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Joey Chestnut, Miki Sudo, Sergio Reyes Raya, Mary Bowers to compete in Pacific Park World Taco Eating Championship

Published on September 17, 2019

Southern California has a reputation for some of the best tacos in the country. So good, you may think you could eat several in one sitting. But while you may think you could devour a mountain of tacos, in actuality, that’s an honor that few can claim! For those few, they’ll be putting their skills –and titles– to the test in Santa Monica at the second-annual Pacific Park Taco-Eating Championship, presented by Pepsi.

This year, on National Taco Day, Friday, October 4, competitive eaters will gather to attempt a new world record for eating Los Angeles street-style carnitas tacos in eight minutes. Last year, Joey Chestnut, the number-one ranked competitive eater in the world, consumed 62 tacos, setting a world-record for the carnitas and taking the title! Chestnut will be defending his title against up to 14 other top-ranked Major League Eating athletes. Included in this year’s competition:

Joey Chestnut

Holder of over 40 world records in competitive eating, Chestnut, a Bay Area native, is credited for dethroning the “godfather of competitive eating” Takeru Kobayashi in the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. In 2017, Chestnut set a record for traditional taco eating, having eaten 126 tacos in eight minutes at the Mystic Lake Casino Hotel World Taco Eating Championship.

Miki Sudo

Hailing from Tucson, AZ, Sudo is the number one ranked female athlete in the MLE, holding the number six rank overall. She has taken the number one spot in the female competition of Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest every year since 2014.

Sergio Reyes Raya

Another Bay Area eater, Raya is ranked number 44 in the field, but has been competing steadily since at least 2015, clocking in wins in disciplines such as hot dogs, popcorn, corn dogs, and funnel cakes.

Mary Bowers

Known for her classic style and fashion, Bowers, from Beverly Hills, CA, ranks number 47 in the MLE. She is instantly recognizable to fans and holds the distinction of becoming the first-ever women’s wild card participant at the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island in 2012.


Despite the impressive pedigree already expected to compete, the contest is not exclusive to MLE veterans. The event is open to the public for any brave souls wishing to test how many tacos they can consume! Registration is available online at https://majorleagueeating.com/contests/884. The first prize winner will walk away with $2,500 with additional cash prizes given to the following five rankings.

The event will take place on Friday, October 4, 2019 at 11:00am at the world-famous Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, CA. Learn more about the event and get the latest updates at pacpark.com/tacos.

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