Here are 2 articles about the best dogs for runners:
http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/dogs/The-10-Best-Dogs-for-Runners.html
http://www.runnersworld.com/running-tips/breed-apart
Also - they can still go the rescue route and get a purebred dog. There are lots of rescues that specialize in purebred dogs. For instance, Heartland Weimaraner Rescue (in OK) - http://www.heartlandweimrescue.org/adoptable.php
If she really likes to exercise with her dog, then she’ll want to bring home an adult instead of a puppy. So, I recommend writing down her specific (and flexible) criteria for a dog, then going to see what’s in the local shelters. Bring someone with a good eye for body type, and she’ll pick something lovely.
My dog adores to come along on <4 mile runs. She’s certainly fit & healthy enough to stay out longer, but distance running takes a toll on the body. I want her to be healthy well into her golden years. I am marathon training, but that doesn’t mean that I think it’s ideal for her to do so. Just a thought 
Something that is large enough to maintain a balanced trot while she runs will hold up better than something that needs to alternate between a frantic trot/run. A lot of the hunting breeds seem to do well with runners because they are structurally and mentally built to cover long distances. Looking at young adults will give her a better idea about desire to run and soundness. She needs to be absurdly picky with structural soundness if she wants the dog to hold up long term. Being down in the pastern, weak loined, or having bad hips will break down a running partner in no time at all.
[QUOTE=GraceLikeRain;7472170]
Something that is large enough to maintain a balanced trot while she runs will hold up better than something that needs to alternate between a frantic trot/run. A lot of the hunting breeds seem to do well with runners because they are structurally and mentally built to cover long distances. Looking at young adults will give her a better idea about desire to run and soundness. She needs to be absurdly picky with structural soundness if she wants the dog to hold up long term. Being down in the pastern, weak loined, or having bad hips will break down a running partner in no time at all.[/QUOTE]
I agree - this is a good example where a breeder might have an older dog that needs to be placed. Or a breed-specific rescue, although you would still want to have the dog physically checked out to make sure it is healthy – maybe even xray hips and elbows to be sure.
I know of a bitch that the owner was trying to place because she had trouble keeping up with her hunting dogs in the field - I believe from mild elbow dysplasia. She still has her, but I think if the right (less demanding) home came along she would be happy to let her go…my point being that she is a beautiful AKC Ch. but would not be suitable for a running partner even though the breed would tend to be good for that.
Dalmatian. Perfect for runners in my book. Mine were great horse dogs too.
What about a foxhound? Hunt kennels often have hounds that don’t cut it in the field that they want to place. They’re sweet natured, hardy, short coated, low maintainence, usually very good with other dogs and many were initially raised in homes so they have been housebroken.
Rhodesian Ridgeback — they were used to hunt lions and can run all day. I’ve seen marathon runners training with them.
[QUOTE=Coyoteco;7470968]
Dalmatian ?[/QUOTE]
OMG, you spelled it right, too! 
a roading bred dog should have NO problems to outrun a marathon runner.
Have not read all the responses to your question, but I do have a recommendation. Unless you have a really good understanding of canine structure please involve someone who knows structure in your selection process. Although a number of breeds can have the endurance and energy to run distances, within any breed there are degrees of correctness which will make a dog very suited to the task or will make it terribly unsuited.
Some breeds really were created for what you desire but do not have proper structure to follow through without it being a cruel thing you are asking. I recall a local doctor who ran with his sporting dog while he trained for marathons. The dog had a very poor front assembly and labored to run with him. Could not tell this idiot a thing; he knew it all. Broke my heart to encounter them on the trails.
Here’s hoping you are able to find the perfect running companion who will join you and run effortlessly beside you!
She needs my foster dog, Bubba, a blue eyed bull/husky/retriever mix who could run all day long. Puppy Love Rescue is the contact!
Viszla (sp?) or a pointer of some kind. I’d choose a thin-coated dog over a furry one like a Husky if she runs during the hot weather, as a heavy-coated dog can die of heat stroke if over-exercised.
