Anyone who has ever run any kind of race, especially a half marathon, knows how much preparation and practice goes into getting ready for race day. Yet, for this hound dog named Ludivine, a half marathon’s 13.1-mile course was a cake walk.
When Ludivine never returned from being let out for the bathroom on the morning of the race, owner April Hamlin didn’t think twice since her social dog loves to wander around and greet people in their extremely small town of Elkmont, Alabama. But when Ludivine got sight of a group of runners warming up near the start line, she knew she had to get in on the fun.
Despite her frequent distractions, which made her leave the course to explore nearby streams and yards, Ludivine always came back to the course and managed to catch up and keep pace with the top runners. “Every time I thought she had dropped off to go back home, I would hear her coming back up to me, and she would race past me up to the two leaders,” said Jim Clemens who placed fourth.
When Ludivine crossed the finish line in seventh place, the volunteers were amazed that she had finished at 1:32:56 and decided to drape one of the race medals around her droopy ears before taking pictures and sending them to Hamlin.
Yet, when Hamlin found out what her dog had been up to, she couldn’t believe it. “She’s laid back and friendly, so I can’t believe she ran the whole half marathon because she’s actually really lazy,”said Hamlin told Runner’s World
Can you believe this incredible dog managed to come in seventh place in the half marathon? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
[Featured image credit: Facebook/Elkmont Half Marathon – The Trackless Train Trek]