# Anyone else run races with their V's?



## Baja (Feb 17, 2013)

I just wanted to brag a little. Our pup is old enough for some short runs, so my wife has ran 2 with her.... and our V has won both events. 

My wife is a marathon runner who has almost qualified for the Boston Marathon in the past, she does long distance runs. She's not a super fast 5k sprinter by no means, but more of a machine that never stops. And this is why we bought a vizsla, the perfect long distance running partner. With that said, and since Baja isn't quite a year old yet, my wife decided to try some short distance runs that focused on humans running with K9's. 

The first one was called the Fido 5K. It went well, my wife and Baja got a bad start but made several passes along the way. Baja had to stop for a quick pee break, but they still averaged 7:40 min miles. Baja finished about 8 minutes before the 2nd place dog. 

The second one was called the Dog Jog 4 miler. They got a better start this time and even had some competition with another runner and his pit bull until about the half-way mark. Then the famous vizsla endurance kicked in and they ran away with another easy victory. Baja scored a "golden bowl" for her efforts and was the star of the show. 20 people must have asked us about her and what breed she was. Even the local owned pet store (that we always shop at) wanted pics with her after the event. It was a proud moment for us. I believe they ran about a 7:30 pace. 

Here are some pics. 

And if you're a runner with your V, please share your experiences racing! We would love to read about them. My wife is excited about Baja being mature enough to do some longer events, but it's not easy to find anything longer than a 5K for dogs and humans to run in.


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## Saltwater Soul (Jan 17, 2013)

Sounds like fun. I run with my Maddie off leash all the time. She is just over 1 year. I am quite confident that I would be the limiting pace setter in a 5K race. I would be just holding her back. She can flat out run.


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## MilesMom (Jun 21, 2012)

Miles and I have our first race together in September. It is a 50k! He is my training partner so I thought, why not include him in a race? 

We run him primarily off leash so we are traveling to the Bay Area to legally run him in a race off leash. All the dog races around us are leashed. He's going to love it!


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## Laika (Mar 3, 2013)

Milesmom, what 50k allows pups? My first 50k is in Sept as well--a run around Mt St Helens (pups not allowed)! 

I am signing up for a 20 miler in Central Oregon in May though, which Laika will run off leash with me 

I know the thoughts concerning running from some forum members, but my pup is not spayed, does longer runs almost exclusively off leash, on trail, and is old enough now that I feel confident her growth plates are closed.  Plus, I'm slow enough she gets plenty of time to " smell the roses" during our excursions


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## Baja (Feb 17, 2013)

Laika said:


> I know the thoughts concerning running from some forum members, but my pup is not spayed, does longer runs almost exclusively off leash, on trail, and is old enough now that I feel confident her growth plates are closed.  Plus, I'm slow enough she gets plenty of time to " smell the roses" during our excursions


My thoughts exactly. Before we did any real running, we had a talk with the breeder and the vet. Both gave us the green light. And a 7:30 minute mile is not a hard run for a vizsla, maybe more of a "trot" than anything, I'm pretty sure they could run a 3 minute mile.


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## Baja (Feb 17, 2013)

MilesMom said:


> Miles and I have our first race together in September. It is a 50k! He is my training partner so I thought, why not include him in a race?
> 
> We run him primarily off leash so we are traveling to the Bay Area to legally run him in a race off leash. All the dog races around us are leashed. He's going to love it!


That sounds like a great time! My wife ran an Ultra Marathon this summer and I'm sure our V would've loved being right there beside her! Although I'm not sure she would've liked the 110 miles over 3 days...lol But she loves to run!

I don't know of any off leash races close to where we live (Southern Indiana). I wish we could find some within a reasonable distance from here. 

Let us know how the 50K goes! And good luck with the training and race. I really can't run much anymore (25+ years of motocross racing has ruined my back and knees), but I know a LOT of hard work and dedication goes into these long distance races.


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## MilesMom (Jun 21, 2012)

We are doing the Tilden park race in Berkeley. I just emailed races in locations where dogs are allowed off leash and asked if Miles could come too!


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