I am a recent grad looking to branch out a bit with my running and this morning I stumbled across a niche sport that sounds really sweet. It is called CaniCross or Cani-XC, and basically it is a race where a dog is harnessed like a sled dog but he or she is only pulling a single runner.
Here is a good intro:
http://www.cani-cross.co.uk/cc_whatis.shtml
I am still somewhat serious with my running (hope to break 14 this spring) but I am not above giving this a try. I found results from an xc course in wales where the winner "ran" 13:17 for 4.9k, which is about a 13:34 for 5k. Here are the results: {http://cani-cross.co.uk/results177.php} and here is the Belgian dude who won: {http://www.all-athletics.com/node/434033}. Apparently his dog took over a minute off his 5k PR, which is also a track PR compared to an xc time.
This sounds like such a blast to a runner/dog lover like myself that I am about to go out and get a retired Iditarod champ and see if I can convert him into more of a mid-distance guy rather than a 1000+ mile racer. Or maybe I will look for a retired Greyhound and try to move him up to 5k/10k.