NEW YORK — The spectators lined up shoulder to shoulder in Coney Island on Tuesday, many sporting headwear that captured the essence of the day: Nathan’s foam hot dog hats or blue caps provided by an antacid company.
And then the rain struck.
Minutes before the men’s division of the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest was to begin, torrential rain and lightning hit the area, sending fans scattering for cover or higher ground. Some news reports suggested that the event was canceled; by 1:30 p.m., security guards were breaking down the stage and ordering any remaining spectators to leave.
The event’s promoters, however, said that no decision had been made to cancel the event, and once the rain subsided and some swift logistical changes were made, the contest resumed shortly after 2 p.m.
“We will never surrender,” the event’s host and promoter, George Shea, proclaimed to the fans who remained.
The event began by 2:20 p.m., and order was quickly restored, with defending champion and overwhelming favorite Joey Chestnut easily defending his title by eating 62 hot dogs.
The women’s contest, which was expected to be a runaway victory for defending champion Miki Sudo had more traditional drama. Sudo prevailed, eating 39.5 hot dogs in 10 minutes, only six more than her closest competitor, Mayoi Ebihara.
Then the elements intervened, creating scenes of chaos as thousands of spectators fled for their safety.
Legend holds that the Nathan’s competition, which is divided into separate men’s and women’s events, has been held each year since 1916. Legend, however, does not comport with fact: In 2010, one of the original promoters of the contest, Mortimer Matz, admitted that in “Coney Island pitchman style,” they had made it up.
The event actually began in the early 1970s, and its current incarnation is fueled by a supercharged dose of puns and patriotism from Shea, who oversees the event with his brother, Rich Shea.
They have expanded the Coney Island event into a national spectacle of competitive eating run by Major League Eating, a group that describes itself as “the governing body of all stomach-centric sports.” The men’s contest was carried live on ESPN2; the women’s contest was shown live on the ESPN app.
For most of America, the Fourth of July evokes thoughts of fireworks, family and cookouts. But hours before any of those things begin in earnest, many Americans turn their attention to a curious spectacle that has become another holiday tradition: the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest.
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