Nova is the perfect mix of everything you would want in an adventure dog. She has been on the trails since she was 4 months old. She is lightning fast, I have clocked her running at 45km/h on the trails using an older GPS watch. She has completed numerous ultra distance efforts, one being the Rockwall Trail a 56km 2400m elevation trail here in the Canadian Rockies. We are scheming on how to safely complete a 100 miler in 2024. Stay tuned!

How far does Nova typically run with you?

Nova runs nearly all of my weekly mileage with me during peak training anywhere from 70-100km/week. Her longest run to date was 56km and nearly 2500m of elevation.

Does she look for animals on the trails?

She is the definition of squirrel happy. Although I can call her off 99% of the time as her recall is amazing. She is a birding breed after all so that instinct was hard to tame.

Does she wait for you at the door and look at you when it’s time to run?

As soon as she hears the word run, her leash, or smells me getting ready for a run. She lays down at the door head between paws, staring at the handle waiting for it to open.

Does she have queues for when she’s ready to run?

Her queue is being awake! She is always ready to run morning, day and night. As a birding dog it gives her a job and something she absolutely thrives at because of her built-in endurance drive.

Photo Credit: Dylan Leeder

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