He beat out the hulking man who trained by eating a burrito for lunch. He beat the showman with the luchador mask who was seen sipping Tecate in preparation. He beat a guy simply known as "Kook," who had one of the most energetic cheering sections.
Andrew "A-Bomb" Lane, 39, of Denver won last night's taco-eating competition at Mezcal, 3230 East Colfax Avenue, and as one of the most in-shape eaters there, he pulled a "Situation" by showing off his abs afterward. It made sense: If you've ever seen clips of eating competitions on cable news, then you know that the winner is usually the fittest person the room.
The competition started with thirty competitors -- each of whom paid $15 to compete -- and a plate of fifteen tacos. At the end of the first ten-minute round, seven eaters remained. After the second ten-minute round, it was down to two: Lane and Mike "Miguel" Walck, who looked like he played D-1 college football (if not, a recruiter messed up somewhere). Round Three: With Fancy Footwork by Chromeo bumping over the restaurant's sound system, Walck squinted at the tacos in front of him -- the final round is a three-minute sprint to eat as many tacos as you can -- took one bite, got up and walked out of the restaurant.
Lane won.
Rob "Rob Dog" Crawford, bar manager at Mezcal, says the competitions will be held quarterly, with the next one set for January.
