“And what happens when the prize isn’t worth it?”
He opened his eyes wide, astonished at her denseness. “It’s never worth the effort! Never! That’s not why we do it, any of us. When they harness us up to do our seven laps of the course, we race against ourselves. What other challenge could there be for a Gaius Marius? He’s the best horse in the field. So he races against himself. So do I. I can do it. I’m going to do it! But it only really matters to me.”