Onlookers lined shoulder to shoulder in Coney Island on Tuesday, many sporting headpieces that captured the essence of the day: foam hot dog hats or blue antacid hats.
Then it rained.
Minutes before the men’s section of the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating competition began, torrential rain and lightning struck the area, sending fans scattering to cover or higher ground. Some news reports indicated that the event was cancelled; By 1:30 pm, security guards were breaking the stage and ordering any remaining spectators to leave.
However, the event promoters said no decision was made to cancel the event, and once the rain had subsided and some quick logistical changes were made, the competition resumed shortly after 2pm.
“We will never give up,” event host and promoter George Shea told the fans who stayed.
The men’s event began by 2:20pm, and order was quickly restored, with the defending champion and overwhelming favorite, Joey Chestnut, handily defending his title by eating 62 hot dogs.
The women’s competition that was expected to be a quick victory for the defending champion Miki Sudo. She really excelled, eating 39.5 sausages in 10 minutes, six more than her closest competitor, Mayui Ebihara, in a closer-than-expected finish.
Then the elements intervened. Create scenes of chaos Thousands of spectators fled for their safety. Some have taken refuge in the nearby subway station; Others simply went home.
About three blocks from the pageant, emergency personnel responded to a report that at least one person had been electrocuted, according to the fire department. Two people were taken to Lutheran Medical Center; It is not clear if they were struck by lightning, and their circumstances are unknown.
The lightning strike caused city officials and police to issue orders to evacuate the pageant area, according to Don Tolson, executive director of the citywide Event Coordination and Management Office.
Legend has it that Nathan’s Pageant has been held every year since 1916. However, the legend does not align with the truth: In 2010, one of the pageant’s original promoters, Mortimer Matz, admitted that, in “Coney Island style,” they had made up the origin story.
The event actually began in the early ’70s, and its current incarnation is fueled by a supercharged dose of puns and patriotism from Mr. Shea, who oversees the event with his brother, Rich Shea.
Over the years, Sheas has gently coerced mayors, including Rudolph W. (After he delivered one such groan in 2012, Mr. Bloomberg famous out loud, “Who wrote this [expletive]? “)
They’ve expanded the Coney Island event into a national competitive eating scene run by Major League Eating, a group that describes itself as “the governing body for all stomach-centric sports.” The men’s competition was broadcast live on ESPN2; The women’s competition was shown live on the ESPN app, and with a delay on ESPN2.
For most of America, the Fourth of July evokes thoughts of fireworks, family, and a cookout. But hours before any of these things start in earnest, many Americans turn their attention to a curious spectacle that has become another holiday tradition: the famous Nathan’s hot dog eating contest.
The July 4th event usually draws thousands of spectators who brave the heat and inexplicable euphoric effects of watching the elite legion of competitive eaters consume as many hot dogs as they can in 10 minutes.
The definition of “humanely possible” has one meaning for most meat-eating nations; It has something else for most contestants. This is especially true of Mr. Chestnut and Mrs. Sudo, who have returned to expand the idea of what is humanly possible.
Mr. Chestnut holds the men’s world record of 76 hot dogs and buns eaten in 10 minutes in 2021, while Ms. Sudoo holds the women’s world record of 48.5 hot dogs and buns eaten in 10 minutes. Both of them were betting overwhelmingly to win.
Mr. Chestnut, also known as Jaws, won the men’s competition for the 15th time last year by eating 63 hot dogs. Mrs. Sudou wins for the eighth time by eating 40 hot dogs.
They each won $10,000 for grabs for their teams this year.
For those who might be curious, scientists (scientists!) have determined that the human body is capable of eating — at most — 83 hot dogs in 10 minutes, according to a study published in 2020 that was based on 39 years. of data from the competition.
According to that paper, the best human-eaters in the world can even outpace a grizzly bear in terms of the amount of food eaten per unit of time.
Bears can eat about eight hot dogs per minute, and Mr. Chestnut can eat about 7.5 hot dogs per minute. But bears usually peck for about six minutes, while Mr. Chestnut can dunk sausages for 10 minutes straight.
Chelsea Rose Marcius Contribute to the preparation of reports.
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