Aaron Osthoff

To residents of New York City, the A Train is a 24-hour express train service that runs from 207th Street in Manhattan to Mott Avenue in Far Rockaway, Queens* or to Lefferts Boulevard in Richmond Hill, in the same borough. To those in Major League Eating circles, the A Train is synonymous with but one thing: Aaron "the A Train" Osthoff, the pride of Dubuque, IA, and a lion at the table. He is called the A Train because his first name starts with an A and because he eats with the relentless, on-track determination of well-managed railway infrastructure. (If he was named Brad, he may well have been nicknamed The B Train, but I guess we'll never know about that.) The irony of his nickname is not lost on residents of Aaron's hometown, Dubuque, IA, where there is no subway system to speak of and the closest Amtrak station is 120 miles away in La Crosse, WI. Since making his MLE debut in 2010, The A Train has proven himself a multi-tool eater, as comfortable with technique foods such as oysters (39 dozen in 8 minutes in 2012) as he is with pure capacity (66 cupcakes in 6 minutes in the same year.) He has twice qualified for the Nathan's Famous July 4th International Hot Dog Eating Championship and stands as both the hot dog and chicken wing eating champion of Canada. This latter fact is a source of annoyance for US Department of State officials, who must deal with pleas from their Canadian counterparts that the American Osthoff relinquish these titles in favor of a local competitor. Asked through back channels by unnamed officials to do so in the interest of US and Canadian harmony, Osthoff bristled and replied: "To be the man, you've got to beat the man." Aaron is married to Heather Osthoff, his high school sweetheart. She is a distinguished MLE competitor in her own right, having qualified for the 2012 Nathan's Famous finals in the women's division. * Bonus fact: At over 31 miles, this is the longest one-seat ride in New York City subway system.