The Black Widow of competitive eating has narrowly defended her title. 
 
 New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg looks to see how many puns he made while making a speech during the official weigh-in for the Nathan's Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, Wednesday, July 3, 2013... (Associated Press) 
 
 Joey Chestnut laughs as he stands on the scale during the official weigh-in for the Nathan's Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, Wednesday, July 3, 2013 at City Hall park in New York. (AP Photo/Mary... (Associated Press) 
 
 New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg eats a hot dog during the official weigh-in for the Nathan's Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, Wednesday, July 3, 2013 at City Hall park in New York. (AP Photo/Mary... (Associated Press) 
 
 Sonya Thomas smiles as she stands on the scale during the official weigh-in for the Nathan's Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, Wednesday, July 3, 2013 at City Hall park in New York. (AP Photo/Mary... (Associated Press) 
 
 New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, center, watches and Joey Chestnut, left, and Sonya Thomas face off while eating a hot dog after the official weigh-in for the Nathan's Fourth of July hot dog eating... (Associated Press) 
 
 Nathan's employees help the mascot get into his costume before the official weigh-in for the Nathan's Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, Wednesday, July 3, 2013 at City Hall park in New York. (AP... (Associated Press) 
 
 Hot dogs are on display during the official weigh-in for the Nathan's Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, Wednesday, July 3, 2013 at City Hall park in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) (Associated Press) 
 
 Sonya Thomas, of Alexandria, Va., devoured 36 and three-quarters hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes to win the women's competition at the annual Fourth of July Coney Island event. 
 
 The 100-pound Thomas went toe-to-toe with Juliet Lee with a second to spare. Lee ate 36 dogs. 
 
 The count was much lower than last year, when Thomas broke her own record by eating 45 hot dogs and buns. 
 
 The Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest has been a city tradition for 97 years. 
 
 Joey Chestnut is vying for his seventh straight title in the men's competition. His personal best and the record is 68 hot dogs and buns. 
 
 THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below. 
 
 It's a dogfight, a roast, a frank encounter, a contest to win in the wurst way. In short, it's an event that devours puns. With relish. 
 
 The annual Fourth of July hot dog eating contest was set to, well, roll Thursday in Coney Island, with chomp champs Joey Chestnut and Sonya Thomas defending their respective men's and women's titles. 
 
 Chestnut, 29, is a six-time winner who set the record _ 68 weiners and buns in 10 minutes _ in 2009 and tied it last year. Thomas, 45, powered through 45 dogs to take the women's championship last year and also won in 2011, the first year women competed separately. 
 
 They likely will be tough to beat. But this competition can never rule out an upset _ stomach, at least. 
 
 "Tomorrow's strategy: just find my rhythm really quickly," Chestnut, the 210-pounder nicknamed "Jaws" from San Jose, Calif., said after the ceremonial weigh-in near City Hall on Wednesday as he munched on a frank, the only thing he'd eaten that day amid a preparatory fast. 
 
 Chestnut said his pace has been uneven in the past, but "this year I'm trying to eat a little more gracefully, conserve my energy." 
 
 Thomas, a 100-pound dynamo known as the "Black Widow" of competitive eating, says the challenge of shoveling down dozens of franks is actually "more mental than physical." 
 
 "I have to fight with myself, so I'm going to try to really focus," said Thomas, of Alexandria, Va., where she manages a fast-food restaurant. And no, it doesn't serve hot dogs. 
 
 Mayor Michael Bloomberg, speaking at the weigh-in for his 12th and final year in office, aimed to set a record of his own by stuffing more than a dozen hot-dog-related puns into an elaborate sentence that started with "let's be frank" and ended by looking forward to congratulating the "weiner of the contest." 
 
 Now in its 98th year, the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest generally draws a crowd of thousands to marvel at contestants cramming frankfurters down their throats. 
 
 The chow down showdown is on this year despite concerns about a swaying, shuttered observation tower that spurred the closure of parts of the nearby amusement park this week. The shutdown didn't affect Nathan's. ||||| The 2013 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest took place at high noon on the Fourth of July and, as per usual, Joey Chestnut entered as a huge favorite to have the most hot dogs (and buns!) eaten when the results were tallied. The American eater didn't disappoint his fans, either, as he consumed 69 hot dogs in 10 minutes to conquer the event for the seventh consecutive year. 
 
 Chestnut's win broke the record he held with Takeru Kobayashi, as each had six total championships heading into Thursday's event. He also broke his record of 68 hot dogs, too, after most recently resetting it at last year's competition. The fact that he was able to reach 69 dogs was a surprise, too, as the odds had Chestnut eating 63.5 HDB (hot dogs + buns, for those not familiar with the sport's technical terms). 
 
 Chestnut's closest competition was Matt Stonie with 51 hot dogs, though the competition in general has had a bit of a drop off behind Chestnut ever since Kobayashi stopped participating due to a contract dispute with Major League Eating. Tim Janus, better known as Eater X, finished third with 50 hot dogs. 
 
 Chestnut entered the contest as the top-ranked eater in the world, according to MLE's rankings, whereas Stonie was ranked fourth. The 21-year-old Stonie's claims to fame include eating 5.5 pounds of birthday cake in 8 minutes and 59 seconds as well as eating 30 "slugburgers" at something called "The World Slugburger Eating Championship" last July. 
 
 Sonja Thomas, better known as the Black Widow, was able to hold off upstart "The Lovely" Juliet Lee in the women's competition that was held earlier in the day. Thomas ate just shy of 37 hot dogs compared to Lee's even 36, securing herself as the only women's champion since the event was divided into separate divisions in 2011. 
 
 Sonya Thomas won by a quarter of a hot dog!! #myfoxny pic.twitter.com/XtiLGkD4pp — LidiaCuranaj (@LidiaFox5NY) July 4, 2013 
 
 The result of the women's competition was a bit disappointing, though, as Thomas set a record with 45 hot dogs last year -- over nine more than she was able to chow down on this year. 
 
 Now that everyone is done watching hot dogs, quickly read Spencer Hall's guide to enjoying fireworks like an American, watch Dan Rubenstein describe why the Fourth of July is the best (below) and then go out and enjoy the holiday with friends, family and festivities!
– Can no one stop the sausage-consuming juggernauts that are Joey Chestnut and Sonja Thomas? Chestnut not only won his seventh-consecutive title today at the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, he set a new world record by scarfing down 69 hot dogs and buns during the ten minutes allotted, SB Nation reports. The total tops his own personal best of 68, a record he shared with absent archrival Kobayashi. Doubting oddsmakers had set his over/under at just 63.5 dogs. Thomas—aka "the Black Widow"—also kept her crown for another year, but just barely. Thomas managed just 36 and three-quarters dogs, narrowly edging out Juliet Lee, who devoured 36 even, the AP reports. Thomas, who has won every year since Nathan began holding a separate women's competition in 2011, ate a record 45 dogs last year.