Hot dog! Competitive eaters get their fill

There's no Vitamin C in a Nathan's beef hot dog. But there are minute amounts of calcium and iron and even a little dietary fiber.

So, even without the bun, there still is something that will make sure digestive systems flow properly.

But really, who cares about "good stuff" in a hot dog?

The cylindrical meat package that is the star of today's annual Fourth of July gluttonous spectacle makes up for a lack of nutritional value with good ol' American fat, carbs and calories. And dashes of sodium diacetate, sodium erythorbate and sodium nitrite.

And it is fun to watch mostly skinny dudes shove a bunch of wieners in their mouths and try not to puke.

Regurgitation in competition never happened to two of the world's all-time great eaters, Henderson's diminutive duo of Rich and Carlene LeFevre, each of whom weigh less than 135 pounds. Rich posted top-10 finishes in the past decade in the pinnacle of pigouts better known as the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island in New York City.

And to think, the LeFevres are pretty much vegetarians.

"We don't like to eat anything that has ingredients that we can't pronounce," says Carlene, one of the country's top competitive eaters before retiring with her husband a year ago.

They ate meaty tube steaks twice a year and only during competition.

"We won't be eating any hot dogs," Rich says about watching today's dog demolition. In fact, he hasn't snapped at a dog since the May 2009 Nathan's qualifier he won in Las Vegas by eating 28. That's 8,316 calories, 671 grams of carbs, 0 percent Vitamin C -- all in 10 minutes.

They only relish dogs consisting of soy.

"We always have been very healthy eaters," he says, "except when we competed."

And be warned: Don't invite the 66-year-old Rich for dessert. He holds the world record for eating 5 pounds of cake in 11 minutes, 26 seconds. That's like eating 50 Hostess cupcakes.

While LeFevre is not participating in this year's competition, Southern Nevada will be represented.

Ben Munson, 23, inhaled 29 hot dogs during a May qualifier at New York-New York to win a trip to today's event, where he will compete as a rookie.

The 6-foot-7-inch, 260-pound personal trainer from Twin Peaks, Calif., relied on a daily intake of 5 to 6 pounds of green beans with a 1-gallon water chaser to prepare for today's munch.

He plans to spit out his message for good health on NBC's "Today Show" this morning before stuffing what he expects to be from 40 to 50 dogs down his gullet. It will be the first time he has eaten a dog since the May qualifier.

Competitive eating isn't just fun and games for him. He feeds on spreading a message of eating healthy. Competitors take what they do seriously. The problem with that: Most spectators don't.

A crowd expected to approach 50,000 will be jammed like sardines, and the live ESPN telecast has averaged 1.4 million viewers the past four years. Many will hope to see a competitor puke, which is something Rich LeFevre says he never did during competition.

The LeFevres competed for the challenge, as well as free trips and prizes. And free food. It's not a livelihood, except for maybe reigning Nathan's champion Joey Chestnut. Today's top wiener gets $10,000 -- in cash, not hot dogs.

The notoriety, more than money, is why eaters such as Eric "Badlands" Booker devoured 15 pounds of cabbage within 30 minutes and chugged gallons of water while training in his quest for hot dog immortality. The New York City subway conductor has dropped from 400 pounds to a svelte 380 for this year's quest for the mustard-yellow champion's belt sponsored by Heinz.

"I do better when I'm lighter," Booker says.

Booker predicts a personal hot dog best of 45 and that three-time reigning champion Chestnut will retain his title and become the first ever to wolf down 70.

And for the next day or two, physics will prove that what goes in must come out.

"That's one contest I'd never want to judge," Booker says.

The best news for Munson is that Pepto Bismol has become a sponsor of Major League Eating, which sanctions the Nathan's contest.

"Wow, that's great. I usually get real bad heartburn after competing and have always had to buy my Pepto Bismol," Munson says. "Maybe we'll start getting it for free."

Another perk of being a major league eater.

Contact reporter Jeff Wolf at jwolf@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0247.