Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest 2014: Start Time, Prize Money and Contestants

The Fourth of July may be known as a day for remembering the freedoms we have as citizens of the United States of America, but it has also become known for the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest.

The 2014 edition of the eating competition is shaping up to be the best yet.

Seven-time defending men’s champion Joey Chestnut returns to defend his title once again, and three-time defending women’s champion Sonya Thomas will also be in New York to fight for another pink championship belt.

In a competition all about fun—and just a touch of gluttony—here is all the vital viewing information, the prize money and a focus on the biggest star of the competition.

Where: Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York

When: Friday, July 4

Time: Women's Championship, 11:30 a.m. ET; Men's Championship, 12:40 p.m. ET

Watch: ESPN News (Live at 12 p.m. ET), ESPN 2 (tape delay at 1 p.m. ET)

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Men's Field	Women's Field
Joey “Jaws” Chestnut	Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas
Matt “The Megatoad” Stonie	Miki Sudo
Erik “The Red” Denmark	Michelle Lesco
Brian “Dud Light” Dudzinski	“The Lovely” Juliet Lee
Jeff “The Beast Man” Butler	Meredith “Deep Fried Diva” Boxberger
Tim “Eater X” Janus	“The Real Deal” Larell Marie Mele
Adrian “The Rabbit” Morgan	Mrs. Carlene LeFevre
Marcos “The Monster” Owens	Neslie Ricasa
Eric “Badlands” Booker	Mary Bowers
Sean “Flash” Gordon	Nicole Rodriguez
Yasir Salem	Marlene Wigginton
Aaron “The A-Train” Osthoff	Nicole Kulig
Juan “More Bite” Rodriguez	Val “Valkyrie” Bromann
Pablo Martinez
Ronnie Hartman
Colin Shirlow
Sgt. Horacio Chanyau

Prize Money

According to Major League Eating’s official website (yes, that’s a real thing), the total prize money for this year’s competition is a whopping $40,000 total.

The governing body hasn’t shared exactly how the prize money will be broken down, but both the men and the women were allotted $20,000 in 2012 and 2013, so expect more of the same this year.

Competitor to Watch: Joey “Jaws” Chestnut

There are many eaters to watch Friday, but none deserve more attention than Joey “Jaws” Chestnut.

Chestnut has gained mainstream popularity for his feats of endurance eating hot dogs, and the California native broke his own world record in 2013 by eating 69 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes.

You heard me correctly: I said he ate 69 hot dogs in 10 minutes. That’s almost seven hot dogs a minute.

When asked about the toll eating so many hot dogs and buns in such a short time takes on his body, Chestnut told Walter Scott of Parade.com about the mental and physical issues he deals with during the event and afterward:

"

If I win, I feel great, and if I break a record, I’ll feel even better. My body is in shock; it’s similar to a marathon runner or a boxer who has pushed their body extremely hard and beaten it up a little bit. Going into the contest, I’m prepared to feel like garbage for a day in a half. I know I’m not going to feel good afterwards just because I’m pushing for an extreme limit and my body has to digest this massive amount of food. It’s done it before; it’s a psychological game. Once I eat 50 hot dogs and get it down and digest it, I know I can do 52 hot dogs. It’s just a matter of convincing my body it’s okay, pushing that limit.

"

The title of being the hot dog eating champion of the world doesn’t come without controversy, though. Without six-time champion and competitive eating legend Takeru "Tsunami" Kobayashi in the field, many feel that the event is lacking the true ferocity it once possessed.

Regardless, Chestnut has continued to thrill the crowds by not resting on his laurels.

Chestnut is the No. 1 ranked competitive eater in the world, according to MajorLeagueEating.com, but instead of being happy with his previous success, the American star is getting better each year and setting new world records.

With a new crop of challengers joining the race and some of the more familiar faces in the sport, all eyes will be on Chestnut on the Fourth of July as he attempts to keep the mustard-yellow championship belt in America.

Friday will be an exciting competition.

Stats and information via NathansFamous.com.

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