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Bloodhound Accidentally Runs Entire Half Marathon & Raises Money For Children

Written by: Dr. Katy Nelson

January 25, 2016

Bloodhound Accidentally Runs Half-Marathon, Raises Money For C…

When you "accidentally" run a half-marathon to prove to your mom you're not lazy… #Motivation Elkmont's Hound Dog Half

Posted by BarkBox on Thursday, January 28, 2016

With a population of around 400, Elkmont, Alabama doesn’t exactly have many strangers. Most neighbors are quite familiar with one another, and many are acquainted with Ludivine the Bloodhound, who frequently makes her rounds through the town.

big tongue

On the morning of the Elkmont Trackless Train Trek Half Marathon, Ludivine’s mom April Hamlin let her outside to do her business. Ludivine escaped the yard and loped along for a bit until she reached the race’s starting line. When the gun went off, she ran.

Tim Horvath, who ran most of the race with the pup, tells Runner’s World:

I saw her for the first time in the parking lot before the race. She came bouncing up, and I petted her on the head. I saw her collar, so I just figured she was somebody’s dog. Elkmont is a small town where everyone knows everybody, so it didn’t strike me as unusual.

Ludivine proceeded to run the entire 13.1-mile race, veering off a few times to sniff around and pad through streams, visit the nearby cows, and return every so often alongside the runners. “She’s laid back and friendly,” says Hamlin, “so I can’t believe she ran the whole half marathon because she’s actually really lazy.”

marathon

The floppy-eared wonder ended up finishing in seventh place. Unofficially, of course. But the race volunteers thought she deserved something for her efforts: they awarded Ludivine with her very own medal to celebrate the win. Out of everything that happened that morning, the most surprising is that Hamlin had no idea what her dog had been up to until she started receiving texts from people at the site.

Working on results…Wanted to share this photo of that was sent to me after the race. 󾌵This is Ludivane – she ran the entire half marathon and finished 7th overall with a time of 1:32.56

Posted by Elkmont Half Marathon – The Trackless Train Trek on Sunday, January 17, 2016

“My first reaction was that I was embarrassed and worried that she had possibly gotten in the way of the other runners,” she says. But, if anything, Ludivine’s presence probably got a few big smiles and kept spirits high.

dog3

Hamlin also noted that this was Elkmont’s first half marathon, coordinated by parents whose children run cross-country at the local school. Hamlin is excited that Ludivine made such a huge impression:

They wanted to try and fundraise because our school system doesn’t have a ton of money for cross country. Because of this dog, they are getting so much publicity, and I think that’s the best part.

165 runners completed the race, not including Ludivine, according to Running Magazine. The collected proceeds will go to the cross-country and track-and-field teams at Elkmont High School to “purchase training equipment and race entry fees for students.”

Oh, and if you’re wondering how Ludivine was post-race, here’s a sneak peek:

sleeping

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Way to go, pup! You brought a little bit of small town news out to the world, and got a few big grins along the way. We’ll see you soon at the next big triathlon!

H/t iHeartDogs, Featured Image via Elkmont Half Marathon/Facebook

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Written by: Dr. Katy Nelson

January 25, 2016

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