Glutton for glory
By Paul Breschuk
Feature Writer
November 4, 2009
 It is a safe assumption that at least some form of competitive eating had existed throughout history. We can attest to this by examining our own behavior with friends and family at the dinner table, remembering the minor battles it has staged: the sibling showdown, a race to an empty plate that likens dinner to an epic boxing match. The age-old challenge of eating six saltine crackers in one minute also comes to mind. Indeed, boredom and curiosity often leads to strange experiments.
Eating, after all, takes no special talent. And as this activity usually occurs in a group setting, natural human competitiveness most likely accounts for the hurried swallowing of food since ancient times.
While this phenomenon has always existed in an unofficial sense, it was not until July 4, 1916, that the world had seen its first sanctioned eating contest.
This event, hosted by Nathan’s Famous Frankfurter at Coney Island, pitted together four immigrants in a contest to decide who was most patriotic. Whether or not hotdog consumption is directly tied in with one’s allegiance to their country is still up for debate.
Throughout the following years, events around the world have displayed the speedy consumption of a wide variety of foods. However, the staple of eating contests during this time were the pies of county fairs.
Long before the days of professional competitive eaters, entrants to these contests were local residents who possessed no special eating talents. They did not train for months nor win any large sums of money. Rather, it appeared more as an excuse to indulge both in free pie and mild absurdity.
It would take developments in the late 20th century for competitive eating to attain both the interest and prominence it exhibits today.
By the mid 1990s, the hot dog eating contest hosted by Nathan’s had been bolstered significantly.
In a carnivalesque atmosphere, modern editions of this event include large crowds, live music, and national televising. Quirky customs have been added, such as the awarding of the highly coveted mustard-yellow belt.
The event also offers a large payoff to its winner, with recent cash prizes totaling over $20,000.
In response, the degree of competitiveness has spiked sharply, giving rise to a current batch of eaters who enjoy an iconic stature similar to professional athletes.
Like gastronomic rock stars, these competitive eaters are known to all in the game. Some have even become household names, such as Takeru “The Tsunami” Kobayashi, Joey “Jaws” Chestnut, and Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas.
These personalities carry feared reputations as being some of the most voracious eaters in the world.
They have also acquired an extremely large cult following, gaining celebrity status with coverage across all media outlets. The internet, especially, is packed with statistics, personal websites, and fan pages.
U.S.A vs. Japan: the hotdog showdown
While the 1916 event saw the winner eat 13 hotdogs, recent totals from the Nathan’s contest have dwarfed this amount. This sudden increase in hotdog annihilation can be accredited to one man, Takeru Kobayashi: the Lance Armstrong of competitive eating.
Clearly of a different pedigree, he dominated immediately upon arrival from Japan in 2001 when he consumed a remarkable 50 hotdogs – doubling the previous record of 25. He would go on to win the event an unprecedented six times in a row.
A true innovator of the sport, Kobayashi was responsible for the highly effective Solomon Method. This new technique entails splitting the hotdogs and buns in half before putting each half into the sides of his mouth.
At the height of Kobayashi’s success came Joey Chestnut, bringing the title back to the U.S. in 2007. Chestnut’s more orthodox strategy involves eating the meat before the bun, then dunking the bread in water so as to allow for easy swallowing.
Aided by the weight of the water, the bread then settles more quickly at the stomach bottom. This technique has seen him to the successful scarfing of 68 hotdogs in 10 minutes, a 2009 world record.
Enter Bob “Notorious B.O.B.” Shoudt
Of course, professional competitive eating is not limited to hotdogs. With the sport’s growing popularity, other food chains have begun sponsoring their own Nathan’s-type events.
Bob Shoudt, currently third in world competitive eating rankings, has had particular success in these offshoot contests. His resume includes the eating of 39 Krystal hamburgers in two minutes, 13.5 pounds of chili spaghetti in 10 minutes, and 19 pounds of grits in 10 minutes.
To date, he as placed in the top five in all 15 of his 2009 contests, winning over $17,000 in prize money. While impressive, these accomplishments are made all the more notable in light of his training philosophy. Unlike most other professional competitive eaters, Shoudt refuses to conduct any type of home training.
In the world of competitive eating, home training means drastic changes in diet as well as contest simulation. Many competitive eaters believe that by rehearsing the type of overeating experienced on contest day, they can force their bodies to adapt to the extreme food intake. Some competitors have also been known to drink large amounts of water or milk months before a contest, constantly stretching out their stomachs.
Shoudt, on the other hand, relies on his “natural eating talent,” a decision backed by both health authorities and the IFOCE (International Federation of Competitive Eating).
“To date I have managed to work my way into being ranked number three in the world without having to train,” said Shoudt.
“Though, I am very active in my personal life. I routinely do a thousand crunches a day and I train three days per week in Krav Maga, a tactical defense martial art. I am also an avid mountain climber.”
He believes this dedication to proper health is essential for all athletes, including competitive eaters. “Competitive eating is a sport. And as with all sports, the better physically fit that you are the better you will do.”
The truth behind this sentiment is no more apparent than in the physiques of the world’s top eaters. Kobayashi and Chestnut, for example, are amazingly thin despite the incredible amount of food they regularly consume. Obviously, maintaining a healthy body weight depends on their high metabolism and rigorous exercise routines. This is particularly important as excess body fat restricts the stomach’s capacity to expand during competition.
Shoudt notes that he has been particularly busy with exercise in recent weeks as he is currently training for the Nov. 8 Martorano’s Masters Meatball-Eating Championship in Las Vegas. An inaugural contest, this event is further evidence of a growing sport.
With over a hundred Major League Eating events held worldwide, awarding a half-million dollars yearly, competitive eating has gone a long way from the 1916 contest. And with the increased visibility of the sport comes more fans. Despite having to change his unlisted home phone number 13 times in the last five years, while sifting through randomly mailed gifts from adoring groupies, Shoudt looks forward to the sport gaining even more popularity.
Notable feats
16" Pizza
47 Slices
10 Minutes
Patrick Bertoletti
Butter
7 quarter-pound sticks, salted butter
5 minutes
Don Lerman
Eggs
65 Hard Boiled Eggs
6 minutes, 40 seconds
Sonya Thomas
Ice Cream
1 gallon, 9 ounces vanilla ice cream
12 minutes
Cookie Jarvis
Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches
42 PB&J
10 minutes
Patrick Bertoletti
SPAM
6 pounds of canned SPAM
12 minutes
Richard LeFevre
Tacos
48 soft chicken tacos
11 minutes
Sonya Thomas
Waffles
29 Waffles (8 oz.)
10 Minutes
Patrick Bertoletti
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