Feeding frenzy
Jaws goes to the dogs for seventh eating title
NEW YORK — What do you call a man who eats 69 franks in 10 minutes?
Crazy comes to mind. But Joey Chestnut is known in the competitive eating game as Jaws. And why not?
Chestnut beat his own record of eating 68 hot dogs in 10 minutes Thursday as he defended his title at the 98th annual Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island. The competition draws crowds of thousands to marvel at contestants cramming frankfurters down their throats.
Chestnut didn’t disappoint, turning in a famished performance. Chestnut, who weighs 210 pounds, had said his pace was uneven in the past, but “this year I’m trying to eat a little more gracefully, conserve my energy.”
Second-place finisher was Matt Stonie, who chomped down 51 dogs.
With this year’s victory, his seventh, Chestnut has now bested his former rival, Takeru Kobayashi, who won six times.
Kobayashi competed in a different eating contest Thursday. Men do not monopolize this sport, however. Striking a blow for gender equality in her own stomach-busting fashion, Sonya Thomas defended her title in the women’s competition. Thomas, a 100-pound dynamo known as the “Black Widow” of competitive eating, wolfed down nearly 37 wie- ners to eke out a victory over Juliet Lee, who could only eat 36.
Thomas said the challenge of shoveling down dozens of franks is actually “more mental than physical.”
“I have to fight with myself, so I’m going to try to really focus,” said Thomas, of Alexandria, Va., where she manages a fast-food restaurant.
Thomas, 45, powered through 45 dogs to take the women’s championship last year and also won in 2011, the first year women competed separately.
Chestnut won $10,000 in prize money Saturday, Thomas $5,000. Both were awarded mustard-yellow championship belts.
But Chestnut, 29, of San Jose, Calif., said he was motivated by the prestige, not the money. “I’d do this for nothing,” he said. Ginger Perry, 47, of Obion County, Tenn., said she and her family planned their New York City vacation around the contest after watching it on TV in past years. Perry was impressed that Coney Island has recovered so well from being slammed by Superstorm Sandy last October.
“It’s amazing to be here and that they rebuilt so quickly,” she said.
The hot dog contest took place despite concerns about a swaying, shuttered observation tower that spurred the closure of parts of the nearby amusement park.
The shutdown didn’t affect Nathan’s, but Coney Island’s famous Cyclone roller coaster and other rides were closed, and workers were using a crane to dismantle the tower.