Cactus is a dog from Morocco who loves exploring his neighborhood. He sometimes even goes as far out as 25 miles away from his home, which is a quaint inn.
Karen Hadfield owns the inn and she makes sure that Cactus is always good when he is there. This is because most of the time, Cactus is out exploring the outdoors than staying inside the inn. He loves the feeling of mingling with new people, even if they are strangers.
One day, Karen learned that Cactus became a part of a marathon, the Marathon des Sables, and she wasn’t surprised. This marathon happens right smack in the Sahara Desert which is south of Morocco. The total length is 140.7 miles and it is known as one of the most difficult races ever, because of the sand and the heat.
The race is divided in stages and the runners are actually quite exhausted after each run. However, Cactus just doesn’t seem to be unfazed at all. He even goes to get cuddles and belly rubs. He would take shelter in one of the tents and it is a good thing that the organizers and the runners all love taking care of him by giving him food and water. The medical team also checks on Cactus to make sure that he is fit.
Cactus isn’t officially a runner since he didn’t sign up but he showed everyone that he can be a leader of the pack. The competitors even said that they think Cactus knows how to win the race and knows the best paths to run on.
Karen said that she just let Cactus be because this is something that he loves doing. She even prepared herself to go and pick the dog up after the race ends because she knows just how happy Cactus would be when he finishes the entire competition.
Source: euronews (in English)
