July 4 hot dog eating contest moves indoors

NEW YORK — With Independence Day celebrations canceled around the country, one distinctly American tradition continued Saturday despite the pandemic: the annual pilgrimage of competitive eaters to Coney Island for the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. But with cheering crowds turned away to promote social distancing, contestants instead chowed down amid a chorus of gulping and chewing from their competitors.

Held without fail every Fourth of July since 1942, the event ordinarily draws thousands to the original Nathan’s location in Brooklyn. Spectators sweat beneath foam hot dog hats, cheering as they watch a panel of competitors dunk the sausages into water — to soften the buns — all in the name of America.

But there was no crowd this year to cheer raucously; the competitive eaters, who usually hover over their piles of hot dogs shoulder to shoulder, were separated by 6 feet and sheets of Plexiglas.

The contest was limited to five women and six men to allow for adequate social distancing. One woman was unable to attend because of restrictions on travel to New York from Arizona, where coronavirus cases are surging.

Joey Chestnut, of San Jose, Calif., who won his 13th title Saturday after eating a record 75 hot dogs in 10 minutes, said in an interview Friday that it would be challenging not to be surrounded by the deafening cheers from the crowd this year — and for the first time to be able to hear his competitors while they chow down.

“They’re going to be burping and groaning, and I’m just going to have to focus on my hot dogs,” Mr. Chestnut said.

For Mr. Chestnut, 36, the confirmation that the contest would still go on “made it a lot easier to practice.” Eating 40 or 50 hot dogs at a time without the certainty that the competition would happen this year was a bit “depressing,” he said.

The reigning women’s champion, Miki Sudo, of Torrington, Conn., defended her title this year, winning for the seventh time by scarfing down a record 48½ hot dogs.