A runner and his canine companion were spotted at the front of the pack at the Frosty 5K in Burlington, Ont. on Sunday. Jessey The Elf and Hunter Buxbaum, together, finished seventh and eighth in a blistering 15:26, believed to be a world best.

The 22-year-old ran with his 14-month-old Hungarian vizsla who is no stranger to road racing. The two ran the Santa Burlington 5K in late December; Hunter “The Runner” Buxbaum made his canine 5K debut on Canada Day at another VRPRO race, an organization which permits the two to race. (Many races do not permit dogs for safety reasons.)

Hitting mid-15s for a 5K translates to approximately 3:05 per kilometre. The duo’s previous best was 16:33 from the aforementioned Santa 5K in Hamilton.

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Hunter’s training in the leadup to race day consisted of 282K for the month of February. Jessey The Elf, who notes that he legally changed his name and had his ears pointed in 2015, and his partner Tim Buxbaum, who is a marathoner himself, got the Hungarian vizsla one year ago in March. The canine began running when he was five months old. Vizslas, he says, are an all-around good running breed.

“People actually ask a lot if he is faster or if I have to wait for him,” he says. “Sprints? Hands down he can beat me in 800m and less. [But] 1K and up I can beat him; in a 5K [he] usually pulls me the first 2.5K and then I have to tug him a little the last 2.5K.”

You running the dog or is it running you? This duo was a fast 5k team #chillyhalf #chillyh… https://t.co/LKKvAWHk2W pic.twitter.com/9CrOghwgoz — yumke (@yumke) March 5, 2017

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Those on course may have noticed that the runner was wearing two race bibs, one for himself as well as one for Hunter. The medium-sized canine, who was appropriately listed in the men’s 0-1 age category, runs by Jessey’s side thanks to a leash designed for running. The family resides in Waterdown, Ont.