Olympian runs sub-four minute mile with a dog (Video)

Running a sub-four minute mile is hard. Doing it while tied to a dog on a leash seems infinitely harder.

But two-time Olympian Anthony Famiglietti appeared to accomplish that feat last Saturday, hammering out a 3:59 mile with Bailey, a 4-year-old Border Collie-Whippet, by his side.

What’s even more incredible is that Famiglietti just met Bailey the same day that he attempted the mile, according to the Charlotte Observer.

Before long, they were sprinting down the concrete trail at Fisher Farm in Davidson, North Carolina together. Bailey never broke stride, and Famiglietti went along for the ride.

“It was so awesome,” Famiglietti told Sports Illustrated. “I didn’t care about a thing. No anxiety, no self-doubt, no trepidation. The dog wanted to go fast, and I had to keep up to what she wanted to do.”

Famiglietti, a two-time Olympian steeplechaser, has been attempting to break the four-minute mile mark since turning 40 last year. And he used Bailey, who has experience with runners, as an unlikely source of inspiration.

“The dog full-on sprinted, as far as she could get away from me the whole time,” he said to SI. “I was dying laughing. This dog is the best dog ever. She just wants to run full-tilt non-stop.”

The accomplishment even received attention from the author Malcolm Gladwell:

Whether this feat was more impressive for Famiglietti or Bailey is up for debate, but it’s hard to make excuses to not get out on the trail and improve your mile time after watching that.

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