A typical Basenji tops out around 23.2 mph in Fast CAT. The fastest one on record ran 29.10 mph. 0.5 mph faster than the typical dog (22.7 mph). The fastest Basenjis outrun Usain Bolt's top speed by 1.3 mph.
Based on the best Fast CAT run of 660 Basenjis, a typical Basenji tops out at 23.2 mph, and half of them run faster than 24.4 mph. That makes the Basenji the 70th fastest of the 226 breeds that have run Fast CAT.
Only 4 Basenjis have ever broken 30 mph, and 242 have topped 25 mph.
Among the most popular Hound breeds, the typical Basenji is faster than 2 of 8. The Greyhound is the quickest of the bunch at 32.9 mph, and the Afghan Hound (23.9 mph) runs closest to the Basenji. Over Fast CAT's 100 yards, the 9.7 mph gap to the Greyhound is about 2.59 seconds.
Bellator's Welcome To The Jungle holds the fastest consistent run by any Basenji: 29.10 mph at the Idaho Capital City Kennel Club in Idaho on October 10, 2025. That's 100 yards in 7.03 seconds.
AKC's results also show Remeseb's King Zircon at 38.34 mph, but that dog's next-best run is 28.29 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 Basenji is Axl, with a best of 29.10 mph over 33 logged runs.
Not really, but more are running. In 2016, 31 Basenjis ran Fast CAT, typically at 22.9 mph. In 2025 it was 210 dogs at 23.5 mph.
New Jersey has the most Basenji runs, 1,395 of them, followed by Virginia, Ohio, New York. The fastest Basenji run in New Jersey is 29.05 mph.
Basenjis are sighthounds, built for exactly this: a straight sprint after a lure. Most catch on in a run or two. Any AKC-registered Basenji over 12 months old can enter, and the only real training is a reliable finish: have someone your dog will run to waiting past the line.
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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.