Three minutes is not much time to get things done.
You can’t run a mile in that amount of time, nor can you effectively clean your bathroom. But apparently downing every last bite of an entire 2-pound hard shell taco, filled with steak, chicken, pork, taco beef, lettuce, salsa, refried beans, pickled jalapenos, bacon and a bunch of sauces and cheese is absolutely possible – and with three seconds to spare.
Let us introduce you to Ian Holm, a 21-year veteran of the Concord Fire Department and the winner of the Battle of the Badge Taco Gigante Eating Challenge at Margaritas as part of National Taco Day (Oct. 4).
The directive was simple. The first person to finish the mammoth taco would win $250 for the charity of their team’s choice. The Concord Fire and Concord Police departments each entered teams of five, but it was all about the first person to take the final bite.
“I had no idea what the format of the competition was,” Holm said.“I’ve never done a food challenge, but I couldn’t think of anything better to do on a Sunday afternoon.”
Holm stands at 6-foot, 3-inches and weighs about 250 pounds and has always been a fast eater. It came in handy on this afternoon.
“I guess I was kind of built for this,” Holm said. “And I knew between the five of us, someone was going to put a hurting on that taco.”
About a minute in, Holm had a pretty sizable lead on the competition and when he finished just 2:57 after taking his first, what can only be described as a mammoth bite, Holm not only earned bragging rights among his public safety counterparts, but a free taco bar party for his fire fighting brethren.
“When it came out, I was eyeing it, looking at it, figuring out how I was going to tackle it,” Holm said. “And you’ve just got to eat it fast before your body knows what you’re doing to it.”
But the craziest thing is that Holm’s time wasn’t even the fastest one in the challenge company wide. That came in Methuen, Mass., in 2:52.
“It was done pretty quick, probably quicker then they expected,” Holm said.
Holm admittedly didn’t taste a whole lot during his domination of the taco that took me 55 minutes to finish and got the better of Jon – and let’s just say he didn’t feel all that great about 20 minutes later.
But it was worth it. It will after all make a huge difference in the fire department’s Operation Warm endeavor. The $250 donation will allow the department to hand out some more winter coats this year to needy children in the Concord School District.
“This is going to help out quite a bit,” Holm said.
And you’re probably wondering if this is the start of a eating contest career path for Holm?
“This is really just a one-shot deal for the charity,” Holm said. “I don’t see myself pursuing this.”
