your last paragraph is spot on. On hot days dogs can get overheated really fast, some will shut down; my previous Pudelpointer would. Some won't until it's too late (and I mean too LATE). Think about running with a fur coat, I'd overheat too. Cold days are best. Water, better to have too much than too little. In general working dogs (especially sporting dogs) are better for long distance, but not all are, and some have issues endemic to hip problems, etc. One should do their homework, if running is an important criteria.

Mans best friend - and possible running partner (if you don't mind being blown away).

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I saw this on a white board in a window box at my daughters middle school...
List of what life owes you:
1. __________
2. __________
3. __________

This thread is hilarious.

Our dog is a swimmer/runner yellow lab. Favorite thing in the world is eating. Second favorite is retrieving his ball, in the water or in the grass. He'll swim/run until *literally* he can't stand up because he's so tired.

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king of the road says you move too slow
KING OF THE ROAD SAYS YOU MOVE TOO SLOW

TIL I'm part cat.

My golden was a badass swimmer/runner (and she loved coming with me on MTB rides). So she was basically a pro triathlete.

RIP Molly. :(

Don't overlook the Weimaraner if you're looking for a great running dog - and they can be incredible swimmers too. They're 'cousins' to the Vizsla, but slightly larger. We just recently lost our sweet Weim, Wonder at 12 years of age (pneumonia) - that girl could go all day on the trail and in the water. Once did a 17 miler with me at a decent clip (with a few water & pee stops - mostly for her) - she was good to go afterward (I was ready for a nap).

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"The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare" - Juma Ikangaa

http://www.litespeed.com

Him sailing off that step in the beginning slays me every time.

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http://mediocremultisport.blogspot.com

Eric I think the takeaway is a little different, but in the same vein as your comment. To me, the ability you describe in dogs is largely innate, but it also speaks to how sprint/olympic tris are now effectively different sports than halves/fulls. The former are all full throttle red-lining. The latter are about pacing, maybe some surging, nutrition, patience, etc. Similarly, my Yellow Lab will always be a better swimmer than an English Bulldog, regardless of how the Bulldog trains or eats, because of body mass, webbed feet and long tail. Vizlas and similar breeds will always be better long distance runners than Greyhounds, but Greyhounds will always win the 100 yard dash event at the Dog olympics, assuming they don't get distracted by a squirrel along the way. So I do see the innate ability as a factor, but the Greyhound/Vizla dichotomy is as stark as the sprint/Ironman dichotomy. Both are dogs / both are triathlons but to me that is where the apples to apples comparisons end.

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It is the mind itself which builds the body.
-Joseph Pilates

I understand your argument but OTOH, since 5K and 10K runs are still in the 'distance running" category, I'm not sure your dog analogy is on the mark, e.g. a "sprint tri" with a 5000 m run is not same as a 100 m sprint in track, not even remotely the same. You know the old saying is that fast 10k runners make the best marathoners, so why shouldn't the best Oly racers be the best iron racers??? Further, if the iron swim were 4.5 times the Oly swim (b/c the iron bike is about 4.5 times the Oly bike) or 6750 m rather than just 3800, it would be a somewhat diff race. And if the Oly dist had a truly run-equivalent swim of 2500 m, with the iron at 11,250 m, then the iron race would be a very different race. Of course, I know these are just pipe dreams and will never happen b/c then race directors would get too few entries. I just think it's sad that tri races are organized based on what distances will bring out the most racers, and hence bring in the most money. Of course, I understand we are a capitalist society but still it seems to me that sport should be above that. Every other "athlon" has a point scoring system such that events are evenly weighted, e.g., decathlon, heptathlon, modern military pentathlon, and XC skiing's biathlon. Triathlon should be evenly weighted as well. This is my sole point. End of rant. :)

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"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

I'm so glad you rescued the dogs..

interesting, my brother is about 15lb heavier and more muscular than me, always more a swimmer than a runner.. ha.

my dog will happily swim or run, just so long as he gets to go out.. when I walk 10 miles out hunting he does about 2-3 times that distance (by collar-mounted GPS) so I am sure he could run me into the ground over any distance.

In the middle of the picture, there is a V of calm water with a black dot at its apex. That's Artie, swimming out to fetch a pheasant..

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"It is a good feeling for old men who have begun to fear failure, any sort of failure, to set a schedule for exercise and stick to it. If an aging man can run a distance of three miles, for instance, he knows that whatever his other failures may be, he is not completely wasted away." Romain Gary, SI interview

That Artie, he's a hard running and swimming retriever!!! And with his own winter boots!!! :)

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"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."