Dog Runs Half Marathon By Mistake After being Let Out To Potty, Finishes 7th

    I love that they handed the dog a medal.

He goes out to pee and returns with a medal.

Runners were joined by a dog who had been let out for a toilet break during the Elkmont Trackless Train Half Marathon in Canada.

Ludivine, the adorable Bloodhound, had made his escape by crawling under the garden gate and running towards the race's start.  Ludivine did well on this unplanned trip, finishing eighth in the race despite stopping at the two-mile point to smell a dead rabbit.

The dog even bolted from the path many times, as if he was going to play with a herd of cows.

Despite crossing the road in an hour and a half, he managed to get a wonderful time and place while still having a lot of fun.

The official Facebook page of Elkmont's hound Half included photos of the cute Ludivine running the half-marathon.

Ludivine was awarded a medal for her efforts, and her owner, 41-year-old April Hamlin, was happy with her pet's performance.

"All I did was open the door," she told Runner's World, "and she or he ran the race on her own accord."

"My first reaction was embarrassment and concern that she had possibly gotten in the way of the other runners." "She's laid back and friendly, so I'm surprised she ran the entire half marathon because she's actually really lazy," Hamlin continued.

"Every time I assumed she had dropped off to travel back home, I might hear her returning up to me," Jim Clemens, who placed fourth in the half marathon, said. She or he will flee from me and run to the two leaders. She'd sneak away to frolic through the streams and into yards for a quick sniff."

Congratulations, Ludivine!

Check out her victory video below: