How fast could a dog run a marathon

No chance. Not even close. That's pretty damned close to Bolt's top sprinting speed for 26.2 miles. Not a chance in hell.

Bolt is a human. Dogs are not humans. I bet a sled dog could run around an hour.

You're Not Thinking wrote:

I'm Thinking I'm Thinking wrote:

No chance. Not even close. That's pretty damned close to Bolt's top sprinting speed for 26.2 miles. Not a chance in hell.

Top dogs would be somewhere around an hour and a half.

Umm, think again. The dogs do it while running in snow, over hills, around trees, while pulling a sled.

What is Bolt's PR for 100m over snow on rough terrain, while wearing a loaded backpack?

Ummm, OK.

(1) No dog could come anywhere near one hour for the marathon distance.

(2) Bolt's PR over snow, etc. is not relevant in any way.

Thanks for playing though.

Wouldn't it be better if Bolt pulled a sled instead?

Also, what do you think a dog would do the 100m in? It isn't allowed blocks.

What????? wrote:

No chance. Not even close. That's pretty damned close to Bolt's top sprinting speed for 26.2 miles. Not a chance in hell.

Bolt is a human. Dogs are not humans. I bet a sled dog could run around an hour.

Which just goes to show how ignorant you are.

Not even remotely close. Not even in their dog dreams. Not even in any alternate universe within the realm of the possible.

Sorry, but that is just the way it is.

Around 1.5 hours for the best canine competitors.

Here you go, for all you dog fan-boys:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sled_dog_race_at_the_1932_Winter_Olympics

A 25.1 sled dog mile race was held in the 1932 Winter Olympics. Winning time was just over 2:10. The fastest time was 2:11:07 which is roughly the equivalent of a 2:17 marathon.

This is not with a hugely loaded sled over many days but a stripped down sled with a single driver designed for a 2 hour race (no supplies, no rest stops...).

Now if you want to think that they'd be a bit faster without the sled, sure I'll give you that. But if you think that they would more than twice as fast then I can only say that your dog-crush has completely muddled your brain.

I don't think they would be twice as fast, but I bet they would be significantly faster. At least the "freak athlete" ones would be. Just like humans, not all sled dogs on a team are created equal. Imagine if you had to run a marathon strapped to all your college teammates, over snow, while pulling something (which may be stripped down, but still probably weighed at least 200 pounds with the rider). I say a great sled dog could do 1:15-1:30.

Also they absolutely need to bring sled dog racing marathons back to the winter olympics.

At this years North American sled dog races, at the end of 3 days of racing (20 miler on Day 1 and Day 2), the winning team ran 1:29 for 26.9 miles. That's over rolling terrain and snow. Put them on a dirt road and Rotterdam conditions (50 to 60 F), and a well trained, heat adapted dog team, selected for endurance in warm conditions, pulling a wheeled sled and a rider would probably cover a marathon in 1:25-30, or faster.

It's weird that this thread came up again. I have an 11 year old English Setter who, just now, did 15 miles in about 57 minutes (it was with me while I was on a bike, obviously...) on soft surface, flat and 65 F or so. That includes 5 or so stops for water. He's waaay slower than he was in his doggy youth. I don't know about a one hour marathon, but two? Any dog who gets even semi-regular exercise and who isn't fat can break 2 hours for a marathon. Easily.

I had a Golden Retriever - bit heavy for a running dog that did a ten mile x-country (dirt roads) charity run with me without the slightest problem.

Had a Red Setter who could easily do 10 miles with me when I was pushing it, and that would include her taking all sorts of detours. It took absolutely nothing out of her. I've no doubt that she could easily have run a 40 min ten if you kept her focused (not easy with a Red Setter).

I've currently got a Chocolate Labrador that I found as a very young puppy dumped on a gravel road when I was out for a hill session. He's a working lab, which is a lot more athletic than the blocky show lab (he's got a waist like a greyhound) and can jump/climb a 5ft fence like nothing. He's a running machine and again would have no problem with a 40 min ten mile.

The caveat with all of this is that it would have to be in moderate heat.

Dogs aren't designed for long distance running.

They pant instead of sweat.

All this talk about dogs beating humans in a marathon is a joke. The dog very well might die, literally.

Daryl Basarab wrote:

Dogs aren't designed for long distance running.

They pant instead of sweat.

All this talk about dogs beating humans in a marathon is a joke. The dog very well might die, literally.

Actually, dogs are wolves. And wolves locate and take down prey by, you guessed it, long distance running.

Now, talk of a 1 hour marathon by a dog is just ridiculous. But many breeds could destroy the best human at a marathon as long as the weather was cool.

two words, dude: mala mute

I kid you not, we have a dachshund and that thing with 3 inch legs ran a 5:20 mile with me.

My wife said he could go sub 6, I sain no way in hell so we made a bet and went to the local dirt track down the street. He crushed the first two, trotted the second and destroyed the last lap.

On a side note we entered him in the Wienerdog National championships and he won $100. So I guess you can say I have a fast wiener. But if he can do that, certainly a sled dog can!

VoR wrote:

It would be very easy to find a dog capable of going under two hours.

A team of dogs pulling a sled can do 40 miles in around 2.20

http://www.isdra.org/Events/Results/Print_Event_Results.asp?Year=08-09&EvID=8

I think it's safe to assume they could be even faster if left to run on their own.

That was a wind-aided mark

Daryl Basarab wrote:

Dogs aren't designed for long distance running.

They pant instead of sweat.

All this talk about dogs beating humans in a marathon is a joke. The dog very well might die, literally.

Ummm, ever heard of Pheidippides? Didn't drink water on the first marathon. Croaked at the end. Aid stations hadn't been invented yet.

The Rocket. wrote: That was a wind-aided mark

Pics?

Wind aided for 40 miles?

You gotta have pics to prove that claim.

i must be the only guy in the world who runs with his cat. cats are built for both speed and distance.

Wolves can cover large distances and can run down deer. I don't think they would have a problem running a marathon. I used to take my doberman running all the time. I would do 7-miles and he would probably do 2-3 times that going from bush to bush out in the desert.

[quote]African dogs wrote:

Could a dog go under 2:00 hours.

Are people actually spending time and brain cells seriously pondering this? This site is become absurd. Letsrun.com has jumped the shark. Get a life people!