East End Girl Training For Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest

The East End has gone to the dogs. Kendall Sommers, a local Southampton girl, is training to compete in the annual Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, to be held on Coney Island on the 4th of July. She is hoping to usurp Sonya Thomas of Alexandria, Virginia, who will be defending her title as Female Champion.

Thomas consumed 45 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes last year, setting a new women’s world record.

“My only regret with trying to go for the gold is that I’ll miss the annual Southampton parade,” Sommers says. “It’s all about training and gradual stomach expansion.” The 8-year-old East End native has won numerous contests during her short career in competitive eating.

The annual Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, which is sanctioned by Major League Eating, has occurred each July 4th on Coney Island since 1916. The 2013 event will air on ESPN at 1 p.m. on Thursday.

If by chance Sommers is not allowed to compete, she plans on going at the contest Kobayashi style. Takeru Kobayashi was barred from the 2011 contest due to a contractual dispute, but he famously competed on the roof of 230 Fifth in Midtown Manhattan.

His “unofficial” 69 hot dogs would have beaten champion Joey Chestnut by seven dogs and was one more than the world record, set by Chestnut.