JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. –
She's 5 feet 5 inches tall, 105 pounds, and Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas can eat you under the table.
Unknown to a majority of her customers, outside of her job as manager for the Burger King here, Ms. Thomas is a world-renowned athlete. It wasn't until she first saw her sport's competition that Ms. Thomas knew she had found a pastime she could gobble up. In 2003, Ms. Thomas entered a regional competition and officially joined the ranks of athletes such as Takeru Kobayashi and Joey Chestnut. Ms. Thomas became a competitive eater.
Ms. Thomas' first eating contest was only 12 minutes long, and would prove the most difficult. The competition was a qualifying round for the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest and only the eaters who ate the most hot dogs and buns in that amount of time would be allowed to compete in the national competition. That year, Ms. Thomas qualified for the national competition, but only barely.
"At first when I tried to eat, I didn't have speed and I could only make it to 18 hot dogs," said Ms. Thomas. "My stomach is large and I have the capacity to stretch my stomach, but I didn't know the competition was more about speed."
In order for her to be a considered a reputable opponent, Ms. Thomas' eating strategy had to adapt to the fast-paced dynamic of professional eating. After barely qualifying for the Nathans hot dog eating competition in 2003, Ms. Thomas was determined to not let speed be the factor that held her, or her appetite, back.
A few years, and hundreds of pounds of food later, and despite her smaller frame, Ms. Thomas picked up the nick-name "Black Widow," as she began to make a name for herself and was able to hold her own against most male professional-eating competitors.
"I always knew I could eat more than most people ... like at restaurants, a full meal is an appetizer with me," said Ms. Thomas. "I also like to compete in everything, even my work; I want to be the best."
Ms. Thomas' naturally competitive spirit continues to drive her forward in every competition she enters, whether she wins or not. Despite this nature though, Ms. Thomas limits her competition selection to ones with foods she knows she has a good chance to win with.
"With most seafood, and especially oysters, nobody can touch me," said Ms. Thomas.
"In my first (oyster) competition, I set the record ... 36 dozen."
Other foods that make up Ms. Thomas' competitive plate include; chicken wings, clams, lobsters, crab cakes, hard-boiled eggs, and even, jalapenos.
The following is a list of Ms. Thomas' eating accomplishments (all of which hold world-record titles):
- 38 Moon Pies in 8 minutes (Carruthersville, MO)
- 53 Taco Bell soft tacos in 12 minutes (San Juan, Puerto Rico)
- 37 dozen Acme oysters in 8 minutes (New Orleans)
- 26 dozen Cherrystone clams in 6 minutes (Long Island, NY)
- 43 La Costena jalapeno peppers in 1 minute (Washington DC)
- 6.5 pounds of crawfish in 10 minutes (New Orleans)
- 6.93 pounds of Binga Stadium Tender Bender chicken tenders in 10 minutes (Portland, ME)
- 6.75 pounds of Rhythm City Casino fried catfish in 10 minutes (Davenport, IA)
Despite the recognition that comes from competitive eating though, Ms. Thomas refuses to let her celebrity get in the way of her job and makes a point to remain humble about her talent and fame.
"I'm a normal person," said Ms. Thomas. "Competitive eating hasn't changed my personality at all; sometimes people ask me for my autograph, but I just say, 'ok come into the restaurant and you can have it in a moment.'"