Recently eliminated The Biggest Loser: Couples contestant Dane Patterson is moving forward with his plan to run a full marathon.
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Patterson has signed on to run in the 2009 Country Music Marathon which will take place in Nashville, TN on Saturday, April 25.
"We are very excited that Dane has chosen our race to run in order to prove that he can run and complete a marathon," says Adam Zocks, the general manager of the marathon. "People who come to run Music City have the experience of a lifetime."
In addition to running in the marathon, Patterson is also encouraging people to sign up and "Run with Dane" and participate in the marathon along with him.
"I am thrilled to have this opportunity and encourage others runners to come out and join me on the course," he said.
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Patterson's decision to run in the marathon comes less than a month after the 27-year-old real estate appraiser from Mesa, AZ caused a controversy when a post-elimination The Biggest Loser: Couples segment showed him saying that he had run a complete marathon with his wife Carli Mae after being eliminated from the reality competition and continuing his weight-loss on his own at home.
However, it was later revealed that he and his wife actually only ran the first 17 miles of the marathon before being driven three miles up the road so that he could finish the marathon within a six-hour time limit a The Biggest Loser field producer had told him he needed to meet.
Patterson said he subsequently went back and ran the three miles that the van carried him -- which is why he said he felt he was correct in claiming that he did complete the entire marathon.
"It was my plan to run the full marathon, which is why I went back and ran those three miles. In my mind I ran the full 26 miles," he told reporters during a media conference call following his elimination.
Following the controversy, Patterson had stated that he planned to successfully complete a full marathon by running another one in April.
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"I hope that one day I can be a part of that group of completing a full marathon," he told reporters.
Patterson is running the new marathon to establish "a personal milestone" and achieve "public redemption" that will "prove he can complete the full race," according to a Country Music Marathon press release.
In addition to failing to mention the details of Patterson's marathon participation, an on-screen text update the aired at the conclusion of the post-elimination update segment following his elimination stated that "Dane completed the 26 mile marathon in 3 hours and 53 minutes" -- despite the presence of a finish line clock that actually showed "5:53" when Patterson and his wife crossed the finish line.
About The Author: John Bracchitta