October 16, 2026

SVSU to host motivational speaker, author of ‘Finding Gobi’

Book recounts amazing tale of the extreme runner’s connection with a stray dog 155-mile race across the Gobi Desert

What happens when an extreme runner encounters a stray dog during a 155-mile race across the Gobi Desert? Dion Leonard, an ultrarunner and author of “Finding Gobi,” will talk about the experience that inspired his book, “Finding Gobi,” in a free lecture at Saginaw Valley State University on Monday, Oct. 26, from 7-8:30 p.m. in the Malcolm Field Theatre for the Performing Arts in SVSU’s Curtiss Hall. A pre-signed book sale will follow the lecture.

The Gobi Desert in China is vast — roughly 500,000 square miles — and sparsely populated, so when a small Chihuahua mix joined ultrarunner Dion Leonard on day two of a grueling 155-mile, seven-day race across the desert in 2016, it was surprising, to say the least. What is even more surprising is that the dog, which Leonard later named Gobi, ran with him for approximately 80 miles in extreme conditions.

Along the journey, Leonard decided to adopt Gobi and take her back to his home in Edinburgh. While Leonard was making arrangements at home, Gobi went missing in Urumqi, China, a city of three million people. Leonard returned to China at once and formed a search party to find Gobi. Despite long odds, the dog was found, largely unharmed. Following surgery and a four-month quarantine in Beijing, Gobi joined Leonard in Edinburgh.

The “Finding Gobi” lecture is free and open to the public. Doors open one hour before the lecture begins. This event is co-sponsored by SVSU’s Office of International Programs, Zahnow Library, College of Education and Department of Athletics.