Dalmatians might be good at keeping up with the marathon training — after all, they are coach dogs. But ALL of them carry the gene that predisposes them to kidney/bladder stones (I forget which one) that can require multiple surgeries. A friend of mine had it done a couple of times on her dog —he was forming more than one stone a day!
I would watch color- we have a Charcoal Grey (best guess) lab/ weim mix and she is an awesome running partner in the Fall, Winter & Spring. In summer she is not- the heat just kills her. Unless you are going along a creek where she can jump in every few minutes she stays at home or goes really early morning in the summer.
I like the suggestions of Vizsla or weim, but I will say my weim, while he carries my heart and is absolutely my joy, has times when he is one of the MOST annoying dern creatures I have ever met! Even when properly exercised and given mental stimulation, weims can make you feel like you’re running a preschool full of overly attached toddlers… On cake. Thankfully mine hasn’t expressed much separation anxiety (helps that he’s always around multiple dogs). BUT booooooy howdy he was a challenge at the beginning. No matter the energy level of the owner, I’d not recommend a weim unless someone wanted that velcro attachment (Touching, touching, we always must be touching!).
I suppose the other breed that came to mind isn’t necessarily easy peasy, but worth mentioning… English Pointer. We just fostered one and she had her independent streak but dang the lady loved to run, and looked good doing it!
I was tempted to say my classic suggestion of standard poodle, but honestly if I were running on trails and the like, I’d want a coat like a weim or shorthair pointer. My parents’ curly poodle mix, even when clipped with a 7 blade, picks up every burr and stick!
[QUOTE=Donkaloosa;7488877]
Dalmatians might be good at keeping up with the marathon training — after all, they are coach dogs. But ALL of them carry the gene that predisposes them to kidney/bladder stones (I forget which one) that can require multiple surgeries. A friend of mine had it done a couple of times on her dog —he was forming more than one stone a day![/QUOTE]
I never had a problem in that way with my Dals. I may have been just lucky. I bought from great breeders and fed them good diets being aware of that potential.
I would say before your friend goes out and buys a dog solely for the purpose of running she really needs to think about what the dog is doing for the rest of the day. Any dog that can easily run 10+ miles/day at a decent pace isn’t going to be happy cooped up in a residential neighbourhood the rest of the day.
My Dad used to be huge into Ironmans and would run a few marathons inbetween. Running wasn’t his strongest leg, he always made up time during the swim/bike so his running buddy was a lab. That lab was was CKC registered, a hunting dog, a multiple field trial champion and had a couple really nice litters. She was very structurally sound which is why she was able to do all of this for years. She also did lots of cross-training with him since she loved to swim. She was also on a farm so she wasn’t cooped up in the house the rest of the day, but given that she was a lab she was happy to sleep on the deck all afternoon. She was the perfect running partner for my dad.
I would suggest that your friend find a breed that matches her running pace easily. I would think that if a JRT kept up with her that any fit dog could also keep up with her. I;m not sure what her living situation is but the majority of breeds that have been suggested up to this point are long distance hunting dogs, dogs bred to spend the entire hunting season (day after day) zig-zagging back and forth, covering miles and miles while the gunmen walks. I really don’t think it’s fair to these dogs to take them for a run in the morning and stick them back in the house.
If she does have a yard that they can spend the rest of the day in then I would suggest a pointer of some sort. A vizsla if she would prefer something a little smaller and a little less independant. I would recommend a GSP over a German Wire Hair as the GWH tend to be very loyal to their owners which can result in aggression towards strangers (not the best when running in public).
Again like others mentioned think of it like a horse, think of the dogs conformation for its job. A big moving warmblood or a short moving QH can go all day at a slower pace if they’re fit and then come home for a nap, but a TB or a STB has the body type and the mental drive to be able to step it up to the next level.
Some of the hound breeds.
Dogs can run enormous distances if conditioned, well most can, but they have to be sound - and a lot of breeds have hip problems, etc.
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