Fans know that two of the most elite athletes in their respective sports are competitive eater Joey Chestnut and Usain Bolt.
While we will never see the two of them compete against each ther because it is like comparing apples and oranges (or hot dogs in this scenario), what if there was a way to combine their talents and see who actually is the Greatest of All Time?
This question is tearing friend groups apart via group chats: If Joey Chestnut and Usain Bolt ran the 100-meter dash, but they both had to eat a hot dog with a bun before they started running the race, which of them would emerge victorious? Would Chestnut’s speed eating a hot dog give him enough of an advantage?
We have also seen this debate on Reddit and on YouTube and it was even posted by Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Hunter Renfrow. Chestnut recently weighed in and shared his thoughts:
“I don’t want to say I can beat Usain Bolt … I mean I could do a hot dog in about two seconds. So if I can finish the hot dog in two seconds and it takes him 10 seconds, I should be able to run that 100 meter … It would be intense … I think I’d be able to finish it … It would be super intense … How fast can he finish that single hot dog?”
Bolt, who has had his own crazy diet, has run 100 meters in 9.58 seconds. But we don’t know if eating a hot dog first would take him a long time or slow him down considerably.
Similarly, while we have never seen Chestnut run a 100-meter dash, we know that he runs marathons and how fast he can eat a hot dog. (Hint: It’s faster than you can.)
So our staff weighed in and tried to figure out the correct answer to this absurd hypothetical, and to no surprise, we didn’t come to an agreement!
Usain Bolt and Joey Chestnut compete in a 100 meter dash but can only start once they finish a hot dog. Who wins?
(YANN COATSALIOU/AFP via Getty Images and Kena Betancur/Getty Images)
Blake Schuster: Joey Chestnut.
Prince Grimes: Usain Bolt.
Meghan L. Hall: Usain Bolt – are we serious?
Christian D’Andrea: Usain Bolt, provided he’s got hot dog training.
Mary Clarke: Without doing any research, Joey Chestnut. Specifically because he eats hot dogs really fast and has quite the training regimen so I think he wins on hot dog eating time. But it’s close!
Michelle Martinelli: No matter how fast Chestnut downs that hotdog, no matter the size of the head start he has to the finish line, there’s no way he’s holding off Usain Bolt. And if they’re allowed to practice or train even minimally for this, it’d be monumentally easier to learn to eat a little faster than to keep pace with the fastest man in the world — even if he set the 100-meter world record 15 years ago.
Robert Zeglinski: Joey Chestnut. C’mon. Has Usain Bolt ever even eaten sawdust and meat in a tube in his life? That man isn’t even finishing the hot dog before he starts gagging.
Andrew Joseph: Bolt.
Mike Sykes: Usain Bolt. Pretty easily. You don’t have to be a glizzy gobbler to eat one hot dog quickly.
Cory Woodroof: Usain Bolt.
Bryan Kalbrosky: I’m obviously going with one of the greatest athletes of our generation and choosing Joey Chestnut. I think he is more likely to take this competition seriously.
RELATED: Joey Chestnut is now obviously one of the greatest athletes of our time
What if they had to eat two hot dogs?
(Photo by YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty Images)
Blake Schuster: Joey Chestnut.
Prince Grimes: Usain Bolt.
Meghan L. Hall: It’s still Usain Bolt.
Christian D’Andrea: Joey Chestnut.
Mary Clarke: Joey Chestnut for sure.
Michelle Martinelli: It would for sure be closer, but Bolt probably would still win.
Robert Zeglinski: Still Joey Chestnut. If it’s two hot dogs, Bolt’s two hot dogs are on the pavement while Chestnut can stroll to the finish line.
Andrew Joseph: Bolt.
Mike Sykes: It’s interesting but I’m still taking Bolt. Joey Chestnut gotta be slow.
Cory Woodroof: Usain Bolt.
Bryan Kalbrosky: Especially if it’s multiple hot dogs, even if Joey Chestnut isn’t the obvious answer, he’s absolutely the right answer.
