Can a dog run marathon in ~2-3 hrs?

[notfrommensa]

Assuming a dog was trained to run along side his Marathon running owner. Could the average healthy young-ish dog do it? given a chance to properly hydrate.

Obviously some dogs couldn't. My bulldog never could run 150 yds without passing out but I am talking about a healthy border-collie Jack Russell mutt.

[Elmer J. Fudd]

Sled dogs can do 40 miles in under 3 hours, so I'm guessing they could beat any human record over a distance of 26 miles.

[notfrommensa]

Sled dogs can do 40 miles in under 3 hours, so I'm guessing they could beat any human record over a distance of 26 miles.

:smack: How could I not think about Sled dogs :smack: Of course they are specifically trained for that task.

[John Mace]

Wolves and humans both use cursorial hunting (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cursorial_hunting) as a strategy to catch prey, so it's not surprising that our best friend (same species as the wolf) is also a long distance runner.

[CutterJohn]

Sled dogs can do 40 miles in under 3 hours, so I'm guessing they could beat any human record over a distance of 26 miles.

Not on a hot day.

[Ike Witt]

I am talking about a healthy border-collie Jack Russell mutt.

I now have an idea in my head to loose dozens of Border Collies in to a giant pack of marathoners and watch them herd the runners.

[Lemur866]

:smack: How could I not think about Sled dogs :smack: Of course they are specifically trained for that task.

Actual sled dogs--that is, dogs that pull sleds, not just husky breeds--get a lot of conditioning and exercize. If your husky has been sitting around the house all day he's going to struggle to run a marathon just like you would.

[John DiFool]

Also note that sledding takes place in cold temps-a typical 60-70 degree marathon day could lead to the canines overheating, unless they can get regular water dousings/drinks along the route.

[Shagnasty]

You happened to pick one of the few species that can run anywhere that distance in that amount of time. Humans and dogs have unusually good endurance running ability in the animal kingdom. That is one of many reasons why dogs are good matches for humans.

I believe that I read here that dogs and man are the only two species that can run a marathon that quickly. I welcome anyone to correct me on a list of other candidates. I don't think horses can beat champion marathon runners or sled dogs in a marathon for example just because they can't keep pace at decent speed for that long. Can dolphins or whales swim a marathon that fast?

I found an older thread on it with good info.

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/archive/index.php/t-539085.html

[Al Bundy]

Just like humans, a dog needs to train. The distance is not a problem. It's almost a given that the dog would train with a human running partner. The proof is that dog have run marathons around the USA. They used to run the old Detroit Marathon when it was the Victor Glance Marathon on Belle Isle in Detroit. With the international border crossing in the modern course, it's more unlikely except for a possible assist dog for a blind runner. They usually use a rope connected to another runner though.

If the dog is not trained and motivated with a partner, it may well just quit. That's what dogs do. And they have their own types of injuries.

[John Mace]

Watch out for those Kenyan dogs. They're the fastest! :)

[Otara]

That link of horse vs man over 22 miles is with a rider, and its a very close thing, first time a runner won was in 2004.

I suspect with the rider out of the equation, it would be advantage horsie.

Edit: Doh, helps to read a bit more of the thread.

Otara

[Richard Pearse]

That link of horse vs man over 22 miles is with a rider, and its a very close thing, first time a runner won was in 2004.

I suspect with the rider out of the equation, it would be advantage horsie.

Would it though? The rider has the advantage of knowing what the goal is and managing the horses energy to achieve the goal.

[Chronos]

Can dolphins or whales swim a marathon that fast?Of course, if we're going to be expanding the definition of "run", then almost all birds could kick any land-bound critter's butt.

[xoferew]

Would a horse need to train the way a human or dog would, or would a well-fed healthy horse that got regular exercise be good to go?

[Xema]

I believe that I read here that dogs and man are the only two species that can run a marathon that quickly.
The Pronghorn is probably well ahead of both. From this link (http://discovermagazine.com/1992/dec/thepronghornspro172):

Herds of pronghorn galloping across the high prairies of Wyoming can average 40 miles an hour for half an hour or more. If pronghorn ran marathons, they would complete the course in 40 minutes.

[Boyo Jim]

... Can dolphins or whales swim a marathon that fast?
...

Not on the streets of Boston, they can't. :p

[horsetech]

Would a horse need to train the way a human or dog would, or would a well-fed healthy horse that got regular exercise be good to go?

A horse would need aerobic conditioning specific to trying to build stamina, just as a human or dog would. For many horses, regular exercise is an hour or less of work including walk breaks, and 3 hours of sustained trot would be ugly at best.

Someone in that other thread compared the Vermont 100-miler - mostly run on gravel roads - to the Tevis Cup, which is run in rough terrain in the Sierras, so I did a different comparison. If you go to the Vermont Endurance Ride website (http://www.vermontenduranceride.com/) and scroll down, it states that the ride record is 11.5 h and the runner record is 14 h. At least for that subset of presumably well-conditioned horses and runners, the best ridden horse still outpaced the best runner over 100 miles on the same trail.

[Blake]

A horse would need aerobic conditioning specific to trying to build stamina, just as a human or dog would. For many horses, regular exercise is an hour or less of work including walk breaks, and 3 hours of sustained trot would be ugly at best.

