Something Stinks and It Ain’t My Runnin’ Shorts… I Don’t Think.
Only Hollywood can take a feel-good story and end up with a poop sandwich. They claimed contestant Dane Patterson completed the Arizona Desert Classic Marathon in 3:53:00.
Here’s the latest:
1) 3:53:00 Misprint: Instead of showing 5:53:00, The Biggest Loser’s digital stop watch showed Dane’s final time as 3:53:00 in the closing minutes of last nights show. Some nice NBC post-production possibly?
Note to NBC — Can I borrow your digital clock on May 3rd? I have a Boston Qualifier coming up!
Did the little guy supposedly run 26.2 miles too?
2) Driving Mr. Danesy: Morgan Freeman was nowhere to be found but according to Dane’s wife an NBC van DROVE (yes, that was drove) the couple 3 miles towards the finish line “because of timing restraints.”
3) Please Contact Race Timer: Final results from the marathon show an opening in the 5:52:00 slot. Disqualification? Who knew taking a taxi to the finish line wasn’t legit?
My Question: WHY CORRUPT SUCH A GREAT STORY?! The Biggest Loser took away the thrill of running a full marathon from Dane while misleading millions and ultimately putting their credibility on the line. The tragedy will take place when others in his situation give up because they expect to run at an 8:53 pace (as the show suggested) instead of the 15:30 or so pace which he truly ran it at – and then they quit out of frustration.
The fact is that the running community is a very supportive group. We want everyone to run — from the 2:30:00 marathon winners to the 7:00:00 course closers — and to feel proud. Running isn’t about “me vs. you.” It’s about being free, owning the road with fellow runners, and leaning on your friends when your knee gives out at mile 6.
Did NBC make a mistake? Absolutely! Now they should accept responsibility and fess up. That’s the least they can do for someone who’s worked so hard and boosted their ratings!!!
I’ve run ARR events and their clock is always easy to read. Heck I ran one just the other day and have a picture of the clock. The producers fixed it. The producers made Dane stop so that they could film the finish. the producers of the Biggest Loser are the real culprits.
oh, and you ranked higher in a google search than my blog. good job.
Another distance runner shouting “Chicanery and deception!” at this… the louder the collective voice, the better. It appears NBC is forced into damage-control mode because of this, as well they deserve.
Kudos to your creativity– loved “Driving Mr. Danesy”