Today on a holiday Monday Mysteries we take a look at an unusual sport that I didn’t ever realize was a sport: competitive eating.

I bring this up because today’s the 4th of July, and every year in Coney Island, New York, they hold the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. It’s been a tradition since 1972  to see who can eat the most hot dogs in 10 minutes. The guy who had held the title for 8 years was a guy named Joey Chestnut, but he was dethroned last year by an upstart named Matt Stonie. So the rematch was on this year.  And when the hot dogs had settled,  Joey had reclaimed his title with a record-breaking 70 hot dogs and buns consumed in 10 minutes, to Matt’s total of a measly 53.

Now, I have to admit I was aware of this contest, but never really thought much about it. But if I’d thought about it at all, I would have thought it was an unusual event. But in fact,  I read an article in a British newspaper today (click here to read it) that explains that this Coney Island hot dog contest is but one of many on a competitive eating world-wide circuit. Yes, there’s are a whole world of  contests designed to see how much food people can consume in a small specified amount of time.

There are even rankings, like in tennis, for those who are “pros” (I guess). The article talks to the guy who’s ranked 8th world-wide for something – hot dogs, pizzas, maybe both, I don’t recall what.  I don’t know why, but the idea of world rankings for competitive eaters just strikes me as funny.

But I’ve saved the best part for last.

You’ve heard about  the Tour de France bike race each year? Well, it turns out there’s another bike race, held in Illinois, one that is more like an event that combines two sports, though, i.e. a race where the athletes periodically stop doing one thing and do the other. For example, the biathlon, which combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. This bike race that I discovered  today is kind of like that.  The cyclists race for a while and then stop and … eat a specific type of thing …  and then race … and then eat … you get the idea.  You get time credit for each item consumed, so I wonder if you ate enough if you could wind up winning the race with negative time.

Anyway, I’m not sure how many things you could really eat and then still race, though. The name of the race is Tour de Donut.

‘Nuff said.

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P.S. The Tour de Donut takes place on July 9th in Illinois. This year, for the first time, there will also be a Tour de Donut Hole as well. I guess that’s for all the munchkins — or at least the Munchkins® ….