Gobi | From This Is Love

Jonathan Goldstein (0:06)

PUSHKIN Hey there, folks in Podcast Land.

Kalila (0:11)

Am I one of the folks in Podcast Land?

Jonathan Goldstein (0:14)

You're actually one of the people who create Podcast Land.

Kalila (0:17)

I'm a world maker.

Jonathan Goldstein (0:19)

Someone's got to be pulling those levers and keeping the assembly line going. If I haven't already said so, I'm Jonathan and...

Kalila (0:27)

I'm Kalila.

Jonathan Goldstein (0:29)

And we're here to tell you, I feel like we're about to launch into like an early 80s rap.

And we're here to say, if you like Heavyweight, I think you might enjoy the podcast This Is Love. It's from the makers of Criminal and hosted by Phoebe Judge. It's another narrative nonfiction podcast.

Kalila (0:48)

And they look at all kinds of love between people, sometimes not between people. This is an episode that's about a dog and a person.

It's just really cool. I've never heard a story quite like it before, and I think our audience will enjoy it as well.

Jonathan Goldstein (1:04)

So in June of 2016, Dion Leonard attempted one of the toughest races in the world, a 155-mile ultra marathon through the Gobi Desert in China. At the start of day two, he looked down and saw a little brown dog chewing on his shoes. Dion and the little dog were about to embark on an adventure that would change both of their lives.

As the listener, as a podcast listener, you're about to embark on an adventure that would you say, I don't know, somewhat change your life? Everything changes a life, right?

Kalila (1:36)

It might, yeah. You're about to embark on an adventure with them.

Jonathan Goldstein (1:40)

That's right.

Kalila (1:41)

We're going to be back with a new Heavyweight next week, but we don't want to leave you contentless because we know how you get when you say, where is my content?

Jonathan Goldstein (1:53)

You get hangry for your content and we want to keep you content with the content. So strap in and push those earbuds into your ears, not too deep, and you can find This Is Love wherever you get your podcasts. Enjoy the episode.

Kalila (2:10)

Enjoy.

Jonathan Goldstein (2:12)

But first, some words from our sponsors.

Phoebe Judge (2:18)

When Dion Leonard is training for a race, he says he sets up two large industrial heaters in his spare bedroom. He wears the warmest clothes he has, and puts on a backpack loaded with 15 pounds of rice or sugar. And then he sets the treadmill incline as high as it can go, and runs for hours.

He does this to train himself to run ultra marathons in extreme conditions, like through China's Gobi Desert. In June of 2016, he took three flights and a long train ride from Edinburgh, Scotland, to a remote part of northwestern China. He says he remembers feeling exhausted before the race even started. The first day, he ran 25 miles.

On the morning of day two, he was gearing up to run 25 more.

Dion Leonard (3:08)

And I remember looking at my bag to make sure that everything's zipped up and the chest straps are done up tightly. And I'm looking down and making sure that I'm ready to go. And I look down and I see this little dog chewing on my shoes. And I start to yell out to the 100 other runners at the race and the race organizers.

Phoebe Judge (3:29)

The dog was skinny and small, some kind of light brown terrier that didn't look like it had been bathed in a long time, that had skin problems, no collar. No one had any idea where the dog had come from. People said it had to be a stray.

Dion was there to win a race, 155 miles over 7 days, with your food and water and supplies on your back. One of the toughest races in the world. I just don't understand how you run for so long.

Dion Leonard (4:02)

Well, I think sometimes I ask myself the same questions, to be honest.

Phoebe Judge (4:06)

Well, let's just say today is a Wednesday. How much will you run? Do you run every day?

Dion Leonard (4:12)

Yeah, I probably run 10 to 20 miles most days. Obviously, sometimes work gets in the way, but yeah, I probably do 60 to 100 miles a week in training.

Phoebe Judge (4:22)

So you will run 10 to 20 miles today?

Dion Leonard (4:25)

I'll do 10 today, but it's pretty wet and windy today, so yeah, maybe not.

Phoebe Judge (4:30)

What will be your pace for your mile today?

Dion Leonard (4:33)

Between six, seven minute miles. So it won't take me very long to knock out 10 miles. It's pretty flat down here as well, so that helps.