2006 Nathan's Famous 4th of July Hot Dog Competition

This is it. The Super Bowl of competitive eating. The US Open, The Masters, the World Series...for a sport with no season, trying to find a suitable analogy for the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest is a little rough going. Unlike other competitions throughout the year, this one offers no prize money-only a belt, a year's supply of hot dogs, and a title that earns the respect of eaters across all disciplines. Widely considered to be one of the most difficult competitions, and surely the one most steeped in tradition and fanfare, it's known for lighting an insatiable fire inside eaters as they chomp their way through grueling qualifiers to earn a place at the big table.

And this year, everyone agreed, was particularly demanding, with qualifying numbers through the roof for pros, and fresh-faced rookies coming in with 18+ HDBs. This year also offered up something not felt amongst the eaters and fans in the past five years: hope of an American regaining the title. Joey Chestnut, known as an incredible eater, but one ranked solidly behind Sonya Thomas, suddenly emerged with the ability to power down a mind-blowing 50 HDBs. Everyone freaked out. The fans buzzed excitedly, the Sheas had their angle for the entire competition, somewhere out in California, Jed Donahue wondered if this might be the year someone would get hurt, and the world rallied around the idea that there would finally be a worthy competitor for Takeru Kobayashi.

We were psyched. There are certain advantages to living in the same city as the IFOCE headquarters, and we were prepared to reap all the benefits our press access would allow.

The day before the competition is reserved for the weigh-in, a tradition that allows the press a first peek at the eaters. Everyone was crowded onto a hotel rooftop, with the midday sun beating down. The eaters were introduced, and a handful were weighed and "certified for competition." We were anxious, along with a roof-full of restless press, to finally lay eyes on the famed Kobayashi. When he finally came out, cameras went wild. He seemed, the way people do when you've only known them through photographs or television, different than we expected. The images most often associated with the famed Japanese eater are those of him with arms raised in victory, with muscles bared, with a wicked grin over a platter of hotdogs. The public no doubt views him through these lenses, and we're not sure the press knew what to do with the demure-looking man with the shock of yellow hair. What they eventually did was shape him into the ferocious competitor they came to photograph. "Show us your muscles!" "Flex!" "Lift your shirt! No, lift your shirt and LOOK UP!" "Look up!" "Give us a mean look!" He acquiesced, but not without a bit of...was that embarrassment?

We've learned there's a fine line some eaters walk, as they make a name for themselves and then have to deal with the attention that name garners. Many people find they fall short of the famed Cookie Jarvis ability to both actively self-promote and revel in the attention. Often there's a bit of a disconnect that we might identify as merely human. (Speaking of which, Cookie was on hand, too, gamely shoveling dogs in his mouth for the cameras. I asked one of the eaters, "Didn't he retire?" The answer: "He didn't retire from the cameras!")

Things got even stranger when George Shea lined up Kobayashi and Joey Chestnut to do a "face off" for us. He handed each of them a hot dog, had them face each other and race to stuff their face, coaching them from the side, "Glaring! Glaring!" Frankster, the Nathan's mascot, grinned goofily behind them, tongue wagging. The cameras snapped away before both of them fell away with hot dog stuffed smiles. They shook hands. George Shea asked if that was enough, if the press wanted anything else. They wanted it again. But closer this time! Nose to nose! Joey and Koby obliged, but the shot kept falling away to half-shy laughter from both sides. Shouts of "Closer!" kept coming from the press; so much so that we began to wonder if what they really wanted was to see the two stars kiss. Come to think of it, THAT would have been a shot worth waiting for.

We caught up with the eaters again later that evening, where a bunch of them gathered at Coney Island's KeySpan Stadium to cheer on the entrants in the final qualifier before the big day. There was a little picnic laid out for everyone and the eaters picked their pre-game dinners carefully (that is, those who weren't planning on winning the qualifier and ending their night with a bellyful of Nathan's). We could have sworn we saw Rich LeFevre go back and forth with at least three plates of three hamburgers each, but he later swore he only ate two sausages. Hmm.

