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.
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.
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