Ultrarunner races through desert while being followed by stray dog and takes her home
Friends are found in the most unexpected of places.
Dion Leonard, a season Australian-British ultra-marathoner, has competed in some of the most grueling races across the most challenging terrains.
But he wasn’t always alone.
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Running through these races that can span for days, a racer can often find himself running stretches of the race alone.
Somehow, Leonard found a kindred spirit.
What started out as a competition turned into a story of serendipity, resilience, and a destined bond that can never be broken,
It was the second day of a seven-day race.
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Leonard was running across the mighty Gobi Desert in a race of six stages.
Through the terrains of the Xinjian Uygur Autonomous Region, Leonard endured the temperatures and the elements.
It was then that a little guest popped out from the trail and closely followed Leonard.
It was a stray dog of a smaller breed – an animal that can be dismissed as one that just gave in to curiosity.
At first, Leonard didn’t mind.
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There can be random encounters on the trail and a little dog is way better than stalking wildlife.
They ran a section together
This surprised Leonard. He thought the dog would lose interest but here’s the dog, following him as he reached the end of the day.
When he settled down to rest, the dog stayed and rested with him.
The dog even climbed into his tent when it was time to sleep.
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Leonard named the dog Gobi.
He also decided to cross the finish line with her.
They continued soldiering on and all throughout the stages, Gobi didn’t show signs of slowing down.
He told The Dodo that Gobi could’ve dropped out of the race and left whenever she wanted.
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Instead, Gobi followed him to the end.
After 125 kilometers, they crossed the finish line together. At that moment, Leonard knew that the dog is coming back home with him.
As Gobi still needed to be quarantined, Leonard flew back to Scotland and prepared the necessary documents for her.
But things would not be as easy, especially when something unfortunate happened.
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Gobi escaped his caretaker
She was nowhere to be found.
Leonard said that even if they only shared four or five days together, he felt attached to Gobi as Gobi was to him.
He flew back to China and started a wide search.
They knocked on doors, asked questions, and glued posters on walls. It felt like forever for Leonard.
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And then, just as they were about to abandon all hope, they received a message saying they may have found Gobi.
Leonard recalls their reunion.
The moment he entered the house, Gobi was already sprinting to greet him.
She jumped on Leonard’s lap, finally ending the search that spanned days.
Leonard decided to stay in China until Gobi finished her quarantine.
Shortly after, the duo flew back to Europe where Gobi started his new life.
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The story captured the hearts of many.
Leonard wrote a book about his experience and how he and Gobi ended up together.
“Finding Gobi” became part of the New York Times Best Seller list.
A movie is also planned to be filmed to portray the amazing journey of Leonard and Gobi.
Leonard didn’t win that day but he knew he won something even greater – a friend that will never ever leave his side.
See the inspiring story of how Gobi and Dion found each other in the video below!
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Source: YouTube – The Dodo, Variety, CGTN, Instagram – @findinggobi