A stray dog ran with cyclists across China, following them as they completed a three-week cycling race across the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, covering more than 1,200 miles.

The small dog began her journey on May 4th, after Xiao Yong, a college student from Wuhan province, fed her, according to NDTV. The dog, nicknamed Xiaosa, or “little Sa” ran alongside the cyclists the whole way, showing more endurance than even some of the athletes, who stopped at some points to ride a bus instead of bike.

Xiao Yong, who now owns Xiao Sa, stated:

“At first we didn’t consider keeping it and thought it just wanted to follow us for a while. But it showed a very strong willpower and followed us all the way here. There is a steep downhill slope in Litang, so we made a cage for it.”

Xiaosa soon became the team’s mascot, and a national hero in China. ABC News reports that a blog one of the cyclists started, detailed their trip (reported to be a graduation trip among friends) and also the adventures of Xiaosa, attracting over 40,000 followers by the end of the race.

The Telegraph reported that some fans even nicknamed her “Forrest Gump” after Tom Hank’s character that ran for months in the movie “Forrest Gump.”

China Today reports that Zhang Heng, 22, also met the small dog on his graduation trip, which he spent riding to Lhasa on his own. He stated that:

“She was lying, tired, on the street around Yajiang, Sichuan province. So we fed her, and then she followed our team. We felt she might want to come along with us, so we decided to bring her along to the end.”

Heng stated after the race that that:

“I would like to take the dog home and take care of her. She has been a stray on the road for a long time. She needs a home.”

Xiao Yong now gets to give Xiaosa a home, after having her follow him and the other cyclists for 1,200 miles.

Stray Dog Runs With Cyclists Across China, Completes 1,200 Miles In 20 Days is a post from: The Inquisitr