Marathon runner Boogie poses with his medal (Picture: AP/Courier Press, Denny Simmons)

Marathon runners in Indiana were left stunned when a chocolate Labrador decided to join the race to the finish line.

Boogie completed most of the 13.1 miles in Saturday’s event in Evansville and now race organisers have rewarded the canine with a medal for his efforts.

The dog finished the race in a respectable two hours and 15 minutes, which placed him above more than half of the race’s competitors.

Kim Arney, who lost her running partner near the start of the event, said Boogie ran alongside her before being taken to Animal Control.


‘I lost my race buddy about mile 4 or 5 and picked up a new one around mile 10,’ she explained.



Boogie had escaped from his leash, for the fourth time in recent weeks, the night before the race and was reunited with owner Jerry Butts following a police Facebook appeal.

‘Because he did not officially enter the race, we do not have his race times. However, we are confident he set a new course record for an unassisted dog,’ Evansville police said in a post immediately after the race.

‘Anyone who might recognise this champion runner is asked to help him get back home.’

Boogie, who has taken a lot of naps since his marathon exploits, is now set to be microchipped and neutered.