We got the chance to talk to Robert Andersson, who came all the way from Sweden to compete in the 4th of July competition. A bright-eyed, friendly guy, there with his girlfriend, Anna (who did her part to uphold the beautiful blond Swedish stereotype), Robert was confident he'd put down at least 40 HDBs the next day. He explained that he was a champion eater of varm korv, a hot-dog-like "rubbery Swedish sausage." The Swedish version were very tough, but were without buns. He hadn't had the chance to try a real Nathan's until that day, and he was elated with what he found. The hot dogs, at least in comparison to varm korv, "melt in your mouth" and the buns were a very "simple bread."

We don't think we've ever heard any of the eaters use the words "melt in your mouth" to describe the Nathan's dogs, so we thought some of this optimism might be warranted. Was this like a swimmer who's only trained in heavy clothes being released into a race wearing a Speedo?

Not that there weren't a few points he wasn't clear on. As they set up the cups for the qualifier and eaters filled them up with various drinks, he got a worried look on his face. "Are we supposed to bring our own water?" he asked, to no one in particular. There were also some small customs of the eating circuit he seemed oblivious to. "After the competition, I'm going to throw up!" he told us with a huge smile. When we informed him of the taboo associated with giving up your lunch voluntarily after a competition, he seemed unfazed. "That's too much for your stomach! Oh yeah, I will throw up."

The final qualifier went by without a hitch. Erik "The Red" solidly beat who he thought was his biggest rival, "Jammin" Joe LaRue, 22 to Joe's 14.5. Eyes were also on fan favorites, Krazy Kevin and Don Lerman. No one seemed to realize a quiet rookie, Arturo Rios, at the end of the table had eaten 18. Even Arturo didn't realize he'd done well. We told him later that if he ate 18 HDBs at only his second try at competitive eating, he most likely had a bright future ahead of him in other foods. His face visibly brightened. "Really?" he said. Watch out, world.

Pat Bertoletti was intent on getting to ride the Cyclone. Erik also mentioned he'd be along for some rides, but we're not sure he successfully convinced anyone to sit next to him and his 22 hot dogs and buns.

The next day, we arrived at Coney Island bright and early at 9:30 am, two and a half hours before the show was scheduled to start, in order to get a good spot. Even at that hour there were a good hundred people or so filling the cordoned-off fan-designated area to the left of the stage, with more arriving each minute. The press box was filling up too, but we were not to be pushed out of a prime position by the likes of Reuters and the Associated Press! No, we were resolved to hold our ground and try not to feel out-gunned by large professional camera equipment and microphones to our 17-inch tripod and Panasonic PV-GS200 camcorder. And why do we do this? For you, the True Fans of competitive eating. We were representing the people; the closest we've come to eating lunch with Rupert Murdoch is reading the cover of the NewYork Post at the deli.

Celia (Krista's sister tricked into assisting us during this oppressively hot July 4th) and Krista worked the trenches as Liz and her husband, J, staked their claim on a spot on the raised press platform directly in front of the stage. We've been to some big eating events, but nothing of this scale. Crazy Legs warned us to plan ahead so we wouldn't be surprised by the crowded venue, ruthless press, and severe dehydration. But nothing could have prepared us for the spectacle we were about to witness. The fan presence was the first big difference. A lot of eating contests are held at odd hours or during the weekday, when many people don't have time to attend random sporting events. And even at bigger competitions (save, perhaps, only Wing Bowl), the crowd is drawn from the main event hosting the contest (a fair or festival). So observing throngs of people showing up hours beforehand, complete with crazy hats, signs, shirts, and cameras, just for hot dogs, was truly awe-inspiring.

