Hot Dog Eater 50 Kilo Meter

From the team that brought you the Bridge And A Slice Half Marathon comes the next great NYC food-based endurance adventure. Announcing the second annual HOT DOG EATER FIFTY KILO METER. Tuesday, December 30, 2025 at 8:00 am.

Run Synopsis:

The Hot Dog Eater 50k, is a down-and-back 30+ mile course (15+ miles each way) through Queens and Brooklyn in New York City. The race starts and finishes at the BAAS HQ in Astoria, Queens and goes to Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs in Coney Island, Brooklyn. You'll catch beautiful views of Manhattan and a lovely tour through 'real deal' New York neighborhoods. For the Truly Grizzly Participants, there will be an optional Grizzly Glizzy Plunge (known by some as a polar plunge) into the ocean at Coney Island. Brrrr.

Like all BAAS Road Runners events, this is a fun-run/urban adventure and is 'go as you please' (i.e. not a 'race' ; no timing chip). This means you can supplement your running with walking or cycling, or any other creative means of transportation (skateboarding, unicycling, etc... you get the picture). Just follow the course and you'll have moved 50,000+ meters. Participants move through sidewalks, greenways, or bike lanes depending on your respective means of transportation (no bikes on the sidewalk), must follow traffic laws (no bikes on the sidewalk), and hold responsibility for their own safety (no bikes on the sidewalk).

Crews/Pacers:

All are welcome, so participants are invited to have pacers or crew members join them at any point along the route. Crew can travel with you on a bike (or however) or meet you at self-appointed aid stations. Please note the only official aid station will be at the halfway point, Coney Island. New York is littered with corner stores, grocery, and food places that can be used for any aid needed (participants are encouraged to bring small amounts of cash/money for such instances).

Drop Bags:

Participants are not required to have a crew. For those who are self-supported, you can give us your drop bag at check-in, and we'll have it available for you at the half way point. We highly recommend anyone attempting the Grizzly Glizzy Plunge have a change of warm clothes, dry socks, towel etc. for the second half of the event.

HOT DOGS:

Why? A question we find ourselves asking all the time... "But why hot dogs?" No idea. When I think about True Masters of their craft, Joey Chestnut comes to mind (we shouldn't need to explain who he is). He's a True Champion and it's great to be walking the earth at the same time as him. Also, we do a pizza half-marathon, so why not do a hot dog ultra-marathon? Do you have to eat a hot dog? No. Will we have tofu dogs or a boiled carrot-on-a-bun substitute for our vegan friends? Sure, just ask. Can I have more than one hot dog? Of course, we're not the hot dog police (if you want a second "official" hot dog, see details on the Icebreaker below). Do you have to eat a hot dog or some variation to get the Grizzly Glizzy Award? Yes. Is the hot dog a treat or a challenge? You'll just have to buy a ticket and find out.

Grizzly Glizzy Award:

For our bravest participants, we are creating the Grizzly Glizzy Award. This will be given to the people who do the whole 50K on foot + eat a hot dog + complete a full body plunge in the ocean. There is a good possibility that you will be very cold after getting out of the water, with water temp likely being in the 40s, so be prepared. Pack warm, dry clothes in your drop bag. We will have an aid station at the beach with a small changing tent, though no lifeguard will be on duty, so it's at your own risk. This is an optional element and your personal health and safety should be considered as the major priority.

Medals:

We here at BAAS Road Runners love participation AND participation trophies. So everyone gets a medal. It'll have a hot dog on it.

COURSE DETAILS:

1. Start at 28th Street and 33rd Ave in Astoria, Queens
2. Run south through Dutch Kills and LIC Neighborhoods
3. Cross Pulaski Bridge into Greenpoint, Brooklyn (great views of Manhattan)
4. Move along the water through Greenpoint and Williamsburg BK
5. Domino Park beneath the Williamsburg Bridge offers great sights of Lower Manhattan
6. Follow the greenway around the Brooklyn Navy Yard
7. Up through Clinton Hill and Brooklyn Heights
8. Through Grand Army Plaza and enter Prospect Park
9. Western half of Prospect Park, exit at Machate Circle over to Ocean Parkway
10. Five miles straight down Ocean Parkway to Coney Island Boardwalk
11. Down boardwalk to aid station and up to Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs
12. Return on the same route north, the only exception being that you'll follow the eastern half of Prospect Park on the way back up.
13. Finish at the Start Line and have a Party.

SPECIFIC ROUTE DETAILS AND A STRAVA ROUTE LINK WILL BE PROVIDED BEFORE THE EVENT

Two years ago, Reddit got mad at us for not having enough hot dogs, so we put our minds together and decided, why not give our participants the chance to earn a second hot dog? We came up with The Icebreaker. The Icebreaker is an optional add-on (for just a dollar more) to turn your 50K ultra into a two-day, two-stage event, totalling 75+ miles.

The Icebreaker happens the day before the HDE50K on Monday, December 29 and consists of a fully self-supported 42 mile "warm up" loop through Queens and Brooklyn. During the Icebreaker, we'll have a hot dog stop for you in Brooklyn.

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