Dog makes late entry into Utah high school relay race and WINS
- Competitors took part in the Grizzly Invitational in Logan, Utah, on April 17
- The girls’ 4 x 200m relay event turned into the most dramatic race of the day
- Holly the dog broke free from her leash and joined in the competition
- Gracie Laney, a senior at Logan High, was running towards the finish
- Holly caught her up, then overtook Laney in the final stretch of the race
A competitor at a high school sports event in Utah had the race of her life – when a dog owner let go of the leash, and the speedy hound beat her to the finish line.
Gracie Laney, Logan High senior runner, was sprinting to the finish line in the girls’ 4x200m relay race.
The event, the Grizzly Invitational, was held on April 17.
Laney was confidently heading for victory, until Holly made a late entry to the race.
Holly the dog is seen making a final sprint to the finish – where she overtakes Gracie Laney
‘I’d say probably about the 50-meters mark, I could feel something coming on me, and I thought it was a person. I thought it was the runner,’ Laney told The Salt Lake Tribune.
‘And then I kind of realized that it was really small.’
Video from the race shows Holly dashing from a grassy knoll above the track, dragging her lead behind her, and making impressive progress to catch Laney.
‘After watching the video, I thought, ‘Holy cow, that dog is so fast,’ Laney said.
‘So I thought it was kind of funny that I got beat by a dog.’
Holly the dog, in lane three, bolted down from the grassy knoll above and dashed after runners
Laney was almost at the finish, but Holly was catching her up
The crowd was going wild – and Laney thought that the applause was for her
Laney said she was worried about stepping on Holly with her spikes, but only stood on her lead
She said she was focused on finishing, but also concerned that the dog might bite her, or that she would step on the dog with her spikes.
The crowd’s cheers rose to a crescendo – which Laney thought were for her, until she saw the dog.
Laney said she never found out who owned the dog, but she would like to meet her one day.
‘Looking back, I really wish I had gotten a selfie or something with it,’ Laney said.