Nathan's Hot Dog Contest

Got all of your racing/training goals for the next half of the year figured out? Well, I always like to have a backup plan. In case this whole running, swimming, biking, generally being active thing doesn't work out... competitive eating. For those of you who haven't heard, Joey Chestnut won this year's Nathan's Hot Dog Contest on July 4th, choking down 62 in 10 minutes. Reading this article makes it sound like the 5k that some of us ran on July 2nd (oh, and please note, I am by no means equating these people):

• "Damon Wells set the pace... among the first of the 17 competitors to finish two hot dogs." -> Mr. Meyer once again won the first 1/4-mile of the Freedom 5k, banking time on the downhill start.
• "Chestnut and runner-up Pat "Deep Dish" Bertoletti caught Wells and pushed the pace even harder." -> The other David M. and Kimberlie soon caught Mr. Meyer, accelerating up the first hill, dragging the lead group with them.
• "For the last two days, I have battling a head cold and a fever," Wells said. "I'm grateful I didn't pass out." -> "My heel is killing me and I can barely walk on it," Meyer said, "At least I beat the really old guy."
• "Wells said he was going to attempt to qualify again next year and hope for a higher finish." -> What's on the schedule for this weekend?
• "For the first time in the competition, a women's division was instituted. As expected, Sonya Thomas won. Thomas, who regularly competes with men, ate 40 hot dogs." -> Kimberlie was the first female to cross the line... and being that she was 5th, well, she beat a lot of guys (which is pretty typical for her).

And, I was surprised to learn that 2nd and 3rd went to females?!? And 3rd was a XC runner?!? So that means that a guy could get passed by the same girl in 5k and an eating contest?!? Also, and I guess this makes sense, I didn't realize you had to qualify for the Nathan's Hot Dog eating contest in other "challenges". I wonder if their standards are as rigorous as Boston? Age divisions? Differences between males and females? Hot dog to cheesecake conversion factors like those race time predictor calculators?So many un-answered questions... so many possibilities!

Can Torres BQ the same year that she NQ'd?