FAIRMONT, W.Va. — A record fell Saturday night at the Three Rivers Festival during the World Championship Pepperoni Roll Eating Contest.
Matt “Megatoad” Stonie devoured 34 Country Club Bakery pepperoni rolls in 10 minutes to beat his personal record by three, the high mark set in 2012 by one and defend his title from last year.
“It’s crazy because last year was my first competition and I came in wanting the world record, and even though I won the competition, I was a little like ‘I really want the record,'” the 22-year-old from San Jose, California said. “It was great to come back this year and finally beat it.”
The record isn’t the first for the #2 competitive eater in the world. According to Major League Eating –the ruling entity of the sport– Stonie also holds records for eating bacon, birthday cake, Creek Indian Tacos, frozen yogurt, gyros, pumpkin pie, Slugburgers and traditional tacos.
However, the pepperoni roll record was a unique challenge for Stonie.
“It’s really hard to prepare for this one because pepperoni rolls are so regional and I’m on the other side of the country,” he said. “It’s really just a lot of mental preparation, getting ready and obviously just remembering how the pepperoni rolls were like last year.”
Besides having the second-highest purse on the circuit at $8,750, with $3,500 going to Stonie for the victory, he said the event is an enjoyable one for the competitors.
“It’s been great. I love coming to places like here, these festivals and partaking in it. I came in a few days ago and participated in the opening ceremonies and whatnot. It was a great time. I love coming back here.”
Stonie will celebrate the victory for a short while before gearing up for his next major –and perhaps most recognizable– event.
“Right now, the next competition for me is the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, the big one on Coney Island. So, I’ll be looking forward to that one.”
He’ll look to take down the #1 ranked eater Joey Chestnut at that event on July 4.