Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest 2015: Men and Women's All-Time Results, Records

Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest is an annual tradition on the Fourth of July, celebrating the extraordinary amounts of grub the world's best competitive eaters can swallow in one gorging, grueling sitting.

The crossing of Surf and Stillwell avenues in Coney Island plays host to the competition. The women's contest will start at 11 a.m. ET Saturday on ESPN3, while the men's will air on ESPN2 just one hour later. 

This unique showcase of human willpower has reached new heights as of late with the addition of the women's event beginning in 2011. Japanese sensation Takeru Kobayashi was the face of the competitive eating world, and one star has emerged in recent years to overshadow him.

As can be seen from the all-time results below, a new king has ruled for longer than Kobayashi ever did—and at an even more prolific pace of devouring.

Year	Men's Winner	Hot Dogs & Buns No.
Year	Women's Winner	Hot Dogs & Buns No.
1972	Jason Schechter	14
1974	Roberto Muriel	10
1978	Kevin Sinclair & Manel Hollenback	10
1979	Thomas Stash	19
1980	Paul Siederman & Joe Baldini	9+
1981	Thomas DeBerry	11
1982	Steven Abrams	11+
1983	Emil Gomez	10 1/2
1984	Birgit Felden	9 1/2
1985	Oscar Rodriguez	11 3/4
1986	Mark Heller	15 1/2
1987	Don Wolfman	13 1/2
1988	Jay Green	10
1989	Jay Green	15 1/2
1990	Mike Devito	16
1991	Frank Dellarosa	21 1/2
1992	Frank Dellarosa	19
1993	Mike Devito	17
1994	Mike Devito	20
1995	Ed Krachie	19 1/2
1996	Ed Krachie	22 1/4
1997	Hirofumi Nakajima	24 1/2
1998	Hirofumi Nakajima	19
1999	Steve Keiner	20 1/4
2000	Kazutoyo Arai	25 1/8
2001	Takeru Kobayashi	50
2002	Takeru Kobayashi	50 1/2
2003	Takeru Kobayashi	44 1/2
2004	Takeru Kobayashi	53 1/2
2005	Takeru Kobayashi	49
2006	Takeru Kobayashi	53 3/4
2007	Joey Chestnut	66
2008	Joey Chestnut	59
2009	Joey Chestnut	68
2010	Joey Chestnut	54
2011	Joey Chestnut	62
2012	Joey Chestnut	68
2013	Joey Chestnut	69
2014	Joey Chestnut	61
2011	Sonya Thomas	40
2012	Sonya Thomas	45
2013	Sonya Thomas	36 3/4
2014	Miki Sudo	34

American Joey Chestnut has won the past eight men's contests, reaching an apex of 69 hot dogs and buns consumed in just 10 minutes' time amid his 2013 triumph. Chestnut has smashed Kobayashi's prior records during the latter's run of six straight wins from 2001 to 2006.

Garnering the deserved nickname of Jaws, Chestnut described the techniques he used amid the most challenging phase of his record-setting run to 69 from two years ago, per the Hollywood Reporter's Erik Hayden:

"

No matter how well I've trained, no matter how hungry or empty I am, minute seven I'll be past 50 hot dogs...There's no ignoring the feelings ... By that time I probably have 10 pounds of hot dogs and buns in me and another nine pounds of water. And my body is dead, I feel heavy. … There's absolutely no hunger; it's just pure competition and pure drive to continue. I'm constantly telling myself 'eat it like I did the first one.'

"

A contract spat with Nathan's Famous has led to Kobayashi boycotting the contest since 2009. To further accentuate Chestnut's dominance, though, he has never claimed victory and registered a number lower than any of Kobayashi's winning totals.

Chestnut's least dominant win came in 2010 when he had 54 hot dogs and buns—one-fourth ahead of Kobayashi's best.

In terms of what to expect this time around from the preeminent champion, Chestnut's preparation seems to be going quite well:

The women's contest is still in the beginning stages of its existence, and it has a standout of its own with a budding rival reigning as the current champion.

Sonya Thomas won the first three women's contests, but she fell short in second last year to Miki Sudo by a score of 34-27 ¾. If Sudo can stand up to the mightily impressive 47-year-old Thomas again, it would be quite an achievement and solidify her status as a rival to be reckoned with in the future.

John Minchillo/Associated Press

But Thomas holds the women's record with 45 hot dogs and buns downed during her 2012 win, and she fell far short of that mark last year. Even though Sudo has the presumptive momentum, Thomas will likely be seeking vengeance for losing her first Independence Day contest since its inception.

The continued media coverage and star power present in both events mean the contest should continue to garner massive international attention. It's better for individual sports for the favorites like Chestnut and Thomas to hold their ground, and they've both proven capable of doing just that.

Chestnut is only 31 years old and probably has as many years left as he wants to continue running circles around the competition. What will be most fascinating in the contests to come is to see if anyone rises up to give him a run, because his best adversary in Kobayashi is in self-imposed Nathan's exile.