Dog Steps Outside to Potty, Accidentally Runs Entire Marathon Instead

April Hamlin let her dog outside to potty last Saturday. Apparently the dog had other plans.

Ludivine is a 2.5-year old Bloodhound with a history of sneaking out of her yard in the small town of Elkmont, Alabama, population 400. On Saturday, however, Ludivine snuck out of the yard and made her way to the starting line of the inaugural Trackless Train Trek Half Marathon about a quarter mile away from home.

Her adventure didn’t end there! The normally lazy bloodhound ran the entire 13.1 mile race, right alongside the other runners, stopping briefly to mingle with another dog on the sidelines, sniffing a yard or a rock here and there along the course.

Ludivine finished in an impressive 1:32:56, earning a 7th place win in the race! To be fair, she did have a leg up on the competition… well, a few legs.

She was awarded with accolades and a race medal draped over her long brown ears – all while her owner was unaware she’d even left the yard!

“All I did was open the door, and she ran the race on her own accord,” Hamlin, 43, told Runner’s World. It wasn’t until she received texts and photos of Ludivine from friends who were volunteering at the finish line.

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

Hamlin, and the organizers of the race, are thrilled at the attention Ludivine brought to the inaugural event.

“It’s the first half marathon in Elkmont, and the people who started it are parents of the kids who run cross country,” Hamlin said. “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.”