Someone in that other thread compared the Vermont 100-miler - mostly run on gravel roads - to the Tevis Cup, which is run in rough terrain in the Sierras, so I did a different comparison. If you go to the Vermont Endurance Ride website (http://www.vermontenduranceride.com/) and scroll down, it states that the ride record is 11.5 h and the runner record is 14 h. At least for that subset of presumably well-conditioned horses and runners, the best ridden horse still outpaced the best runner over 100 miles on the same trail.

Is that 11.5 hours of continuous running, or does the clock stop while the horses are being rested?

Because I do not believe for one second that a horse can run non-stop for 11 hours. And if the horse is stopping for rests then of course it is going to win, it is much faster over short distances.

[Blake]

And to get back the OP, yeah a dog will handle a marathon easily. While I've never taken a dog on a marathon, I've taken my dogs and many of my friends' dogs on 2 hour runs many times. They have no problem at all keeping up. Even dogs that have had no training at all will handle a 20km run without breaking a sweat. These are animals that are built for endurance, and the ~10 km/hr pace of the typical marathon runner isn't going to faze them in the slightest.

However you do have to understand that dogs have real difficulty coping with high temperatures. If the temperature is above 30oC do not even think about running a dog unless you know it well, you can read the signs of distress and you are prepared to stop at least every 20 minutes for water. Above 25oC be very careful running for more than half an hour at a time. Once you now your dog, then the risk of doing any damage is minimal at lower temps. Most dogs will simply stop if they are overheating, and so long as you do not force them to run after that point they are pretty safe. A small number of dogs unfortunately will not stop, and will run themselves to death very easily. However even with these dogs you can get around the problem by stopping for a minute every 15 minutes or so if there is any doubt. If it is overheating, even the most boneheaded dog will refuse to start running again once it stops, and so long as the temperature is below 25oC you won't do any damage in 15 minutes.

Frankly I would be more worried about damaging the animal's paws on a marathon than about the animal not keeping pace. Most marathons are run on asphalt and concrete, and those surfaces are hell on a dog's pads when they are running.

[SCSimmons]

Frankly I would be more worried about damaging the animal's paws on a marathon than about the animal not keeping pace. Most marathons are run on asphalt and concrete, and those surfaces are hell on a dog's pads when they are running.
Introducing the Nike K9-Loper, the first running shoe designed for your best friend!

[Hbns]

Introducing the Nike K9-Loper, the first running shoe designed for your best friend!

Something like this (http://www.dogrunningshoes.com/?page_id=3&category=13&product_id=5)?

[SCSimmons]

Something like this (http://www.dogrunningshoes.com/?page_id=3&category=13&product_id=5)?
$80 looked kind of expensive, until I remembered that's for a set of four rather than a pair. :)

[Chronos]

Interesting... They have a picture of a dog, and they have pictures of the shoes, but they don't have any pictures of dogs wearing the shoes.

And no thread about animals in marathons is complete without a link to the definitive news story (http://www.onionsportsnetwork.com/articles/new-york-marathon-winner-tests-positive-for-perfor,2845/).

[horsetech]

Is that 11.5 hours of continuous running, or does the clock stop while the horses are being rested?

Because I do not believe for one second that a horse can run non-stop for 11 hours. And if the horse is stopping for rests then of course it is going to win, it is much faster over short distances.

Sorry to take so long. Looking at the FEI rules (the governing body that oversees many of these long-distance endurance events), it appears that time during stops is counted on the clock, but I'm not 100% sure I'm reading it right and I'm not 100% sure that particular event is run under FEI jurisdiction. In any case, even if you added several half-hour breaks, the fastest horse would still have finished before the person.

Also, in endurance events, horses are not running. The average speed for the winner above was between 8 and 9 mph, which is a brisk trot. They may well take walk breaks (and in some races, they have to walk in places to get through rough terrain) and use an easy canter in other places, but they are not cantering or galloping the whole way, just as marathon runners are not in a dead run the whole way.

Horses are built for being on the go constantly - wild herds may move many miles each day between locations for foraging, resting, and drinking, in addition to shorter bursts of higher speeds as needed. They are not as fast as quadrupeds who are built for short bursts of speed, but they are very efficient running machines, and trotting for long stretches is hardly a chore once they are in shape.

I wouldn't call it a cite, but this is an interesting article from Popular Mechanics (http://www.popularmechanics.com/outdoors/sports/physics/animal-kingdom-top-marathon-runners#fbIndex1).

[D18]

They have no problem at all keeping up. Even dogs that have had no training at all will handle a 20km run without breaking a sweat.

When can a dog break into a sweat? ;)

I was running the Seawall around Stanley Park in Vancouver once, and a guy about 100 meters ahead of me had a very tiny dog (maybe 30 or so cm long), and the two of them kept ahead of me for about 40 minutes, running about my pace. I eventually caught up to them when they stopped for a break and I said to the guy I was impressed that a dog with such tiny legs could run that long without stopping. They guy said the dog had run several marathons with him and that once around Stanley Park was nothing.

[Blake]

horsetech, thanks for the feedback. Looks like we still don't have the definitive answer. If you ever do stumble upon the definitive rules, please let us know.

Either way, I still think it's astounding that a 50kg animal with 3 foot legs is even in the same league as a horse when it comes to distance running.

When can a dog break into a sweat? ;)

Hmmm. Perhaps that wasn't the best expression to use.