Eat 53 Hot Dogs in 12 Minutes? No Problem for Koby
Photo: David Shankbone
It's almost the Fourth of July, and that means anticipation is building for one of New York's most famous sporting events: the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest!
At high noon this July 4th, 12 contestants from around the world will line up side by side on a long table on the boardwalk on Coney Island and see who can cram down as many hot dogs and buns as they can in 12 minutes (and keep them down).
The contest allegedly started in 1916 at the original Nathan's Famous hot dog stand in Coney Island, and it has since become an event that Nathan's says attracted 30,000 spectators last year, and is broadcast live on ESPN.
Takeru "Tsunami" Kobayashi will be gunning for his seventh straight Nathan's title, but he's reportedly suffering from jaw pain. Can Koby pull out another win, or is this the year that last year's runner-up Joey "Jaws" Chestnut finally breaks through to the top spot?
Don't think that competitive eating (as events such as this are called) is only a guy's activity. One of the world's best is the American woman Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas, from Alexandria, Virginia. She finished third last year and in 2004, and took second place in 2005. She holds the American record for hot dog eating.
I saw Thomas win a competitive eating contest during halftime at a basketball game at Madison Square Garden a few years ago, and it was quite a sight. She downed something like 50 fried chicken fingers in a few minutes. I can't even imagine eating that much food that fast (although it seems more like these competitors are inhaling the food rather than eating it).
If you want to see one of the quintessential NYC Fourth of July traditions, head for Coney Island to see the contest. Or tune in on TV to see the showdown at high noon.
Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest
Wednesday, July 4th, 12 Noon
Corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues, Coney Island, Brooklyn