Most of the eaters were taking the Bus of Champions into Coney, but Eric "Badlands" Booker was on hand to greet some fans. Cookie Jarvis and Don Lerman, who weren't competing but had places in the opening ceremonies, were also milling around. We first approached Badlands, who we never would have guessed had only got off working the 12 to 8 AM shift. You would think the darn MTA would be able to get someone to cover for everyone's favorite civil servant eater! But Badlands wasn't complaining; his eyes were bright, and he seemed upbeat and, of course, hungry and focused.

We weren't sure how the Nathan's contest would affect some of the eaters. We didn't want to get in the way of their preparation and we approached Badlands with caution. However, that was all thrown out of the window when he gave us a huge hug hello. (They like us! They really like us!) Badlands was signing autographs and laughing with fans: the mark of a true sportsman.

Cookie Jarvis was also there to greet fans, and took a moment to talk to us about the part he was to play in the festivities. Sadly, the IFOCE was officially announcing his retirement and there was to be a special rising of his beloved trench coat above the Nathan's table. He seemed upbeat about it all, though. It was his decision after all. His plan is to lose 200 pounds and get healthy. When asked how he planned to do it, he answered with a smile, "I'm going to eat a lot less and exercise more." Good answer Cookie; if only more people tried to lose weight the logical way.

The next eater we said hello to was the ever-sweet Don Lerman, who was wearing his special plaid fez/hot dog hat with an embroidered "Don Lerman" scrawled across it. He was keeping cool in the eater tent with bagpiper Larry Vinson, who looked every bit the part in kilt and white beard. The occasion for their formal attire was simple: they had been asked to present Jim Mullen's teeth to George Shea before the contest. A tradition at this competition, Jim Mullen is the apocryphal winner of the first Nathan's hot dog competition in 1914 (though he was supposedly Irish, which makes the presence of the bagpipes a little less clear. But who are we to argue traditions of heritage when we're talking about a fake dead guy's dentures?) Don Lerman told us he's just too heavy to be in tip-top eating form right now. His plan is to lose 80 pounds by January, and he knows exactly how he's going to do it: one meal a day, the luncheon special at his neighborhood Chinese restaurant. His menu favorite is the Kung Po Ding, one portion, excluding the egg roll and soup. If he follows this regimen, Lerman is confident he will be in eating shape for 2007.

After running out of eaters to interview, we turned our attention to the fans. Dave Shoffner of the great fan blog, MegaMunch, was in attendance, as well as super fan, Greg Packer, who has returned to the same prized corner spot to watch the contest for the past five years. Packer, looking relaxed and cool in only a pair of shorts and chest hair, said the Nathan's contest is an American tradition and he wouldn't dream of missing it.

As Celia and Krista were taking it all in, an event coordinator asked if we would help her out for a moment. As we are generally helpful people, we agreed. And then got really excited as we realized we were being asked to be stand-ins for the ESPN run-through of the event. Whoa! We waited in the wings as George Shea practiced his spiel for the cameras; as he announced our "names," we strode up the steps and across the stage, Celia doing her best Eater X, and Krista working it out as Crazy Legs Conti. There was considerably less face paint and shaking of dreadlocks than the real thing, but this may be the closest we'll ever get to getting cheered on a competitive eating stage. We soaked it in.

A few other fans caught our attention because they were sporting hot dog hats similar to Don Lerman's and seemed to be bubbling over in anticipation of watching the contest. The women, Nicki, Lisa, and their friend Yvonne, came all the way from California to see the Nathan's contest for themselves. They said they planned their entire trip around attending the competition and bought their hot dog hats online, weeks in advance, just to make sure they had them for the big day. We aren't sure if they obtained their goal of meeting each of the eaters individually, but they did manage to get their faces on the closing ESPN coverage.

Sadly, even the fans who made it to the corner of Surf and Stillwell early in the morning were not able to get a good view of the contest. The prime viewing space, directly in front of the stage, was reserved for press. The fans had to make due with craning their necks to see just a piece of the entire table. It seems too bad that no one's figured out a way to ensure both adequate press coverage and satiate fans' desires to be closer to the action.

