knew that if they thought he couldn’t continue, they might force him to quit for the day. He couldn’t let that happen.

“Can I have the water?” Dion asked instead, pointing at a water bottle sitting in the drink holder. The volunteers nodded, and one of them handed him the bottle. It was so cold some of the water was still ice! Dion drank it down and ate one of his energy gels as well. Then he sat back and waited.

But he wasn’t feeling any better. In fact, now that he’d got used to the air-conditioning he realised he was actually feeling worse! His head was spinning and he could barely focus his eyes. The band across his chest was getting tighter and tighter, and each breath was a struggle.

“Come on,” he muttered to himself. He knew that he needed to get back outside. Every second he sat here was a second he lost in the race. But somehow he couldn’t make himself move. And just thinking about going back out into that heat again made his heart pound even faster. Dion discovered he was panting for air. Then he noticed the volunteers watching him in the mirror. He must have looked like he was dying!

For a second, Dion wondered if he was dying. But he refused to believe that. He still had a race to run, and a wife waiting back home, and family and friends – and a small dog he just knew would be sitting there at the finish line, watching for him. He couldn’t let her down.

To distract himself, Dion asked about the only runner ahead of him. “How long ago did Zeng come through?”

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