Slow it down buddy!

Eating contests, in general, tend to really freak me out. Perhaps it was the milk chugging contest on the Real World Road Rules Challenge I saw as a preteen that really turned me away from such activities. The thought of ingesting 25 hotdogs to prove personal worth is a little far-fetched and puzzling, but maybe that's just me.  The world record to date is 59 franks in 12 minutes, which is held by Joey Chestnutt of San Jose. This astounding feat was accomplished at the Southwest Regional Hot Dog Eating Championship in 2007. Who knew that competitive eating contests had such esteemed titles? Southwest Regional? Does this mean only residents of the southwest region can participate? I never knew of such exclusivity.

Another question, at what point do you decide that you will begin training to win hot dog eating contests? Is it like running a marathon? Slowly working up from 20 to 30 to 40 dogs as the big day nears?  I guarantee Joey is an all-star at playing Chubby Bunny, [which is an event that will most definitely be included in me and my roommates' summer field day games.]

Side note: If you're in Austin this summer..get excited. We're talking potato sack races, egg on a spoon,and 3-legged races. With booze.