NOTHIN’ BUT A HOUND DOG: Dog finishes in top 10 at Elkmont race
The top female finisher at last Saturday’s Trackless Train Trek Elkmont half marathon was the smallest, lightest runner in the entire race, but she did have one major advantage.
She has four legs.
Ludivine, a 2-year-old bloodhound, ran the entire 13.1-mile race, unofficially finishing seventh overall with a time of one hour, 32 minutes and 56 seconds. What’s makes Ludivine’s story more amazing is her owner never knew she was missing.
“We let her out that morning and we live about a quarter of a mile from the start. She will run off sometimes when we let her out,” said Ludivine’s owner, April Hamlin. “I did not know about it until it was over. I let her out that morning and got a text from a coworker that Ludivine had finished the race.”
Named a French character from the 2006 movie, “A Good Year,” Ludivine ran the race off-leash, happily galloping along with the other 176 runners.
“She doesn’t jog with me or anything,” said Hamlin. “We let her out for a few minutes and the next thing I know, I got a text saying, ‘You have to come down here. Everybody is going crazy over her.’”
Although it Ludivine’s first race to run from start to finish, the 75-pound bloodhound is well-known among the running community in Elkmont. Hamlin said she frequently joins runners on a trail near their home in Elkmont and the family will have to pick up Ludivine somewhere down the trail.
“She will often run with people on that Rails to Trails course,” said Hamlin. “She is actually very lazy and clumsy. She can run a marathon, but can’t jump into our van. She is a laid-back dog.”
Ludivine comes from a somewhat famous lineage of dogs in Limestone County. She was born and bred at Limestone Correctional Facility and her father, Otis, is one of the county’s top scent dogs. When Otis and another bloodhound had a litter of puppies, Hamlin jumped at the opportunity to get one of the dogs the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office wasn’t going to enlist as a service dog.
Tracking Ludivine
Ludivine isn’t the first dog to accidentally run in a road race, but she is certainly the most famous in Elkmont. A few minutes into the half marathon, word spread about the celebrity participant.
“We hired the photographer to take pictures of the runners, but the dog just happened to be in the race, so it was in all the pictures,” said race organizer, Gretta Armstrong. “You can see the dog in photos at the starting line and again around the 10-mile mark.”
Greg Gelmis was hired to take photos at the race, which raises money for the Elkmont cross-country team. With Gretta’s son, Jake, at his side, they were able to document Ludivine’s participation.
“She is a good dog, but she is still a tracking hound, so if she gets a scent, she will run for miles,” said Hamlin. “I just happened to open my door and let the dog out. Everyone at the race did everything else.”
The race
Although it was the inaugural Trackless Train Trek Elkmont half marathon, an annual 10K race has been around for a while in Elkmont. Previously, the Lion’s Club 10K would take place every fall on part of the same course.
“We have a lot of runners here,” said Armstrong. “The Lion’s Club started a 10K race and they gave it up in the fall. The council asked the (Elkmont) cross-country coach, Barry Pugh, to take it over. We convinced them to take it to a half marathon.”
With no races within a few hours drive in January, Armstrong and organizers decided to move the race to this month and the response was positive. The course starts in downtown Elkmont, follows Upper Fort Hampton Road, takes Pettusville Road to the state line and picks up on the Rails to Trails path back to downtown Elkmont.
The race serves as the primary fundraiser for the Elkmont cross-county and track program. Last season, when the track team qualified for state, it was forced to pay $3,500 out of pocket for lodging expenses.
“We don’t have a track to practice or host meets to offset the cost,” said Armstrong. “It gets expensive. We’re trying to do this so that the kids don’t have to pay to play for cross-country. (After) one or two big fundraisers like this, we hope to be able to get a track.”