Dynamic Duo Wander Woman and Super Pup Become Superheroes on the Trail – runnersworld.com

Alton Eckel has been running with, Cole, a Shiba Inu, since before he was even hers. She adopted Cole when he was about 7 months old from a friend, but had been taking him for short runs since he was about 5 months old.

An ultraunner, Eckel took Cole out for short runs to get him exercise, but she never thought she’d adopt him, let alone get the best adventure buddy ever in the process.

“The first weekend after I adopted him, we ended up going up Huntington Ravine to Mount Washington (in New Hampshire),” Eckel told Runner’s World. “It’s one of the toughest trails, so I thought, ‘Alright, he’s a natural.’”

Cole, now 6, accompanies Eckel on all her adventures—hiking, trail running, swimming, and even her work as a therapist. The pup went through an intensive 16-week course to become a certified therapy dog, which she said helped him be even better behaved on the trail.

On all of these escapades, typically in the Adirondacks in New York, or White Mountains of New Hampshire, you can usually find the duo in matching costumes or outfits.

Courtesy Alton Eckel

This started when Eckel was racing. It was way more fun to wear goofy outfits, she said, and since Wonder Woman was big at the time, she started to wear fun outfits that resembled the superhero. And she didn’t forget about her sidekick—she got him a canine Superman costume complete with cape.

The dynamic duo was born: Wander Woman and Super Pup.

But they do mix up the outfits regularly, and you can catch Cole sporting jackets and sunglasses depending on the season.

“Cole will let me put anything on him,” Eckel said. “We ran in the White Mountains with snow on the ground and he was dressed up as a Christmas tree. He just sits there, so I started dressing him in capes or cute little jackets.”

Courtesy Alton Eckel

As you can imagine, he gets a lot of attention on the trail. Passersby often stop to chat, and ask to take pictures with the furry superhero.

“Usually kids on the trail that see us will say, ‘It’s a wolf in a jacket.’” Eckel says. “That cracks me up.”

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Courtesy Alton Eckel

Plus, no matter what, Cole has the endurance to go just about as long as Eckel. Sometimes, he can even go longer.

“He’s a unique; he’s been able to do 50 miles in the mountains in winter in a day,” she said. “[Cole’s] max for distance has been 55 miles, with a 17,000 feet elevation gain in a day, and he did great. I wanted to like die, but he was fine.”

Courtesy Alton Eckel

Last winter, the two completed the , where participants have to complete a list of the toughest eight-day hikes in New York, New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont. The distances for each range from 22 to 52 miles, with 6,000 to 12,000 feet of elevation gain. Cole, who ran ahead, was the first ever to complete the list in non-winter, and then last March, he was the first to complete it in winter. Eckel took first in the female category when she caught up to her pup.

Cole even earned the first-place male award over a man trying to come out on top, who said he wasn’t worried about some competition from “some chick and her little dog.”

Courtesy Alton Eckel

When Eckel heard that, she thought, “Game on.” Then, she and the “little dog” managed to earn the top spots for both categories.

Typically, the duo does 10- to 20- mile hiking treks when they go out, especially in winter, and on occasion, do longer 20- to 25-mile days. Sometimes they go out with friends and other dogs. Other days, they just go on an adventure together. When trail running, they keep their routes to a 5- to 6-mile distances.

“Cole excels at anything involving endurance and fast bursts,” Eckel said. “He’s cute, and when people see him dressed up on the trail, it makes them happy.”