Dog randomly joins runners, finishes 7th in half-marathon

ELKMONT, Alabama (CNN) — Runners in Alabama may have bitten off more competition than they anticipated in a race earlier this month.

A dog finished in the top 10 in the Elkmont Half Marathon — The Trackless Train Trek on January 16 — and has become quite the Internet sensation.

Ludivine, a bloodhound, lives nearby. After her owners let her out to relieve herself, she decided to join the race and ended up running the entire 13.1 miles.

She competed without human or leash. "Her owner doesn't even run! That's what makes the story even better," race director Gretta Armstrong told CNN.

April Hamlin, the pup's owner, told CNN she lives on a nearby farm and didn't know Ludivine joined the race until a friend called to tell her about her unsuspecting celebrity pet.

"Apparently she went to the race start and took off with the runners at the starting shot. She stayed with a few of the front runners, ran off to sniff some animal carcasses, romp in the water, and then back to the race. I understand she stayed on the course for 13.1 miles, finished seventh, and was the highest placed female," Hamlin told CNN.

Ludivine finished seventh out of 165 runners in just under an hour and a half. Although not counted as an official participant in the race, the athletic dog was presented with a well-earned medal.

The course began in downtown Elkmont, Alabama, before winding through the rolling rural roads around the Alabama town, according to the race's website. Money raised from the race benefits the Elkmont High School cross country and track/field programs.

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