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Michael Phelps tried running a 5K Thanksgiving Turkey Trot and almost lost to an 11-year-old

Michael Phelps said he almost lost a 5K to an 11-year-old girl on Thanksgiving last year.

Michael Phelps
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Michael Phelps might be the greatest swimmer that ever stepped into a pool, but when it comes to running, the Olympic champion is far from a world-class athlete.

While recounting the story of how he wound up with a front-row seat to watch Tiger Woods at the Masters to NBC Sports , Phelps revealed that he ran a 5K during Thanksgiving of last year.

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"That was the worst idea in the world," Phelps said. "We did a turkey trot, and I think I'm still dealing with plantar fasciitis. I don't run, and I don't do anything outside of the water. It's been a painful recovery. I don't know if I'll ever do that again. I did win it, so I think I'm going to retire on top there."

Phelps, who is 6-foot-4 and again, one of the most dominant athletes in history, won the race, but told NBC Sports the competition was fierce, and not something he would try again.

"I had to push myself to get the win," Phelps said. "I had to hold off, I think, an 11-year-old girl. And I'm not kidding. She was flying down the hill coming after me."

Later in the interview, Phelps confirmed again that he had no plans of making a canceling his retirement from competitive swimming, saying, "For me to even contemplate a comeback, I'm past it."

Phelps was once able to hold off the leads of some of the best athletes in the world in the pool, but when the race is on land, it's clearly an entirely different competition.

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