Runaway dog joins half marathon, finishes seventh

ELKMONT, Ala., Jan. 25 (UPI) -- Organizers of an Alabama half marathon said an unregistered participant -- a runaway dog -- joined runners for the full race and finished seventh.

The Elkmont Half Marathon said the Jan. 17 race featured Ludivane the bloodhound making her racing debut after wandering out of her owner's yard and joining runners at the starting line.

Race organizers said in a Facebook post that Ludivane ran the entire Trackless Train Trek course and finished seventh with a time of 1:32.56.

The organizers posted a photo of Ludivane proudly sporting a medal after completing the race and being reunited with her owner.

"My first reaction was that I was embarrassed and worried that she had possibly gotten in the way of the other runners," April Hill, Ludivane's owner, told Runner's World. "All I did was open the door, and she ran the race on her own accord."