Hooligans Sportsbook

Random thoughts

Follow
337.gif
 
(Courtesy We Run Huntsville via Ari Mason on Twitter)
(Courtesy We Run Huntsville via Ari Mason on Twitter)
Something caught the attention of Ludivine, a 2 1/2-year-old bloodhound living in Alabama, on the morning of Jan. 16 and the dog was off and running.

And running. And running.

She didnt stop until shed finished the Elkmont Train Trek Half-Marathon, finishing seventh among the pack of runners in 1:32:56. Its a truly amazing feat on a number of levels. For one thing, her owner, April Hamlin, had just let her out for a quick bathroom break. For another, Ludivine is a bit of a sloth.

Shes laid-back and friendly, so I cant believe she ran the whole half-marathon because shes actually really lazy, Hamlin told Runners World.


Maybe Hamlin shouldnt have been surprised, though, because this is what dogs do and Ludivine, named for a character in the Russell Crowe movie A Good Year, is not the first to complete a race. Its happened at least two other times.

[Score a goal, get a puppy: The NHL is going to the dogs]

In 2011, Dozer, a goldendoodle from Fulton, Md., ran about seven of the 13.1 miles in the Maryland Half-Marathon. This is a very sweet dog, Karen Warmkessel, spokeswoman for the University of Maryland Medical Center, said at the time. When I saw him today, he looked great.

Two years later, Boogie, a 100-pound dog, escaped his leash and crashed a half-marathon in Evansville, Ind. Boogie finished in 2 hours 15 minutes faster than half the human runners and, for his trouble, got a medal and a microchip so his owner can keep track of him.


Although her owner worried that her pup might have been a distraction for the field of 165 runners, Ludivine seemed to make friends along the way, stopping once to sniff out a dead rabbit.

One time she went over and met another dog next to the course, he told Runners World. Later on, she went into a field with some mules and cows. Then shed come back and run around our legs.

Elkmont is a small town and everyone just thought Ludivine belonged to a runner.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.