Visalia native's appetite for competition taking him to New York for Nathan's hot dog eating contest
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- It's hailed as the world series of competitive eating and come 4th of July a Visalia native will take the national stage for a 5th time at the Nathan's famous international hot dog eating contest on Coney Island.
"I do it for the comradery that I share with other eaters I've met, some of the most incredible people across this country," said Pablo Martinez, Major League Eating.
Martinez of Visalia is ranked 20th in the world by Major League Eating and he tied for first place at a qualifier in Florida chowing down on 25-and-a-half hot dogs.
The current record is 73 hot dogs in competition-- Martinez has been training for months and hopes to rise to the challenge.
As for what it feels like to have dozens of hot dogs in your body, he said, "It's miserable. I would say the first three minutes are okay, by the five minute mark is when you start hitting that wall."
Action News Anchors Tony Cabrera and Alena Lee got the feeding frenzies started early on Facebook Live. Martinez took down a breakfast burrito in less than a minute.
It all started on his 25th birthday-- taking the Grand Slam Challenge at Batter Up in Fresno. Five years later the Visalia native is a proud competitor in Major League Eating.
"I do take care of myself-- I go to the gym six days a week, I eat very healthy when I'm not training."
When he is prepping for competition, Martinez does water training along with eating large meals.
"Make 30 or something hot dogs, have a timer, and I will time myself."
Martinez records it because it is not just the amount of food you eat-- technique plays a big role. His personal best is 30 hot dogs in 10 minutes.
"I use the two dog and two bun technique, so I usually take the dogs from the bun and I usually eat the dogs first."
You can see what Martinez brings to the table on ESPN2 4th of July.
