The foil wrapper was already off Nick Sokolovich’s cheeseburger when the air horn sounded.
In three bites, plus two quick swigs of water, it was gone. He chewed furiously and swallowed hard as he quickly walked to the starting line and opened his mouth wide to prove that every last bit was gone.
After getting the OK, he took off running. His destination was a table set up a mile away, holding a second burger that he would have to down before his return mile run back.
Despite how it seemed,, Sokolovich wasn’t being punished Saturday morning. His gorging and sprinting was completely self-inflicted and something he was looked forward to.
“I love competitive eating and I love running,” the Bernville man said.
That combination made him the perfect candidate for the Dine & Dash Burger & Trails Race at the annual Taste of Hamburg-er Festival.
Sokolovich said he was taking the race seriously and even did a bit of training on Friday.
“Yesterday I was running down the road eating a double Quarter Pounder,” he said with a laugh.
As for his strategy, Sokolovich said he was keeping it simple.
“Eat the burger as fast as possible, try to trick my stomach into not realizing it’s full, then run for the hills,” he said.
The race wasn’t the only competition Sokolovich was planning on tackling at the 21st annual event, which draws thousands of burger lovers from far and wide. He also had the burger eating competition, in which he won the amateur division three years ago.
“I’ve always like eating,” he explained. “In high school I realized I could eat more lemons than anyone else, and it kind of went from there.”
‘Here for the burgers’
Taunya and Kelly Arnold, also like eating, but they didn’t appear to be in nearly as much of a rush as Sokolovich as they sat on a bench late Saturday morning. They were enjoying the last bites of a crab fry burger, the fourth so far they had split.
“We’ re here for the burgers,” Taunya said. “The different things they do with the burgers, it’s so good.”
Indeed, variety was easy to find at the event. There were burgers topped with sausage and pulled pork and pears, there were ones with pineapple and jam and brisket.
Just about everything imaginable was available.
With all those choices, the Arnolds, seasoned pros attending their fifth festival, came prepared.
They had a list of the stands and offerings, with their targets marked with slashes. And they had a map with their chosen stands clearly marked to make sure they didn’t get lost.
The Lebanon couple also brought a knife — they split each of the burgers — and hand towels to keep clean.
Kelly said his strategy is to try burgers that he’s never sampled before. As long as they fit his tastes.
“We’re not vegetable people,” he said.
Taunya said she had her eye on items other than burgers, too. She was keen to try some tater tots and maybe finish the day with some ice cream.
“There’s always room for ice cream, it just slides down,” she said.
Kelly said he and his wife had arrived at the festival around 10 a.m. and would probably head out — after each eating four or five burgers — around 1 p.m.
“By that time we’ll be so overstuffed it’ll be uncomfortable to walk,” he said.
Hail to the Luther
The Arnolds weren’t the only ones to head out to the festival early. By 10 a.m. there was already a line 80 or so people deep looking to get their hands on a famous Luther Burger — a bacon cheeseburger nestled between two Dutch Maid glazed donuts.
“It’s our first burger every year,” Tim Bowers said.
He and his wife, Rachel, were near the front of that long line. They didn’t seem to mind the crowd.
“It’s worth waiting in life for,” Tim said.
The Myerstown couple said Saturday was their seventh or eighth time visiting the burger festival, explaining that the event has become one of their favorites. Tim said he planned on devouring at least five burgers throughout the day.
“I’m looking for something unique,” he said. “Something I’ve never had before.”
Source: Berkshire mont