‘Reversal of Fortune’ at Hot Dog Contest

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – Robert Breinig was ready to cram down the hot dogs. He’d kept his stomach empty for nearly two days in preparation for the competitive hot dog eating contest at the Kansas State Fair.

But it took just nine franks until Breinig suffered what veterans of the competitive eating circuit call a “reversal of fortune” Monday afternoon.

And when his team of five National Guardsmen finally won Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest – chomping down some 46 hot dogs with buns – Breinig was a little too nauseous to take part in the celebration.

It would probably be “a long, long, long time” until he feasted on dogs again, the queasy contestant said.

Teams of sheriff’s officers, media personalities, firefighters and grocery clerks all competed in this year’s hot dog eating contest, which drew 28 competitors Monday afternoon.

Some were looking for entertainment. Others didn’t want to pay for lunch.

But no one actually believed they could beat the world’s best competitive eater, Takeru Kobayashi, who on July 4, 2004, ate 53 1/2 hot dogs and buns in just 12 minutes – one frank every 13.45 seconds.

Kansas’ best, Hutchinson radio personality Lucky Kidd, won individual eating honors when he chomped down 13.

Before the gulping began, emcee Ryan Nerz of the International Federation of Competitive Eating went over the contest’s rules and gave competitors a pep talk, rattling off a few championship eating records.

Eight pounds of mayonnaise in eight minutes, he said, as spectators groaned. Or how about 11 pounds of cheesecake in nine minutes, he asked.

“Well, to me that’s physical poetry,” said Nerz, author of “Eat This Book.”"That’s beauty and athleticism.”

To win the state’s tasty title, eaters had just 12 minutes to eat as many hot dogs as they could. Nerz told the eaters they could use any strategy to get them down, but if the dogs came back up before 12 minutes, the contestant was disqualified.

All 28 competitors met those standards, but Breinig wasn’t the only one who fell prey to a digestive disorder once the contest was over.

For spectator Pat Goatley, that was part of the fun.

“I just like watching people make fools of themselves while eating,” said Goatley, one of hundreds of fans cheering on the fair’s contestants.

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Information from: The Wichita Eagle, http://www.kansas.com