ABSTRACT
On your marks . . . Get set . . . Eat! With thousands of fans screaming and ESPN cameras covering it all, off they go. A group of twenty or so adults, ranging from the small, fit, and trim to the big and tall football lineman, commence to gorge down, as fast as they can, about two dozen or so hot dogs piled high in front of each from Nathan’s Deli. Buns and all! Is this an event at your local county fair? No, it’s Nathan’s Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest in New York, with competitors from across the world, who have practiced all year long to down almost fifty hot dogs-not simply in one sitting, but in just twelve short minutes! Eaters’ profiles can vary in age, weight, or gender. For example, Sonya Thomas, who holds the second-place rank of top eaters on the circuit worldwide, is a thirty-seven-year old, and 105pound woman. In contrast, Joey Chestnut, who holds the third place rank, is a twenty-two-year-old male weighing 230 pounds.
