For those who wondered if anyone could eat more than 53 ¾ hot dogs in 12 minutes — last year's mark by the longtime reigning champ, 6-time Nathan's winner Takeru Kobayashi — that is a faint memory.
Joey Chestnut, who set the all-time mark recently at 59½ hot dogs, won the Nathan's contest earlier today with 66 hot dogs in 12 minutes. Amazingly, Kobayashi surpassed his old mark and Chestnut's old mark, and still finished 3 hot dogs behind at 63. Kobayashi had been nursing a sore jaw in part due to removal of a wisdom tooth.
Once again, coverage aired on ESPN, so you might be able to catch a rebroadcast. Even if you know who wins, trust me, it's a fun 12 minutes to watch.
Yes, we note that eating that much food in one setting — if you can call that eating — is not normally part of a healthy lifestyle. But I talked to many people who look at that and lose their appetite. So it can work for some. As for me, I ate hot dogs (2) while watching the event as part of a balanced lunch.
One related note: Much of the coverage and press has been a little xenophobic, talking about an American winning the contest. But I figure being an American is wanting to go up against the best, and trying hard to win. Chestnut earned his win but Kobayashi has our long-term respect.
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