As 10:30 approached we saw several large groups approaching the VIP area. One of the groups were decked in "I [Heart] My Deep Dish" shirts, while another were wearing "My Brother Can Eat More Than Your Brother" tee shirts. This could only mean one thing--the eaters' families had arrived! Up until then we had only met a handful of eaters' family members, but we've learned they are usually a big treat. The always delightful Rona Conti was there sporting her "Crazy Legs' Mother" hat, Tim "Eater X" Janus was represented by a big crowd comprised of mother, father and assorted friends and family. The threesome wearing the bold, "My Brother Can Eat More Than Your Brother" shirts, seemed a bit overconfident until you saw the "Chestnut" written on the back. There is no denying it: their brother CAN eat more than your brother (unless, of course, your brother is a Japanese phenom named Takeru). Hall Hunt's family got into the act by wearing matching day-glo orange shirts. "Big" Brian Subich had some signs too. It seemed everyone had at least one person there to root them along. Not that they would need anymore cheering as the crowd surged to 15,000 strong, with signs of their own: slightly dirty ones ("Swallow, Sonya!"), hopeful ones ("I'm eating next year!"), punny ones ("I've got the LeFevre!" "I'm crazy for Crazy Legs!"), and specific ones (Kobayashi's head on a stick. In a good way.)

Adding to the cacophony of the day's events were the Blues Devils, an old-fashioned blues foursome that rocked the stage with their version of edgy rhythm and blues, rockabilly, and swing. They were great, but as we watched them from the floor we just couldn't help thinking how hot their suit jackets, hats, and terry cloth pants must have made them. Our mothering instinct kicked in and we just wanted them to get off the stage, drink some water, put some shorts on, and sit in the shade and relax.

As Celia made one of her many water/Gatorade/hot dog runs for the team, the crowd let out a cheer. We were wondering what we missed when we turned to the stage and noticed a man bearing one plate of hot dogs; the FIRST plate of hot dogs. It was enough for the crowd to scream to the heavens. It meant things were gearing up. It meant the eaters were close.

After the Blue Devils sang their last song, Amos, the Bard of Brooklyn got on stage to sing a few songs about hot dogs. The chorus for one of them went something like:

Hot dogs, hot dogs, hot dogs - watch them, eat 'em up
Hot dogs, hot dogs, hot dogs - great with soda pop

After the Bard was finished Anne Marie Thomas got onstage to prettily sing the national anthem. We figured if this was anything like baseball, the show was finally getting on the road. (The music was fun, but it made yelling liveblog updates to Mike very difficult.) A representative from Nathan's gave City Harvest a donation of ten thousand hot dogs, which we are assuming was meant to assuage guilty gluttony feelings. We think it did the job. We looked hard for any trace of irony on the City Harvest rep's face, but there was nary a sideways glance. Ten thousand hot dogs is ten thousand hot dogs, I guess! The Gowanus Wildcats, a dance troupe made up of young girls, performed a dance on stage for the crowd.

The Frankster was also there adding to the general feeling of glee, as well as an Uncle Sam on stilts and a rival stilt-walking clown with a basketball and net. A miniature Uncle Sam was also in attendance. There were no photo-ops between little person Uncle Sam and stilt-walking Uncle Sam, but we think that would have been excellent.

The Frankster was trying his best to dance, but as George Shea pointed out, "The Frankster has no hips, which makes it very difficult." As noon approached the crowd was becoming more and more boisterous, and when the 60th Precinct escorted the Bus of Champions into the lot they could barely contain their excitement. Eaters later reminisced about past Buses of Champions that were full of last-minute camaraderie, nervous excitement, Beastie Boys songs ("No Sleep 'Til Brooklyn") blaring from the speakers and eating highlight reels played over television sets. It's a rite of passage for all who make it to Coney to get to ride in it, and we were eager to get a peek. Though, to be honest, the white minibus was looking a little more "Shuttle to the Retirement Home" than "Bus of Champions." We were able to get a quick peak into tinted windows as it arrived and we must say the eaters were looking hot and tired. A few little birdies told us the Bus of Champions was lacking air conditioning, smelled, and might have gotten lost a few times; not really the way these eaters deserved to be escorted to the event. However, they aren't ones to complain and nothing could stand in their way of being extremely happy to be there on the biggest day of the eaters' year.

