So, is there any dog able to do it? There's no question that a greyhound can break the men's world records from the 800m down to the 100m. But can a dog also run faster than 3:26, 12:37, 26:17, 58:33 and 2:04:15 in the 1500, 5K, 10K, half marathon and marathon? What about other dog species? Could Lassie or some other middle distance runner do it?
Well the answer my friends is YES. My daughter's rescue border collie, a female, can break all the MEN's world records from 100m thru the marathon. How about that!!! A female breaking all the men’s track/road records.
This past May we timed this 2-year-old bundle of energy in the 100m, 200m, and 400m. We carefully measured those distances with a calibrated measuring wheel on a long straight asphalt path. This dog broke Bolt's and Johnson's records without a problem. She ran 9.4 in the 100m, barely got the 200m record with a 19.2 and easily got the 400m record with a 41.2. All times were carefully hand-timed, but not FAT (we weren't that serious about this). And no, we didn't need to use a rabbit. Also, the dog did this after returning from an 8 mile run.
But more impressive is that this dog has unbelievable endurance and could easily run 100 miles per day. Without question, this dog would break the men's 1500m, 5,000m and 10,000m world records. Likely the half marathon record as well. The only question is would she hold up for the marathon. My daughter is a distance runner (2:40 marathoner) and her dog ran with her 23 miles one day without the slightest problem. But to make it a race against the men's 2:04 world record, she would need to ride on a bike along side her dog, and do this in cold weather so the dog won't overheat. Of course, frequent water stops are a must. Perhaps occasional chocolate goo as well. We’re thinking of calling Guinness Records people to see if they are interested in noting such an accomplishment.
There are other faster breeds of dogs, like greyhounds, but all have very little endurance. And other breeds with great endurance don't have the sprint speed of men at 100m and 200m. Border collies that are bred and trained to be real working dogs (not the AKC types) run about 100 miles per "day" when herding sheep. It also turns out that a few border collies are just fast enough to break the men's sprint records from 100m on up. As the distance gets longer beyond 200m, it becomes easier for a border collie to break the men's world records.
But I doubt anyone has tried to race a border collie at sub 2:04 marathon pace. A key concern would be to not push the dog too hard. But this particular dog has such a great combination of speed and endurance, that she could probably break 2:04 even if she took several 3-4 minute breaks during the effort. Before ever having this dog do a fast marathon, we would start with getting the half marathon record first. Then try a slow marathon and re-evaluate. This young dog runs about 150mpw, so it’s in pretty good shape. When this dog comes back from a long 15-20 mile run at 6 minute pace, she behaves as if she would like nothing better than go out for another 20 miler. Crazy dog, but that what many border collies are like.
No other species of animal (not even a doped up Bolt or Bekele) would be as fast as this dog across the range of distances from 100m to the marathon. The dog doesn’t want her named mentioned as she has sensitive feelings and can’t take the criticism expected to come from this message board crowd. But we’ll let you know the results if she attempts to break the 2:04:15 marathon record later this winter.