I had envisioned a special training for the Gazi Derby. With this special training, Grand Ekinoks would gain the endurance needed for the Gazi Race.
Grand Ekinoks has run all her races in Istanbul so far. Not all umamusume race only in Istanbul. Competitions are also held in places like Ankara, Izmir, Bursa, Adana, Kocaeli, and Diyarbakır. The Gazi Derby, however, is held in the country's capital, Ankara.
At the same time, the TJC Academy isn't only in Istanbul. In all the cities I mentioned, it's known that the TJC Academy trains the umamusume living in that city and provides dormitories where they can stay. There are even hotels built just for those who come to race.
In short, we needed to embark on a journey from Istanbul to Ankara for the Gazi Derby. Normally we could just hop on a plane and go to Ankara easily, but I didn't have such a plan in mind.
What I had in mind was a marathon. A marathon that would last several days. And a marathon that would cover at least 400 kilometers.
Grand Ekinoks would run from Istanbul to Ankara within a week. I knew that a umamusume who can run much faster than a human could easily cover this distance at a steady pace.
Of course, convincing Grand Ekinoks wasn't easy. To persuade her, I had to give exactly three promises.
The first promise I gave was, in fact, a necessity. I promised her that she would not train in Ankara at all because this marathon would push her body to its limits.
The second promise concerned the place we would stay. Although the hotels at the TJC Academy are free for trainers like me, unfortunately they need to improve in cooking skills. Because of my second promise, we would live in a rented house together until the Gazi Derby, and I would cook delicious meals for Grand Ekinoks.
My last promise was not, at all, a promise to win the Gazi Derby. Because I know Grand Ekinoks will win the Gazi Derby. Saying that about an event that will happen would be meaningless.
My last promise was quite simple. I would never call Grand Ekinoks by the name "Grand" during the Gazi Derby.
Thus I completed all preparations, loaded the things we would use on the journey into the rented car and finally strapped a huge flag to the top of the car. I didn't want to have an accident during this special training. We would also keep to the shoulder throughout the journey.
After honking the car horn, I stuck my head out the window to watch Grand Ekinoks, who was warming up.
"Don't forget. We won't run less than 80 kilometers a day."
If we roughly cover 80 kilometers per day, we would reach Ankara in about five days.
This journey, if told in one word, was a bit painful.
Running for hours at a constant speed with little chance to rest isn't easy for a umamusume, even. She complained a lot on the first two days. She insulted me a lot, which she had never done before. And she absolutely hated running on the highway.
In the evenings, after finding a corner to park the car, she would throw herself to the ground and try to catch her breath. I would lay Grand Ekinoks, who was too tired to even stand, into her tent after I set up the camping tents. She would fall asleep without even eating.
In those moments I didn't want to go back to my own tent, and I would gaze at Grand Ekinoks's beautiful face for minutes.
In the following days, I would push her to drink plenty of fluids while running, keep her going by honking the horn and endure the songs she sang with the amplified voice as she ran.
Before starting to run, I would push her to eat well to ensure she was well-nourished. On the last day, as everything had ended, I would give massages to her back, arms and legs in her tent. I couldn't even begin to guess how painful each muscle in her body was.
This wasn't just a week. No matter how much she complained, Grand Ekinoks looked incredibly happy. She wasn't the only one who was happy. I had more fun than I ever had.
Thus we finally reached Ankara, albeit a day late.