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Nathan's 4th Of July Hot Dog Eating Contest Will Go Forward With Relish, But No Crowds

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Get ready to chow down.

Nathan's is going forward with its annual Fourth of July hot dog eating contest.

There will be some changes due to the coronavirus pandemic, however.

Instead of taking place at the Nathan's on the corner of Surf and Stillwell avenues, it will be held in a private location on Coney Island with no crowd.

Contestants will compete with COVID-19 safety measures in place. There will only five eaters at a time this year, instead of the usual 15.

PHOTOS: 2019 Annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest

The event includes 10-minute competitions for men and women. Joey Chestnut, who is a 12-time champion, holds the world record of 74 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes. Miki Sudo, whose all-time best is 41 hot dogs and buns, is a six-time champion.

The defending champs will return to the competition this year.

Organizers are donating 100,000 hot dogs to the Food Bank for New York City.

The contest has taken place since 1916.

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