It’s Man by a Neck in Desert Horse Race

U.S. runner Tom Johnson battled heat, sand and stray camels to outrun an Arabian horse in a 50-mile desert endurance race, finishing just 10 seconds ahead of the animal.

Johnson, of Loomis, Calif., 25 miles northeast of Sacramento, finished the race in the United Arab Emirates in 5 hours, 45 minutes, taking advantage of the horse’s need for a total of one hour’s rest.

“It was a big challenge,” Johnson, 42, said after beating Al Buraq, ridden by American Jennifer Nice. The animal is named after a winged horse that Muslims believe flew Muhammad from Mecca to Jerusalem.

Al Buraq is owned by Sheik Mansour bin Zaid, son of Emirates President Sheik Zayed ibn Sultan al Nuhayyan, who organized the event attended by 200 onlookers.