ELKMONT, Ala. - It's one thing to finish 7th in a half marathon, but it's another if the person who does it is on four legs instead of two.
But that's exactly what happened on January 16, when a 2-year-old Bloodhound named Ludivine found herself in an Alabama half-marathon. Her owner let her out to go to the bathroom, but instead, she wandered about a quarter-mile down the road to the start of the inaugural Elkmont Half Marathon on January 16.
Ludivine's owner, April Hamlin, told FOX 5's Kevin McCarthy via Skype on Tuesday that she found out what happened when she got a text from a co-worker, who sent her a photo of Ludivine with a race medal around her neck at the finish line. Ludivine-- who goes by Lu for short-- ran all 13.1 miles, and was the top female finisher in the race.
WATCH KEVIN'S INTERVIEW WITH LUDIVINE AND HER OWNER:
A dog in Alabama was let outside to use the bathroom and ended up accidentally running a 1/2 marathon.The best part... The Bloodhound, Ludivine, placed 7th in the race with a time of 1:32:56!I interviewed Ludivine and her owner, April Hamlin, via Skype to find out all the details of this incredible story. CHECK OUT THE VIDEO BELOW. The interview starts with April Hamlin explaining the story. Photo credit: WeRunHuntsville/G Gelmis & J Armstrongcc: Steve Chenevey FOX 5 DC Allison Seymour FOX 5 DC Fox 5 DC
At first, Hamlin said she was mortified because she thought the race directors, whom she knows, would be mad at her for not controling her dog and keeping her out of the way of the runners. But instead, they loved her.
Race organizers posted the story and photos online, saying the dog got a quick start, and was in second place at the 1/2 mile mark. When they saw her again at an aid station 8 miles in, they say she had dropped back to 4th place, but was still looking strong. By the time she hit the finish line, she had fallen to 7th place overall-- still a solid finish for a participant who hadn't trained at all.
Hamlin says Ludivine is a roamer, which is okay since they live on a farm in rural Alabama. She thinks Ludivine probably heard the noise coming from downtown Elkmont, where the race started, and headed that way. She loves people, so Hamlin says it makes sense that she would have taken off running with them.
Ludivine's official time was 1:32:56. It shouldn't be a surprise that after she got her medal and had a post-race meal of pizza (and maybe some dog food and chips, but it's hard to know for sure) Ludivine immediately fell asleep.
Race organizers also posted that rumor has it next year's race will be called the Hounddog Half, with a special award for the person (or dog) who comes in 7th.
(Photos courtesy of WeRunHuntsville/G Gelmis & J Armstrong)
Ludivine's grand entrance to half marathon running!