Before the eaters could exit the bus, a man in a black suit and earpiece left the bus and reenacted a moment from a secret service agent's book of tricks. Looking both ways and speaking into a wrist mic as if there was a sharp shooter on the roof who had it out for the eaters. Leave it to the Shea brothers to find a way to add more theatrics to the day.

Badlands came out and rappped, only this time he brought out two younger versions of himself to help him out. Badlands was also supposed to sing with his wife's gospel choir, but that was nixed at the last minute due to time restrictions. Flipping through the press pack, we had been giddy with excitement for the promised lineup: a dance troupe called Clogtastica and starring the IFOCE's own Kate Westfall! A DANCE OFF with Pat Philbin! It was like WE had written the program for US! But as the main events started gearing up, it was clear a glitch of time mismanagement was going to rob us of these, along with the presentation of Jim Mullen's teeth. It's a shame; a lot of these cancelled events would have been fun to witness. We did hear rumblings that ESPN might have messed up a few things (the eaters had to enter the stage for the first time twice) but we weren't able to account for all the lost dancing and singing and teeth.

They did make time for the announcement of Rookie of the Year which, to no one's surprise, was awarded to Joey Chestnut. Hall Hunt (in an Uncle Sam getup) and Chip Simpson were also up for the honor, but Joey pretty much secured his place when he proved he was a 50-dog man.

With about 45 minutes until noon, it was finally time to announce the eaters. The platform George Shea was on suddenly rumbled and flew into the air, with George on board, hands raised and voice booming. All that was missing in the equation was Shea bellowing, "I am the great and powerful Oz!" The music started, the same pounding beat that usually begins these proceedings, but magnified over the expanse of Coney Island, it gained a new tenor of exhilaration. George used every ounce of showmanship he had in him; we've heard the same recitation of stats and legends at every competition, but somehow they didn't feel as familiar; he was clearly feeding off the energy of the crowd and giving them the show they were drooling for.

Erik "The Red" Denmark was the first eater to the stage, fresh from his win the previous night. The proximity of his qualifier to the main event was also was the reason why he had a handwritten nameplate at his table spot. A misspelled nameplate apparently, as the first thing Erik did was change the C to a K, in his first name. A lot of the eaters came to the stage with a little wave and a smile, but others chose to use this time to enter as only a true performer can, with personality and plenty of charisma. Allen "The Shredder" Goldstein, who entered to Night Ranger's "Sister Christian" did wonderful pump action arm movement right on beat with the music that we particularly enjoyed. Kenji Oguni, the Japanese qualifier winner, shocked us. Not from his entrance, but because he chose to wear a black leather jacket for the occasion. We were almost blinded by the heat, drowning in humidity, and there was Kenji in this jacket; it made us even hotter just looking at him, but he was looking pretty cool.

"Humble" Bob Shoudt, who is from Royersford, PA (interesting side note: this is the same town Krista attended 6th through 9th grades. She would use this space to say, Go Spring-ford Rams right now, but she didn't really like it there, so she will refrain.) seemed mostly concerned with staying cool, as he sported a Sharper Image Personal Cooling System neck cozy and wore a wet white towel over his head during the contest. Crazy Legs Conti, always a crowd pleaser, didn't disappoint with a red and yellow dyed goatee and his signature over-the-top stretching maneuvers. Tim "Eater X" Janus, stood his own in the personality department by coming to the stage holding bicycle handle bars and ringing a little bell as he pretended to steer an invisible bike. Something tells us this has something to do with his whole Invisible Man thing. On his, (or is it the Whaler's?) second entrance, he used a posterboard sign to promote his blog.

