The context of the following conversation is After seeing he was in last place, Lee quickly began running.:
Lee says The marathon was tough today.  I didn't expect it to be this hot..
The friend responds It was a hot day.  I bet it felt even hotter for you because you were running..
Lee responds Yeah.  I was taking it easy initially but after I noticed that I was in the last place, I picked up my pace..
The friend responds That's great that you were able to do that..
Lee responds I didn't want to finish last so I pushed myself.  After a while, I got used to running in the heat..
The friend responds It's great that you were determined..