It's not that Howard wants to race, per se. it's just that he would rather lose a race and spend time with Zou than feel like Zou isn't interested in hanging out with him. Clinginess: this is how it's done.

"Alright, you see where the finish is?" He points towards it and drops to a sprinter's start. "On the count of three. One...two..."

He takes off well before the count of 'three'. Take that, Zou.