Alexandria resident Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas will down dozens of hot dogs this weekend in attempt to snag first prize at Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest on Coney Island, NY.
Thomas, weighing in around 100 pounds, holds the women’s world record for hot dog eating — 41 in 10 minutes. She is the women’s division favorite for the contest this weekend, which comes with $20,000 cash prizes for the male and female champions.
It will be the first year at Nathan’s with separate male and female competitions, though Thomas does not seem to support this change. Her website says she likes to compete against the men and calls herself “The Black Widow” because the female spider kills male spiders.
Thomas estimates her stomach can hold up to 19 pounds of food. A few of her records include 11 pounds of cheesecake in 9 minutes, 52 hard-boiled eggs in 5 minutes and 552 oysters in 10 minutes.
