A typical Alaskan Malamute tops out around 21.8 mph in Fast CAT. The fastest one on record ran 27.24 mph. 0.9 mph slower than the typical dog (22.7 mph). Even a typical Alaskan Malamute would beat most people in a 100-yard sprint.
Based on the best Fast CAT run of 275 Alaskan Malamutes, a typical Alaskan Malamute tops out at 21.8 mph, and half of them run faster than 22.4 mph. That makes the Alaskan Malamute the 112th fastest of the 226 breeds that have run Fast CAT.
Only 1 Alaskan Malamute has ever broken 30 mph, and 35 have topped 25 mph.
Among the most popular Working breeds, the typical Alaskan Malamute is faster than 2 of 8. The Boxer is the quickest of the bunch at 25.2 mph, and the Portuguese Water Dog (21.6 mph) runs closest to the Alaskan Malamute. Over Fast CAT's 100 yards, the 3.4 mph gap to the Boxer is about 1.26 seconds.
Winterchill's Phantom Of The Forest holds the fastest consistent run by any Alaskan Malamute: 27.24 mph at the Waukesha Kennel Club in Wisconsin on May 18, 2024. That's 100 yards in 7.51 seconds.
AKC's results also show Spiritrun's Under Pressure at 36.59 mph, but that dog's next-best run is 24.91 mph. A jump that big is usually a timing or typing error, so we flag it rather than crown it.
On Dash-Hound, the fastest Alaskan Malamute is Omar, with a best of 24.70 mph over 11 logged runs.
Not really, but more are running. In 2019, 32 Alaskan Malamutes ran Fast CAT, typically at 20.9 mph. In 2025 it was 94 dogs at 21.5 mph.
Virginia has the most Alaskan Malamute runs, 1,038 of them, followed by New Jersey, Michigan, Colorado. The fastest Alaskan Malamute run in Virginia is 26.06 mph.
Any AKC-registered Alaskan Malamute over 12 months old can enter, and your dog runs alone down a straight 100 yards. Most dogs figure out the lure fast. Have someone your dog will run to waiting past the finish line, because a dog that stops to check on you can lose a second or two.
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Speeds from AKC Fast CAT results. Photographers: spotted your work? Tell us at [email protected] and we'll credit it or take it down.