Nathan's Eating Roster

The following eaters will compete in the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest.

Godfrey Bertelsen Manchester, England 6’6”, 280lbs, 42 Years

o Pickled Egg Eating Champion o Competes in charity contests to raise money for disabled children

Eric “Badlands” Booker Copiague, NY 6'5", 395 lbs, 35 Years, 27 Hot Dogs (Belmont Park, NY Qualifier)

o World Burrito Eating Champion, 15 burritos in 8 minutes o World Matzo Ball Eating Champion, 21 matzo balls in 5 minutes and 25 seconds; o Doughnut Eating Champion, 49 glazed doughnuts in 8 minutes o New York City transit conductor for 11 years o Rapper with new album, “Hungry & Focused”

Dale Boone Atlanta, GA 6’0”, 302lbs, 38 Years, 15 ½ Hot Dogs (Atlanta Qualifier)

o Former Pelemeni Eating Champion of the World, 274 pelemeni dumplings, 6 minutes o World Reindeer Sausage Eating Champion, 28 sausage in 10 minutes o 2002 Rookie of the Year o Descendent of Daniel Boone

Crazy Legs Conti New York, NY 6’3”, 213 lbs, 33 Years, 17 Hot Dogs (Saratoga Qualifier)

o World Lumberjack Breakfast Eating Champion o World Beef Brisket Buffet Eating Champion o French-cut Green Bean Eating Champion, former World Oyster Eating Champion o Subject of a feature documentary – “Crazy Legs Conti: Zen and the Art of Competitive Eating,” currently on the festival circuit o Ate his way free after being buried alive under 100 cubic feet of popcorn at the film’s premiere

Allen “Shredder” Goldstein Plainview, NY 5’8”, 185 lbs, 40 Years, 16 Hot Dogs (Wild Card)

o World Bologna Eating Champion, 2.41 lbs pork & chicken bologna in 6 minutes o Placed 3rd in the 2003 pasta eating championship – his first-ever contest o He grew up in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn and walked to Nathan’s Famous hot dog contest every year as a child o Nominated for IFOCE Rookie of the Year

“Hungry” Charles Hardy Brooklyn, NY 5’11", 340 lbs, 40 Years, 18 ½ Hot Dogs (Civil Service Qualifier)

o Shrimp eating champion of Alaska, 4 pounds and 9 ounces of spot shrimp in 12 minutes o Nathan's NYC Civil Service contest champions seven consecutive years, from ‘98 to ‘04 o Top American eater on July 4th, 2001 – ate 23 hot dogs o Ate 12 feet of sushi at a contest in Japan

Simon Hopewell Christchurch, New Zealand 6’2”, 208 lbs, 24 Years, 18 Hot Dogs

o Gets his inspiration and determination from his mother o Works at Pack 'N' Save o Passionate about computer games and is developing an eating simulation game o Still hungry after the New Zealand qualifying contest and had a coke and bag of chips

Edward “Cookie” Jarvis Nesconset, NY 6'6", 419 lbs, 38 Years, 24 Hot Dogs (Boston Qualifier)

o IFOCE rookie of the year in 2001 o Chinatown Dumpling Eating Champion, 91 dumplings in 8 minutes o Las Vegas Battle of the Buffets Champion o Ice cream, cannoli, steak and sweet corn champion o Realtor

Takeru Kobayashi Nagano, Japan 5’6”, 132 lbs, 25 Years, 50 1/2 Hot Dogs 2002

o Number one ranked eater in the world o World Champion Hot Dog Eater, setting a world record of 50 1/2 hot dogs and buns in 12 minutes on July 4, 2002 o Ate 17.7 lbs of pan-seared cow brains to win the Glutton Bowl and earn $25,000 o Known as the “Tsunami” because he blows everyone over with his eating ability

Ron Koch Las Vegas, NV 5’11”, 165lbs, 56 Years, 23 Hot Dogs (Las Vegas Qualifier)

o Lived in Brooklyn for 45 years; Eating Nathan’s Famous hot dogs were a tradition every Saturday and Sunday o Once broke the Laughlin hamburger record by consuming two 5-pound hamburgers with trimmings in 15 minutes, including a banana split o MGM-Mirage special event photographer o Was the league photographer for the NBA from 1979 to 1993

