In one of those classic examples of why do smart people do stupid things, the show The Biggest Loser on NBC shows one of their recent contestants completing a marathon in under 4 hours while weighing close to 300 pounds. I saw the show and was amazed. I haven’t been able to do that on 3 tries and wondered what the heck I was doing wrong.
Well…come to find out that he didn’t run the marathon unaided. Depending on which report you believe, he got a van ride for 3-6 miles toward the end and was crossing the finish line at just under 6 hours. I just don’t get why the show would be so stupid.
It’s a show about inspiring people with amazing transformations. Having him run a half-marathon or even completing a full 26.2 miles at a slow time would have been a great story. Instead you ruin it and cast down on some of the things that the contestants do.
Story in the Detroit News about it.
You can read the official statements from Dane (the contestant), the show, and NBC in The LA Times.
“I always intended to run the full marathon. At the 17th mile, I knew I would not make it in time to cross the finish line before it closed at 6 hours, so I then received a ride from the field producer, who wanted to show me crossing the finish line. He drove me for three miles, and then I ran the rest of the way. After all the filming was done I went back and finished the last 3 miles later that day with my wife and cousin Blaine. I apologize for stating that I ran the entire marathon before I actually ran the whole 26 miles. I am proud of the feat of just running 26 miles in one day.”