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LONDON - It's not often that an Olympian is known more for his role on a tv show than the performance on the world stage, but for Wallace Spearmon his role on Mythbusters has brought him some unexpected fame.
"Yes, I was on Mythbusters, I tried to run on water," Spearmon said.
He tried indeed, but the show was actually set up as a prank.
"I definitely tried and it was about 11 attempts in that water and it was pretty cold," Spearmon said.
The prank was brought to Spearmon in the form of "special shoes" that were supposed to give him the ability to run on water if he was both fast enough and believed he could do it.
"They were taking about 11, 12 steps on the water," Spearmon said. "They told me if I put these shoes on. So I put the shoes on."
He was hoping for just a few steps and they told him just to believe, that was a part of it. He had to believe.
"I'm not going to lie for a split second, I believed," Spearmon said.
He learned quickly that he wasn't going to be able to tread on the liquid. When his first toe hit the water he knew it was going to be bad news.
"Everything else proceeded to hit that water and everything got cold and wet and cold again and again and again," Spearmon said.
He learned after that the running he saw was due to stunt boards laid under the water. Then he knew he couldn't run on water, unless he used their dirty little trick. With those he said he could do cartwheels on the water, but on actual water, no he can't. But he talked about someone who can.
"Jesus," Spearmon said. "He did it, I'm not Jesus."
