NEW HOT DOG RECORD! Kobayashi holds off Chestnut in 53.75 to 52 victory

The picture says it all. I took this during the pre-contest introductions and Koby definitely had the appetite to back up the physique, downing a record breaking 53 and 3/4 hot dogs to beat Joey Chestnut by one and three quarter dogs. Awesome contest and the best non-media and VIP view in the house. We got there exactly four hours before the event and were among the first 30 or so people there. By the end of the day, the 60th Precinct of the NYPD placed the estimated attendance at between 20 and 25 thousand.

The top six, according to the Beaufort Gazette (the Beaufort Gazette is the best source of finisher rankings, how messed up is that?) are:

1. Takeru Kobayashi - 53.75 dogs and buns

2. Joey Chestnut - 52

3. Sonya Thomas - 37

4. Pat Bertoletti - 34.5

5. Tim "Eater X" Janus - 33

6. Chip Simpson - 33

That's an impressive total by Eater X. He's probably pretty stoked about that, considering his qualifying total was 27.5. Bertoletti and Thomas also bested their qualifying totals, while Simpson fell short (he downed 38 in a June 17 match).

The first six minutes (shot by someone from the press box) can be seen here. The second six minutes are here. (Check out Chestnut's freakish, convulsive technique! That's him on Koby's right.) Totals of the top five are here, including a minute-by-minute breakdown. You can see Chestnut settled into a one or two dog lead from minutes 2:30 to 8:30 before Koby turned the tables. Full totals for the 18 eaters aren't available yet, but I'll link 'em when I find 'em.

Tomorrow I'll post a flickr link to about 50 pictures that I took at the event, including a write up about my post contest run-in with Koby, a throng of rabid fans, and some personal reflections on why the hell I'm such a geek when it comes to competitive eating.