Jeff "FaFa" Woods passed away after experiencing chest pains while running the first mile of the five mile Krispy Kreme Challenge in Raleigh, NC yesterday. The incident occurred before the midpoint of the race where competitors consume a dozen Krispy Kreme dougnuts. Woods was 58 years old and not a regular runner according to his friends.
Chris "Beefeater" Coyne, billed as a Wing Bowl runner-up in a legacy.com obituary, passed away at 50 on Monday. I could not find what year he finished second; a 2003 AP article is the only mention I could find of his competitive eating career.
Telegraph.co.uk reports that rugby player Sam Burgess of the South Sydney Rabbitohs successfully applied the Heimlich maneuver after an employee of Decosti Seafood started choking in a fish eye eating contest held at the Sydney Fish Markets. The facebook gallery of the competition has no mention of the incident.
Stephanie Torres' sudden passing in September make Las Crcuces Sun-News 2015 timeline of local news stories.
The Daily Meal asks if it possible to eat yourself to death.
Very good news from "Furious" Pete Czerwinski: he has received the results from his radiation therapy sessions and has been found to be cancer free.
The Wall Street Journal has a report on how Frankfurt, Germany is responding to the World Health Organization report claiming that consumption of processed meats increase the risk of cancer.
Fusion.net has an interview with Takeru Kobayashi about the World Health Organization report that consumption of processed meats increases the chance of cancer. He says it will not affect his career and does not think it will impact competitive eating in general.
Valerie Pondering, a blog by a Mormon missionary in Japan, was at a festival holding an eating contest in which an entrant required CPR from paramedics. She does not know the fate of the competitor.
Competitive Eaters diagnosed with cancer
- Balinda Gould ate 42.5 chili dogs in four hours at the Rockford Corner Bar in 2005 to break a 23 year old record and claim a $500 prize. In 2011, she passed away from cancer at the age of 46. (As far as I know, the chili dog record was the only eating contest or challenge she attempted.)
- “Furious” Pete Czewinski Diagnosed with cancer in 2014, requiring the removal of a testicle. Unfortunately that did not stop the spread of the cancer, resulting in radiation therapy in 2015.
- Ed “Cookie” Jarvis Diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2010 He has had 11 tumors removed (some non-cancerous) according to a July 2012 Deadspin article.
- Curtis Sliwa the Guardian Angels founder and 1994 Nathan’s 3rd place finisher was diagnosed with prostrate cancer in 2011.
Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest is being used to illustrate articles about the World Health Organization's new report that claims consumption of processed meats increases the chances of colon and stomach cancer.
A memorial for Stephanie Torres will be held tomorrow in Las Cruces, NM. The cause of her passing was fainting from low potassium levels. (via Stephanie Wu) update Stephanie Wu reports stories are being collected for a memorial urn. update Oct 4 Link for video streaming will start at 3 Pacific / 4 Mountain / 6 eastern (via Stephanie Wu).
"Furious" Pete Czewinski reports a decrease in his tumor markers from 11+ to 1. He will get a full health status report in November.
"Furious" Pete Czerwinski announces that he has finished the last radiation therapy in a series of 20 treatments. Let's hope he is declared cancer free in two months when he learns the outcome.
The Daily Mail has an article about Erik "The Electric" Lamkin and his recovery from an eating disorder. update The New York Post also has an article.
Some sad news from "Furious" Pete Czerwinski: in his latest video, he announces that cancer has spread to his lymph nodes and will undergo radiation therapy. Pete had a cancerous testicle removed last year, but unfortunately that did not get rid of 100% of the disease. Pete's vlog channel https://www.youtube.com/user/FuriousTalks/ will document his treatment.
NewsObserver.com has an article about the health issues Mort Hurst, billed as NC's original eating champ, has faced. He experienced a stroke after eating 38 soft-boiled eggs in 29 seconds in 1991 and continued to eat competitively for four more years.
USA Today has an article about competitive eating health risks with quotes from Matt Stonie and Pat Bertoletti, who says (without providing details) that he has experienced an injury while training.
Sunstar Scheduling has a request for a medic for the Hooters Wing Championship on Saturday.
Chronicle Live has an article claiming that eating challenges at northeast England restaurants are endangering diners' health.
DeadSpin has a post titled "What Happens If Someone Dies During The Hot Dog Eating Contest?" that assumes there would be a cancellation if there was a significant mid-contest health incident (Nathan's PR does not provide a definite answer). In the 2006 Las Vegas Nathan's qualifier, there was no interruption after an competitor passed out and was removed by stretcher. Joey Chestnut would go on to become the first American to eat 50 hot dogs at that event.
Craigslist has a request for an EMT to oversee a competitive eating event in Long Beach on June 27, most likely the Hooters wing qualifier.
Tailgate Fan has an interview with Crazy Legs Conti (conducted in March or earlier) in which h makes the claim an injury has never occurred at a MLE contest. (Conti was present at a 2004 jambalaya eating contest in Washington, DC where Dale Boone required the Heimlich maneuver. According to Eat This Book, Crazy Legs blocked a media camera while "The Mouth of the South" received medical attention.)
WKRN reports that Randy Schmitz of Orland Park, IL suffered a seizure after attempting the hot sauce challenge at Pepper Palace in Myrtle Beach, SC. He was hospitalized and subjected to a MRI which detected a cancerous brain tumor that was removed.
The Metro Times has an interview with Matt Holowicki, 8 time winner of the Hamtramck, MI paczki eating contest. He says he is retiring from that event after having been diagnosed with diabetes, but will continue to participate in other competitions.
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