```ts
function runLengthEncode(input: string): string {
  if (typeof input !== 'string') {
    throw new Error('Input must be a string');
  }

  let encoded = '';
  let count = 1;

  for (let i = 0; i < input.length; i++) {
    const char = input[i];
    while (i + 1 < input.length && input[i] === input[i + 1]) {
      count++;
      i++;
    }
    encoded += char + (count > 1 ? count.toString() : '');
    count = 1;
  }

  return encoded;
}
```