Posted on 01/25/2016 5:07:54 PM PST by nickcarraway
What started as a typical tough half-marathon ended as anything but when a bloodhound joined the race and snagged a seventh-place finish.
According to Runner's World, Ludivine the hound slipped away from her backyard the morning of Jan. 16 and found her way to the starting line of the Trackless Train Trek Half Marathon in the sleepy town of Elkmont, Alabama.
"All I did was open the door, and she ran the race on her own accord," Ludivine's owner, April Hamlin, told Runner's World.
Keith Henry, 38, who won the race, said he spotted Ludivine sniffing around while he was warming up. The hound followed him through town the starting line, then ran neck and neck with Henry and another contender for two or three miles.
"She would cut in front of us; I thought we were going to trip over her," Henry recalled.
Eight miles in, Ludivine — distracted — fell into fourth place, according to Gregg Gelmis of WeRunHuntsville, a running club in Huntsville, Alabama, to which Henry belongs.
Ludivine crossed the finish line in seventh, with a time of 1:32:56, according to Runner's World.
"I think she probably averaged seven minutes per mile," said Henry, impressed by the hound's ability to finish the tricky 13.1-mile trek.
Ludivine's owner, too, was surprised by the pup's performance.
"She’s laid back and friendly, so I can’t believe she ran the whole half marathon because she’s actually really lazy," Hamlin told Runner's World.
Ludivine may very well have earned a place in Elkmont history. This year's race was the first, and the next could be named in her honor.
"Rumor has it, next year's race will be called the Hounddog Half, with a special award going to 7th place," Gelmis posted on the WeRunHuntsville website.
Henry, who ran six-minute miles and finished in 1:19:10, said he may have taken the title, but Ludivine was the MVP. "I won that race, but it seems like Ludivine was the real winner," he joked.
The race went to the dog.
Good on Ludivine!
Ping
An entirely different take on “running to the hounds” meme, dog-gone-it!
A noble beast!
They did a piece on this on The Five.
Those ears!
I know. You gotta love them.
They’re lucky it wasn’t the type that would have ran after them and bit them on the butt!
Scroll down to see a picture of doggie the next day—one tired puppy.
chttp://runningmagazine.ca/adorable-surprise-racer-finishes-at-the-elkmont-half-marathon-in-alabama/
Warms the heart. What a pooch!
Love dogs.......!!!!
My senior Golden Retrievers look like that 23 1/2 hours a day LOL.
I’ve run a few half marathons in downtown Atlanta, but the course for this half marathon is lovely. It’s on the Richard Martin Trail, a rails-to-trails course (which is why the medal was a caboose).
Here’s a video of the trail:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1a-4I1yKUI
Back in my running days there was this one Irish Setter that would wait for me on one of my running trails in the woods. I was just someone to run with, all in fun. I have even seen some dogs at the New York Road Runners Club races.
A "coyote" that loves dogs?
sucker for dogs.....
Give that dog some bacon!
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