for the last three years, from New York to Arizona and from Oregon to Louisana. Leonard, 47, is an Australian/British New York Times Bestselling Author, motivational speaker and ultra runner. He and his wife, Lucja, have been living in the U.S. “It’s one of the world’s toughest races,” Leonard said, adding that in 2015, an American died during the race. Gobi then joined Leonard in the race, which isn’t an easy one, even for the most seasoned runners.

“On the first day, she actually joined two American runners – she ran about 12 miles with them.” “I’m actually trying to win the race I’m out there competing I’m out there to give it my best I’ve got sponsors I’ve taken the time off work – and this little dog starts to run the race,” Leonard said. During that week-long race, Gobi joined Leonard and ran 80 miles with him. Dion has tested, pushed, broke and set new limits across formidable landscapes from inhospitable deserts, high altitude mountains to wild jungles in which Dion along the way has rebuilt his mental and physical limits in search of the ultra-high, to find himself and to become the best he can be.That was the case when in 2016 a little stray dog, later named Gobi, came across Dion Leonard while he was running a 155-mile race across the Gobi Desert in China. Sticking to the ‘Don’t Look Back’ mantra, Dion became iron-willed with an innate ability to survive even the most unlikely and terrifying of situations and become one of the worlds top ultra runners going on to compete and complete some of the toughest and most extreme endurance ultra running races in the world across the planets most inhospitable locations. In his late 30’s Dion looked at himself in the mirror and realised he needed to make a change and he turned to running, long-distance running known as ‘ultra running’. Dion’s fight for survival led him to become overweight, alcohol-dependent and smoking more than a pack of cigarettes a day, all trying to hide the inner demons from his childhood.

‘Don’t Look Back’ were the words DionLeonard told himself at the vulnerable age of 13 when he left behind an unhappy, unstable and destructive family home for the unpredictable life on the streets with nothing and no-one to guide him.

Dion leonard and gobi