(Hot) Dog Days of Summer

Here at Wolfram|Alpha, we’re loosening our belts for the 94th annual Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest, a U.S. Independence Day tradition that draws participants and audiences from all over the world. At this year’s event, two-time champion Joey ”Jaws” Chestnut, from San Jose, California, will face off against six-time champion Takeru Kobayashi, from Nagano, Japan, in the quest for the famous Nathan’s Mustard Belt. We’re getting hungry just thinking about all the numbers at the World Cup of hot dog eating contests.

In 2008, Chestnut and Kobayashi tied when they each scarfed down 59 hot dogs and buns in the 10-minute regulation match, forcing the event into overtime. Ultimately, Chestnut prevailed when he polished off 5 additional hot dogs, for a total of 64.

Based on Wolfram|Alpha’s nutrition computation for 64 generic hots dogs and 64 standard hot dog rolls, Chestnut consumed over 17,000 calories.

According to Wolfram|Alpha, a 24-year-old male with the same stature and build as the 6’0″, 210 lb Chestnut would burn approximately 1633 calories during the course of a 60-minute, 10-mile run.

By plugging into Wolfram|Alpha the number of calories consumed (17,000) and dividing by the number of calories expended per hour (1633), we get the result 10.4, which is the number of hours one would have to run in order to burn off this victory.

You can bet we will be tuning in for this year’s event! So, if you are planning to fire up the grill and host a contest in your own backyard, or if you want to monitor the calories you consume and expend every day, Wolfram|Alpha can help you stay on top of your fighting weight.