“Jammin’” Joe LaRue Hollywood, FL 6’8”, 275lbs, 44 Years, 18 Hot Dogs (Pembroke Pines, FL Qualifier)

o Florida Nathan’s contest champion with 18 Hot Dogs. o Ate 43 Conch Fritters at the 2003 Conch Fritter Worlds o Studying advanced culinary arts and works as an apprentice chef

Rich “The Locust” LeFevre Hendersen, NV 5’6”, 130 lbs, 60 Years, 25 Hot Dogs (Los Angeles Qualifier)

o Ate 26 hot dogs in the 2003 Nathan’s Famous July 4 contest o World Chili Eating Champion, 1 ½ gallons in 10 minutes o Considers himself a steak-eating specialist, and on two separate occasions he has eaten two 72-ounce steaks, with salad and potato in under an hour (58 minutes both times).

Carlene LeFevre Henderson, NV 5’6”, 135 lbs, 59 Years, 16 Hot Dogs (Tempe, AZ Qualifier)

o Represented the USA in the 2001 Food Battle Club in Japan finishing 10th overall o Placed fourth in the Las Vegas Battle of the Buffets o An aerobics instructor for the past 25 years o Personal best of 20 Nathan’s Famous hot dogs in 12 minutes

Don “Moses” Lerman Levittown, NY 5’8”, 200 lbs, 55 Years, 20 Hot Dogs (Hartford, CT Qualifier)

o Retired day old bread store owner o Appeared on Sally Jesse Raphael, Daily Show, Gutbusters, Big Eats o Baked bean eating champion with 6 pounds in under 2 minutes; 2000 matzo ball eating champion; 2002 jalapeno eating champion with 120 jalapenos in 15 minutes o Placed 2nd in 2003 and 3rd place in 2002 at the Philadelphia Wing Bowl

Jim “Buffalo” Reeves Boston, NY 5’10”, 240lbs, 35 Years, 18 ¾ Hot Dogs (Norfolk, VA Qualifier)

o Chicken wing specialist o Ate a personal best of 88 chicken wings in 12 minutes at the 2003 National Buffalo Wing Festival regional qualifier o Placed 3rd at the 2003 fruitcake eating championship o 2nd place in the 2003 apple dumpling eating championship and 2nd place at the 2004 shanghai noodle eating championship

Nobuyuki Shirota Tokyo, Japan 6’4”, 221lbs, 25 Years, 31 Hot Dogs (Japan Qualifier)

o Won Japan’s “Food Battle Club” I, II and III in 2001 and 2002 o Favorite food is meat and beans o Sales rep for a web advertising firm

Bill “El Wingador” Simmons Woodbury Heights, NJ 6’5”, 317 lbs, 42 Years, 16 Hot Dogs (Molly Pitcher Qualifier)

o Won the Philadelphia Wing Bowl 4 times – his best is 154 chicken wings in 30 minutes o Played Quarterback for Semi-Pro Touch Football and enjoys boxing and playing softball o Regularly participates in charity events to help children in need o Loves to cook

Marcus Steinhoff Ureinsen, Germany 6’3”, 229 lbs, 30 Years

o 2002 Pig Leg Eating Champion of Germany, 7 pig legs in 15 minutes o Manager of a trucking company o He enjoys playing goalie in a soccer league o Bratwurst eating champion

Sonya Thomas Alexandria, VA 5’5”, 100lbs, 36 Years, 26 ½ Hot Dogs (Philadelphia Qualifier)

o Female Nathan’s Famous hot dog record holder o Hard boiled eggs are her favorite food o She has eater 65 hard boiled eggs in under 7 minutes o Cheesecake champion with 10 pounds of cheesecake in 9 minutes o Hobbies include bowling and watching football

Oleg Zhornitskiy Brooklyn, NY 6'0", 165 lbs, 35 years, 18 ¾ Hot Dogs (Long Island Ducks Qualifier)

o Born and raised in the city of Odessa in the Ukraine; he and his extended family moved to Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1998 o In his homeland, he ran a business selling men's clothes, importing the latest fashions from throughout Europe o He has held Matzo Ball and Pelemeni titles o He ate 19 hot dogs at the Long Island Ducks ballpark, to qualify for the 2004 Nathan’s contest.