RELATED: Joey Chestnut ate nearly 18,000 calories worth of hot dogs in 10 minutes
How many seconds do you think it would take for Usain Bolt to eat one hot dog?
REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi
Blake Schuster: 15 seconds.
Prince Grimes: Four seconds.
Meghan L. Hall: Like five seconds? I think we underestimate this man’s abilities to try to be the best in any competitive environment.
Christian D’Andrea: He can trim it down to four seconds, he is an elite athlete.
Mary Clarke: Around 10 seconds, I think. The bun is the problem and if this is just a race without any prep, he might not know how to handle that.
Michelle Martinelli: Six to eight seconds.
Robert Zeglinski: He is one of the greatest athletes of all time. To this day, I bet he manages his diet down to the finest calorie. That man is not finishing that hot dog. The two bites he takes will be on the pavement in front of him, lathered in stomach acid.
Andrew Joseph: If he was given time to prepare, he’d fly through it.
Mike Sykes: Three seconds.
Cory Woodroof: Eight to 10 seconds.
Bryan Kalbrosky: I think we’re all actually dramatically overestimating how fast Bolt could eat a hot dog. This is closer to 20-30 seconds.
How many seconds do you think it would take Joey Chestnut to run 100 meters?
YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty Images
Blake Schuster: 25 seconds.
Prince Grimes: 22 seconds.
Meghan L. Hall: 20?
Christian D’Andrea: 16 to 18 seconds. He’s in decent shape but the man is 40 years old.
Mary Clarke: 14.5 seconds.
Michelle Martinelli: 16 seconds.
Robert Zeglinski: 24 seconds. It would look like Rich Eisen running a 40-yard dash. But it would be effective.
Andrew Joseph: 22 seconds.
Mike Sykes: He wouldn’t finish. He’d be on his knees at the 50 yard mark.
Cory Woodroof: I think he’d probably puke before he’s done, making Bolt the winner in both scenarios.
Bryan Kalbrosky: 20 seconds. (I spoke to a friend who is a runner and works in track and field. She said: “You can just tell.”)
How long would this competition (to eat the hot dog AND run the race) take you?
© Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK
Blake Schuster: Not to play the “I’m built different” card, but as someone who used to work at a hot dog stand and would constantly eat them in the back before anyone could spot me, I think I’ve got a pretty good shot at getting this all done under 35 seconds.
Prince Grimes: 20 seconds.
Meghan L. Hall: With my knees??? Easily over 30 seconds.
Christian D’Andrea: 45 seconds.
Mary Clarke: I have short legs so definitely longer than 14.5 seconds. LOL.
Michelle Martinelli: Absolutely not.
Robert Zeglinski: I don’t know, probably 16 seconds? My stomach would kill me but I’m still in relative shape, let’s be realistic.
Andrew Joseph: 25 seconds.
Mike Sykes: It’d probably take me 20 seconds.
Cory Woodroof: I’d sprain my ankle while eating the hot dog.
Bryan Kalbrosky: I’m somewhere between three to five minutes. I like hot dogs but I prefer to eat them slowly and enjoy myself. Afterward, there is no way I’m in the mood to run so I’d probably just have a leisurely walk for the 100 meters.
How many people would watch this?
(Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
Blake Schuster: At least double an average LIV Golf broadcast.
Prince Grimes: 15 million.
Meghan L. Hall: I’m willing to bet the lint in my pocket that at least five million would tune in to see Chestnut eat dirt.
Christian D’Andrea: 7 billion.
Mary Clarke: 4 million!
Michelle Martinelli: 5 million.
Robert Zeglinski: Apparently 1.5 billion people watched the 2022 World Cup Final. Half the planet would watch one of America’s great athletes embarrassing the greatest sprinter of all time in a hot dog race. Not a doubt in my mind.
Andrew Joseph: Dozens! Dozens of people.
Mike Sykes: I could see 4 million people watching this.
Cory Woodroof: Three to seven (total).
Bryan Kalbrosky: I can guarantee you that me and my friends will be there, no matter what.