Chip "The Phenom" Simpson gave us a King Kong beating of his chest, and Pat "Deep Dish" Bertoletti threw out some quick hand motions that the crowd took for revelry, but which made Commissioner Charles Hardy shake his head and laugh on stage. A little inside joke can go a long way.

And the grandest entrance of all was reserved for Joey and Kobayashi who appeared on blue platforms. As George announced the accomplishments of both, their platforms rose higher and higher until they sat about fifty feet in the air, waving their arms for the crowd.

As we mentioned, it was discovered ESPN had not taped the first round of introductions, which meant they actually had to do the whole thing over again, at a quicker pace. The eaters had to file offstage only to be re-announced, only with a little less aplomb this time, including Joey and Koby simply walking on stage.

Once the eaters made their final entrance they finally got down to business. Brian Subich and Seaver Miller were outfitted with ESPN eater-cams, drinks were organized on the table, and the Bunnettes grabbed their number signs. It was then announced that the 60th Precinct was estimating the crowd size at a whopping 22,500. We weren't sure if this was the truth, or just another Shea exaggeration, but it did seem impressive. Up in the press stands there was a murmur amongst the radio reporters as to whether this was a number they could accurately report. They hemmed and hawed before going on air with "a record number of people." The Nathan's Contest Countdown Clock approached zero and George Shea instructed the crowd to countdown from 10...9...8...and it began!

Now, if you are still reading this, you probably already know the outcome, though it doesn't mean it was less of a battle. Joey and Koby were neck and neck, Joey leading by one or two dogs up until the last minute and a half. Pat Bertoletti and Eater X made tremendous numbers (34.25 and 34, respectively) and Sonya finished a respectable third place with 37 HDBs. It was great to watch. The suspense in the air was palpable right up until the last few seconds. Considering that no one has been able to touch Koby in years this was an amazing contest, even if the outcome was the same.

There was a bit of a commotion over what people were calling a small reversal. At about a minute left to go, Koby's cheeks filled up in the wrong direction and a piece of hot dog flew into his cup. It happened in a split second, and the next instant he had swallowed what was in his mouth, what was in the cup, and had moved on. It didn't happen too quick for Joey's eyes though, and he did a double take as he caught the action out of the corner of his eye, pointing frantically in Koby's direction. Pat Bertoletti also saw something happen and pointed, but no penalty was issued. Kobayashi went on to beat his own world record by eating 53.75 HDBs, with Joey close behind with a new US record of 52.

"Reversal" dispute happens at the 7 second mark on this video.

George Shea came up to present the awards, though both Joey and Kobayashi looked wrecked. In years past, a smiling, triumphant look is what the press has come to expect from the Japanese winner, but we watched as he struggled to keep his composure. He leaned over the table and gave a "#1" sign with his finger that was so feeble, we initially mistook it for a "gimme a minute here" sign. The live feed waits for no man, though, and George eventually grabbed the champion's arm and raised it triumphantly for him.

As the contest ended and the press all surrounded Koby and Joey on stage to get interviews, we noticed the police officers who had been on-hand to keep the peace immediately started chowing down on the leftover hot dogs on the table. Are New York's finest being paid with hot dogs these days? They seemed pleased with their bounty, in any case. It seems every contest ends with the eating of the leftovers - grilled cheese, crab cakes, ice cream, and now hot dogs (not so much meatballs or corned beef and cabbage). This is one of the perks of working these events: all the food you can eat once the cameras are turned off.

