Advertisement

Hound dog escapes garden, joins half marathon, finishes seventh

As January starts to wind down and our best intentions to start the year off by being fit and act...
Newstalk
Newstalk

15.26 25 Jan 2016


Share this article


Hound dog escapes garden, join...

Hound dog escapes garden, joins half marathon, finishes seventh

Newstalk
Newstalk

15.26 25 Jan 2016


Share this article


As January starts to wind down and our best intentions to start the year off by being fit and active are long forgotten, perhaps it is the time to the leaf out of Ludivine’s book – with the two-and-a-half-year-old dog having just completed a half marathon entirely on a whim, coming in seventh.

Just over a week ago, April Hamlin of Elmont, Alabama, let Ludivine out into the garden to answer nature’s call. The dog, who is prone to leaving the confines of the garden and taking a wander through town, snuck out of the garden and joined the race course. And proceeded to run all 13.1 miles in an impressive time of 1:32.56.

Hamlin only heard the news of her dog’s afternoon run when race volunteers sent her pictures of Ludivine wearing her finishing-line medal.

Advertisement

“My first reaction was that I was embarrassed and worried that she had possibly gotten in the way of the other runners,” she told Canadian Runner.

While Ludivine did manage to complete the entirety of the race, Jim Clemens, who finished in fourth place, pointed out that her technique needed some work. “She would run off to romp through streams and into yards to sniff around for a while,” he said.

Ludivine poses for a photo after crossing the finishing line [Facebook]

The dog did manage to overcome the temptation of stopping dead at the two-mile mark, pausing only temporarily to investigate a dead rabbit. Instead, Ludivine was determined to finish.

“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,” Clemens added.

The person left most surprised by Ludivine’s athletic pursuits is, however, her owner. “I can’t believe she ran the whole half marathon because she’s actually really lazy,” April Hamlin said.

For more lifestyle news on Newstalk.com, please click here.


Share this article


Read more about

News

Most Popular