Could you provide a specific flashback? There are many in this story.
The sentence that contains words in italic that form a gerund phrase is C. Winning the race demanded speed and endurance.
The gerund here is <em>winning the race, </em>and it is used as the subject of the sentence.
The narration is almost entirely through dialogue.
Endure - tolerate
Prolonged - lengthy
Innumerable - countless
Sodden - soaked
