It was a fight of the appetites.
For 12 minutes last weekend, 13 competitors at the Newport Center Mall in Jersey City stood next to each other with plates full of hot dogs to see who could eat the most. The event was one of the regional qualifiers for Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest held in Coney Island, N.Y.
Phil Lipper, a 37-year-old real estate agent from Ramsey, came out on top, winning a bid to compete in Coney Island.
“This year I had a good chance to win,” Lipper said. “I wasn’t hungry when I started. I hope to do better [next year].”
The event began last Saturday afternoon with a smaller contest to whet spectators’ appetites. About 20 local kids participated in this mini-eating contest. When they finished their hot dogs, the children received key chains, Frisbees, hats and t-shirts.
Jersey City resident Jose Perez, 12, was one of the participants. He said he had entered the mini-contest the previous year, too.
“It’s cool and you eat for free,” Perez said.
Then, it was time for the main event.
The adult contestants were announced at 2 p.m. When they were ready to begin, event coordinator George Shea yelled “Go!” and started the clock.
After six minutes, half the field had given up. Phil Lipper and a few others battled it out to the finish.
George Glum from New York gave Lipper a fight, eating 12 hot dogs, but it wasn’t enough.
When the 12 minutes were up, Lipper had downed 14 and a half hot dogs on his way to victory. Afterward, he said he felt fine.
To help pace Lipper and the rest of the field, “Hungry” Charles Harding of Brooklyn, N.Y., who had been a runner-up at the Fourth of July contest a couple of times, joined the men during the half-way mark and ate an impressive 11 hot dogs. He tied for third place.
Harding’s personal best is 22 hot dogs for the entire 12 minutes, he said.
“It takes a lot of practice,” Harding said. “If I didn’t enjoy it I wouldn’t be here.”
He explained the competition is not a sprint, but a marathon.
“I do a lot of meditation. I just focus on what I’m doing,” he said. “Don’t take it too fast.”
Lipper’s fianc