Battle of the gluttons
NEW YORK – Joey Chestnut achieved frankfurter immortality Friday, outdueling his celebrated Japanese rival in an epic hot-dog eating contest that pushed both of the gluttonous gladiators to the brink.
Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi each consumed 59 hot dogs in 10 minutes, forcing an unprecedented showdown that tested the very depths of their distended stomachs.
Under the glare of ESPN and facing a boisterous and sweaty crowd of thousands on Coney Island, Chestnut, the reigning champ, and Kobayashi, the six-time title holder, were forced to gobble down five more hot dogs in overtime.
The pair found the pluck to continue, devouring the beef and buns with renewed gusto, before Chestnut finally prevailed to chants of “USA!”
When it was over, Kobayashi was left holding a soggy mush of bun, and Chestnut had achieved near-mythical status in the annual event held by Nathan’s Famous since 1916.
“It was crazy,” said the 24-year-old Chestnut, who was mentally prepared to eat 70 hot dogs and acknowledged that his body at times almost failed him. “It pushed back against me. I had to push harder. It just didn’t want to swallow.”
The diminutive Kobayashi had hoped to reclaim the throne after last year’s three-dog loss ended his six-year winning streak. He said he was one mouthful from recapturing the famed Mustard Belt.
Both men said the shortened contest threw off their game. They said they had a hard time finding a rhythm despite leaving a slew of other competitors – including a renowned female professional eater known as the “Black Widow” – in a trail of mustard.
The regulation time was changed after it was revealed that the original 1916 competition was just 10 minutes long, instead of the 12-minute limit used in more recent years.
When the eating began, Chestnut quickly pulled ahead, with cheeks puffed as he crammed hot dogs into his mouth and the veins in his forehead beginning to bulge. At one point, the Californian led Kobayashi 14-11. But Kobayashi ate his way back, taking the lead, 46-45, with about three minutes left.
“I knew I was behind,” said Chestnut, of San Jose. “I’m always afraid of falling behind because it’s hard to come back.”
With fear in his gut, Chestnut rallied, and the two went dog-to-dog in the final stretch.
Chestnut, who clocked in at 210 pounds before the contest, downplayed his win, which carries a $10,000 prize.
“I’m just a normal guy eating hot dogs on the Fourth,” he said. “You can’t overcomplicate it.”
Then he burped. He was tired. The hot dogs had staggered him. No doubt he’ll need recovery time, said Dr. Marc Siegel, a professor at the New York University School of Medicine. The competitors will likely suffer nausea, bloat, headache and possibly high blood pressure for several days as the body slowly digests the food. “One is bad for you, five’s worse and 50 is terrible,” Siegel said.