Think you can eat like an Olympic champion?

BETHESDA, Md. - When we learned earlier this week that champion swimmer Michael Phelps puts down 12,000 calories a day, we smelled more than eggs and waffles. We smelled a challenge.

There is no reporter currently on the WTOP staff who can break the world record in the 100-meter butterfly, but eat some food? We have those.

WTOP's Mark Segraves stepped up to the plate at the Tastee Diner in Bethesda Friday morning.

At 5 a.m., Segraves confidently sat down in the starting booth.

"I'll have a five-egg western omelette, a bowl of grits, a three-egg fried egg sandwich with fried onions, three slices of French toast and three pancakes. To start."

His first few fork-strokes were strong, he was looking good. But clearly this was an endurance event, and Segraves started like it was the 50-meter freestyle.

And soon, the crowd could sense trouble brewing.

"I think I've hit a wall," Segraves announced after about 15 minutes of champion chomping. "Clearly powering through is not the way to go. I have to set a pace."

From there, it only got worse.

WTOP New Media reporter Markette Smith was on hand to capture Segraves gold medal attempt on video.

"He was as blue as his shirt," Smith said. "It was gross."

After 20 minutes, he was slowing down and looking tired. His head was dropping.

"He got up, walked slowly to the bathroom," Smith recalls. "I followed, but he shut the door in my face. Everybody in that corner of the restaurant was rooting for him, but they knew this was bad news."

Finally, the white flag came to the morning editor in the form of an email from Segraves' Blackberry:

"Just blew chunks. No way I can stand the smell of this place much longer or I'm gonna heave again. You picked the wrong guy for this detail. Sorry."

There is a Visa commercial airing during the games that reminds us all of that tear-jerking Olympic moment from Barcelona in 1992 when British runner Derek Redmond tore a hamstring during the 400 sprint. He crumpled to the track in agony, got up crying and limped his way along, when his father finally came down from the stands and helped him the finish line. Morgan Freeman's voice-over reminds us that he did not finish first or second or third, but he did finish. Very inspiring.

But make no mistake. Mark Segraves is no Derek Redmond. He never even finished one full plate.

"Like the rest of the world, Michael Phelps has left me in his wake," Segraves said before leaving for the day.

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