Pet of the week: Meet Ludivine, the dog who accidentally ran a marathon and won 7th place

Sometimes natural athletes succeed in the most unexpected places. This was the case of Ludivine, an adorable bloodhound who made headlines after accidentally finding herself in a marathon. The Alabama pup reached 7th place after racing more than 13 miles to the finish line in one hour and a half.

Ludivine’s owner April Hamlin was surprised when she discovered that her pup had won a medal for her athletic skills, competing with over 160 participants. “I did not know that she had the discipline to run a half marathon. I know that she loves people, and she just likes to get out,” she said to Fox News.

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Ludivine’s skills were so good during the race, that she even stopped to take a break and sniffed around before continuing the marathon. The talented dog lives on a farm with her owner, who said she had no idea her dog was competing and was only aware that she “was out for a little while.”

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“My first reaction was that I was worried she had gotten in the way of serious runners who had trained for the event,” she said to TODAY. “And that Barry Pugh, the race coordinator (also a work colleague) would kill me.”

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Ludivine was in great spirits when she arrived at the finish line, with some of the competitors noticing her presence. “Somewhere around mile 2 or maybe just a bit past, I saw Ludivine again. She had stopped to eat some roadkill rabbit that was on the road. When I got close to her she picked up her head and started running again, near me,” sixth-place finisher Tim Horvath said to the publication, adding that she even had time to stop “next to the trail for a potty break.”