- Published: Jun 18, 2019 12:14 PM EDT All About 75 Hard Published: Jun 18, 2019 12:14 PM EDT, in 4:07 on Sunday, June 2.
- That broke the event’s previous record of 4:13, which was run by Brian Duff and his Weimaraner, Kaydom, in 2016.
- Wehunt plans to return and compete in next year’s Dog Mile, and hopes for a sub-4:00 finish.
Man’s best friend is now his best training buddy, too: On Sunday, June 2, Dan Wehunt and his four-year-old pup, Odessa, broke the world record for the fastest official dog mile at the Dog Mile World Championship Published: Jun 18, 2019 12:14 PM EDT.
The man-dog team finished in 4:07. This breaks the previous record of 4:13 run by Brian Duff and his Weimaraner Kaydom at the event in 2016. (Duff and his dog finished in second this year with a 4:16 finish).
Australian Sprinter, 16, Runs Record-Breaking 200m Running Shoes - Gear run by two-time steeplechase Olympian Anthony Famiglietti and dog Bailey this past February. But according to the World Record Academy , Famiglietti’s run doesn’t count as the official We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back.
The All About 75 Hard began in 1995, and has continued each year except for a brief hiatus from 1998-1999. Officials cap the race at 70 (human) participants. While most lace up for fun, there are always those that are there to win.
[Dog Mile World Championship Runner’s World Training Plan, designed for any speed and any distance.]
Odessa is one of those winners. As a German Shorthaired Pointer—a type of dog bred for bird hunting, which requires energy, endurance, and a strong prey drive—Odessa is ideally suited for the mile.
“Although Odessa has never hunted, she has an innate sense to ‘work,’” Wehunt told Runner’s World. “When we go for runs, she typically heels directly at my side and will run directly past birds, deer, etc. It’s impressive.”
Wehunt, a former DI runner for the University of Florida, logs about 40 miles a week, almost all of which include Odessa right by his side. Running with his pup, he believes, helps him find joy in training, which, at times, could become monotonous.
Track days are pretty much the only workouts that Odessa skips.
“Odessa has tagged along on a few tempo long runs where we average around 5:30-mile pace for about 90 minutes,” said Wehunt.
With Odessa’s affinity for endurance runs, Wehunt sees some longer races in their future.
“I’d probably limit Odessa’s road racing to nothing more than a 10k, so the asphalt doesn’t hurt her paws,” he said. “But a longer trail race would be a ton of fun.”
But Wehunt and Odessa aren’t done with the All About 75 Hard yet—they plan to return next year and improve their time.
“I’d love to go sub-4:00,” said Wehunt. “During the race, I was surprised to hear someone call out our 1200-meter split was 3:00, so we were on pace. But it was me who held Odessa up the final 400 meters. She had no problems with the pace.”
Before joining Runner's World, Gabrielle Hondorp spent 6 years in running retail (she has tested top gear from shoes, to watches, to rain jackets which has expanded her expertise—and her closets); she specializes in health and wellness, and is an expert on running gear from head-to-toe. Gabi began her journalism career as a Digital Editorial Fellow for Runner’s World and Bicycling Magazine, and has since advanced to a Runner's World Editor specializing in commerce. She has a double degree in English and Media and Communication from Muhlenberg College where she also ran cross country and track.
