Man Addresses Viral Video of Dog Biting Him at Mile 21 During Marathon

When things start going wrong during a marathon, it can feel like one mishap sets off another — something runner Chris Herbs recently learned firsthand.

Herbs, who started running in high school and has since completed nine marathons, was taking on the Maine Coast Marathon when his race took a series of unexpected turns. His stomach felt off from the beginning, and by mile 12, he’d thrown up. A few miles later, blisters began forming on his feet. Accepting that the day wasn’t going as planned, he decided to focus on having fun instead.

Then came mile 21.

“We were running on a highway, and because the course was open to traffic, they wanted us to pass on the right,” Herbs recalls. “I came across my girlfriend and saw some of our friends, and I thought, ‘I’m gonna give her a high five.’”

After greeting his loved ones, the 32-year-old continued down the road, squeezing between another runner and a spectator with a dog on a leash.

“I wasn’t really paying a ton of attention to what was going on around me. I don’t even think I realized that there was a dog there that I needed to be aware of,” he says. “I went to pass the runner in front of me. Then I felt the dog jump. It nipped me.”

While there was no injury, the dog’s jump caused him to stumble. “It got its legs wrapped around my legs,” he says. “After 20 miles, my legs were not feeling amazing, so it was easy for the dog to trip me up. I stumbled pretty aggressively. At that point, I just thought, ‘I just wanna get done.’”

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When bystanders asked his girlfriend if he was okay, she said yes — and they didn’t think much of it until later when they saw the video.

“We were all cracking up because we caught that moment on tape,” Herbs says. “It was a blip on the radar in a series of unfortunate events that day. The still frame looked like the dog was about to take a chunk out of me, but it barely nipped. The timing just made it look dramatic.”

Herbs has been sharing videos about physical therapy and performance coaching on TikTok for a couple of months, but he decided to post the dog clip for fun — and it blew up, gaining more than 10 million views.

At first, the comments were playful, but soon people began criticizing the dog owner and questioning why someone “brought a herding dog to an event with hundreds of running targets.” Some even suggested legal action. Herbs, however, insists it wasn’t that serious.

“I’m glad people could get some laughs out of it,” he says. “The owner had no control over this — the dog was acting on instinct. I didn’t see it, and it was just a weird, perfect storm. We all get a laugh out of it.”

The viral moment also had an unexpected upside: new clients.

“It wound up being overall a fairly positive thing for me personally,” Herbs explains. “I’m surprised by how many people have reached out wanting physical therapy, coaching, or strength training after seeing the video.”

He adds that showing a humorous side helped people feel more comfortable reaching out.

“You don’t wanna look like too much of a clown in a professional role, but it’s relatable,” he says. “As a physical therapist and coach, part of building trust is showing a little vulnerability.”

As for the dog owner, Herbs has no hard feelings. “I hope that if they’ve seen the video, it hasn’t brought them any stress,” he says. “It was meant to be a funny moment.”