So everyone put in very solid numbers this year. Well, almost everyone. If you look at the final numbers and scroll all the way to the bottom you will see that Jed Donahue only ate one. That is 1 hot dog, 1 bun. We have to admit, amongst all the flurry of eating, we didn't notice this during the contest. Shea never mentioned it, as his dialogue was centered entirely on Koby and Joey, and we didn't hear anyone talking about it after the competition either. In fact, the only thing that brought it to our attention is the fact that Jed strolled up to the subway platform later eating a large turkey leg. We were flabbergasted. It was only about an hour later and here he was gnawing away, in a very dedicated fashion, on a roasted leg. It was then that Crazy Legs, who was also with us, told us Jed had only eaten one hot dog. We quickly grabbed Jed to get the lowdown.

He calmly told us how he didn't know going into the competition that he was only going to eat one hot dog, but something came over him when he took the stage. He looked out into the crowd and decided he was going to try something new. He'd never eaten a Nathan's hot dog that hadn't been soaked in water. He'd never truly enjoyed the very hot dog that this entire competition was in honor of. On stage the clock started and he evenly grabbed the spicy brown mustard that adorned the tables, and drew a streak down his dog. When he bit into the first one, it tasted so good he decided then and there that THIS was the perfect dog and he didn't want to ruin the experience by eating any more. He told us it takes a lot of focus to eat just one hot dog in 12 minutes, and described the whole thing as a "truly satisfying experience." Whether you chose to believe this or not is your prerogative. Jed seemed pretty pleased with his decision.

However, other competitors weren't so happy. Rich LeFevre made it no secret that he believed Jed's move was the wrong one. Shaking his head, he said that if his wife, Carlene (now retired), had been there, she would have taken advantage of the opportunity to eat as many dogs as she could, and that Jed wouldn't even be there if she had come to the San Francisco qualifier, an opinion that Jed graciously allowed. The thought that Jed took the place of another eater who really wanted to be at the table but didn't make it, seemed to bother Rich. "Those people would have given it their all," and he thought Jed owed it to those people to eat as many hot dogs as possible.

But Jed was feeling pretty philosophical about the whole competition. Later that night, with things swinging into after-party mode, he talked a little about his fear of the direction the sport of competitive eating is taking. "It used to be that natural talent was all you needed to excel," with the sport made up of people with big appetites and bigger stomachs. Now, with this new breed of eater, ones that do stomach-stretching exercises with water and set up training sessions for themselves, the bar has truly been raised. Now anyone can train and become a decent competitive eater, and those with natural talent can train to be superstars. He said he was only going to go out and do the best he could do in competitions and leave the training to those with more drive than he has to really become great. Rich, too, agreed with this sentiment, and kept saying, "I'm 62. I have to leave that for the younger guys." It wasn't clear whether they were longing for the days when competitive eating was a simpler, less adorned sport, whether there was a hint of envy of the accomplishments of the "young guns" coming up through the ranks, or whether this was just a comment on the passing and changing of trends.

Jed does worry about people getting hurt. It seems to us like perhaps competitive eating is becoming a sport faster than there can be adequate coaches or safe training knowledge, like there are in other sports. We should keep in mind that the marathon today is so-called because Phidippides ran the 26 miles from Marathon to Athens to announce the Greek victory. And then he died on the spot. Obviously, people run marathons today without dying on the spot, but a world of knowledge came about to help that happen.

The dusk grew longer and eaters began trailing in to get ready for the fireworks display over the city. Kobayashi sat on some steps with his girlfriend, Kumi, and were elated by fireflies that began to light up around their feet. Kumi chased the glow with her camera, hoping to capture the little lights. Tim showed up sans mask, with Erik, Hall, and Pat Bertoletti not far behind. Erik, one of the young eaters Jed and Rich referenced, seemed pleased with their comparison of him to where Tim was two years ago. Seaver Miller, there with his wife, couldn't be more pleased with the day's events. The mood was generally euphoric as the night slipped on and fireworks hissed and popped over the skyline. We remembered the giant countdown sign we passed on our way out of Coney Island, already reset and making its slow crawl towards next year. 364 days to go.

Pictures here and here!