Our News is Written in Stone™

Thursday, June 26, 2008

 

Newnan eater 1.25 dogs shy of spot at Nathan's

By Megan Almon

The Times-Herald

Loren "Bubba" Yarbrough was less than two Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs shy of clinching a seat at this year's Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island, N.Y.

Yarbrough, who officially downed 18.5 dogs at the end of Saturday's Georgia Hot Dog Eating Contest at Lenox Square Mall -- a qualifier for the world-famous Nathan's eat-off on July 4 -- was one-and-a-quarter hot dogs shy of Massachusetts' Pete Davekos' 19.25. Yarbrough thought he'd clinched the win but was deducted one-and-a-half dogs because his eating area was excessively "messy," said a Major League Eating official.

Yarbrough was followed by fellow Newnan resident and competitive eater Larry "Legend" McNeil, whose 17 hot dogs took third place.

Yarbrough and McNeil entered the competitive eating circuit in 2005. The two have chowed down together since then, their repertoire stretching from hot dogs to pizza, Krystal burgers, pulled pork, ribs, meatballs, keylime pie, chili-cheese fries, bratwurst and jalapenos -- for which Yarbrough recently broke a record.

The Nathan's contest -- aired annually on ESPN -- is "the Super Bowl of competitive eating, as big as it gets," Yarbrough said.

Not only does the winner receive the coveted Yellow Mustard Belt, but a $20,000 check.

Eating a Nathan's Famous Hot Dog is no easy feat. For those familiar with the dogs, their origin traceable to a vendor cart at Coney Island in 1916, Nathan's dogs are not your average wieners.

"There's an audible snap when you bite into one," Yarbrough said.

The thick sausage and spiced meat is wrapped in a thick casing.

"After about 10, the spices and the thickness get to you," he added.

Yarbrough's personal record is set at 20. According to Yarbrough, the trick is to "build a rhythm."

His training regimen for such an event isn't as gruesome as some may picture. Like other competitive eaters, Yarbrough builds up his stomach's stretch-ability as a competition approaches. He opts for low-calorie solutions. Every day last week, he ate his lunch, set the timer on his watch, and did his best to guzzle a gallon of water in less than a minute.

He and McNeil also train with filling, high-water foods like watermelon. Occasional trips to local buffets are on the agenda as well, just to keep them conditioned.

The pals, both Atlanta city employees, are members of the International Federation of Competitive Eating who enjoy the extra money that comes with wins.

"We like it," Yarbrough said. "It's something fun to do."

To read more about competitive eating, or about Yarbrough and McNeil, visit www.ifoce.com.


Comments: Post a Comment



<< Home

Archives

March 2006   April 2006   May 2006   June 2006   July 2006   August 2006   September 2006   October 2006   November 2006   December 2006   January 2007   February 2007   March 2007   April 2007   May 2007   June 2007   July 2007   August 2007   September 2007   October 2007   November 2007   December 2007   January 2008   February 2008   March 2008   April 2008   May 2008   June 2008   July 2008   August 2008   September 2008   October 2008   November 2008   December 2008   January 2009   February 2009   March 2009   April 2009   May 2009   June 2009   July 2009   August 2009   September 2009   October 2009   November 2009   December 2009   January 2010   February 2010  

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?