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

  let result = '';
  let count = 1;

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

  return result || '';
}
```