FAIRMONT, W.Va. –– Well over seven pounds of bread and pepperoni was what an Oxford, Massachusetts man ate in ten minutes Saturday night in Marion County to reclaim his world title in pepperoni roll eating.
Geoffrey Esper was one of eleven people who competed in the 2017 West Virginia Three Rivers Festival Pepperoni Roll Eating World Championship, a Major League Eating event, at Fairmont’s Palatine Park.
Esper, ranked No. 5 on Major League Eating’s list of competitive eaters, consumed 36 pepperoni rolls from Country Club Bakery in the allotted time which set a new world record.
KUDOS ALERT: LOUD applause to Geoffrey Esper on WR 36 Pepperoni Rolls in 10 Mins at the WV Three Rivers Fest. His FIRST of likely many WRs.
— Major League Eating (@eatingcontest) May 28, 2017
Saturday’s finish was an improvement for Esper from 2016 when he claimed his first championship win by downing 23 pepperoni rolls.
The 2nd place finisher for 2017 was Miki Sudo from Las Vegas, Nevada who ate 30.5 pepperoni rolls. Sudo is currently ranked No. 4 among competitive eaters.
Saturday’s competitors also included Juliet Lee, Brian Dudzinksi, Michael Deitz and William “Wild Bill” Myers. Newcomers were Darron Breeden, Derek Jacobs, Alicia Hill, Jeffrey Chapman and Brett Shepherd.
The prize money for the competition totaled $5,000. Esper, as the top finisher, collected $2,000.
Each pepperoni roll that is sanctioned for the competition weighs 3.25 ounces.
Prior to Saturday’s event, Matt Stonie had held the World Pepperoni Roll Eating record with 34 pepperoni rolls in ten minutes.