How Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest eaters train for competition

The Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest has become a Fourth of July tradition. It's as American as apple pie, but how do the competitive eaters "train" for the event?

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Every Fourth of July, we get to show off our American pride by shooting fireworks into the sky, downing burgers and glizzies, and washing it all down with some ice-cold beer. But while we're all enjoying the finer things in life, the celebration pauses.

We need to sit down and watch gluttons from around the world take the stage in Coney Island, New York, for the annual Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest.

The competitive eaters battle it out for the mustard belt and $10,000 first-place prize by seeing who becomes the ultimate glizzy gladiator after a 10-minute sausage showdown.

The current record for the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest belongs to Joey Chestnut, who was unfortunately banned from the competition because of a partnership with rival brand Impossible Foods. Chestnut ate a whopping 76 hot dogs in 2021.

But how do these unique characters prepare for the event? It takes a lot more training than you may think.

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How do Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest eaters train?

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Matt Hazzzard, who previously competed in the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, detailed what it takes to prepare yourself for the big event. As you may expect, the eaters are tearing through hot dogs in the months leading up to the event.

"By the time July 4th rolls around, I’ll have eaten over 1,200 hot dogs in preparation," Hazzard told Men's Health.

It doesn't stop there. The eaters must work on expanding their stomach capacity and finding a way to push themselves through "the wall." This is a term you hear in distance running, where the athletes feel like their bodies are shutting down and they can't go much further.

For the eaters, it's when their stomachs tell them it's time to shut it down.

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"Competitive eating can be broken down into three fundamental components: eating speed, stomach capacity, and willpower," Hazzard said. "On a daily basis, I’ll train my stomach capacity by drinking large volumes of water (2+ gallons) in a very short period of time (~10 minutes). On a weekly basis, I’ll cook up a bunch of hot dogs and do a full 10-minute practice run.

"This helps to improve speed/technique and build the mental fortitude necessary to push through the proverbial ‘wall’ and continue to down more hot dogs when your body is screaming at you to stop."

The closer the eaters get to competing, the grosser it all becomes.

As you can imagine, eating as many hot dogs as possible in 10 minutes requires your stomach to be empty. You also want to ensure your digestive tract is clear because, well...

Hazzard said, "About 36-40 hours before a competition, I will transition to an 'all-liquid' diet to ensure my digestive tract is as empty as possible to allow more room for stomach expansion. I drink protein shakes, Gatorade, and fruit juices.

"It’s important to make sure you’re still getting enough calories heading into the contest because eating as fast as possible for 10 minutes straight in hot, humid conditions requires a surprising amount of energy and is physically exhausting."

Hopefully it is all worth it.

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Who is favored in 2024?

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Joey Chestnut had won every Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest since 2007 other than 2015, when Matt Stonie scored a stunning upset. With his ban, the field is now wide open.

This season, according to Bet US, Geoffrey Esper is favored with -110 odds. His record is 51 hot dogs in 10 minutes. Esper's toughest competition will be James Webb, who has +140 odds.

1. Geoffrey Esper (10-11, -110)
2. James Webb (7-5, +140)
3. Nick Wehry (3-1, +300)
4. Patrick Bertoletti (6-1, +600)
5. Bertley Weaver (9-1, +900)
6. Darron Breeden (22-1, +2200)

On the women's side, nine-time champion Miki Sudo is an overwhelming -3333 favorite, followed by Mayoi Ebihara at +700.

The 2024 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest begins with the women's competition on ESPN3 starting at 10:45 a.m. ET. The men's competition will begin at noon ET on ESPN2.

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