Rain and wind didn't stop hungry Penn students from devouring burritos as fast as they could in Saturday's burrito-eating contest.
The contest, sponsored by Qdoba Mexican Grill, took place before the football game against Bucknell, outside Franklin Field. Sixteen teams of four competed for the chance of winning a 20-person taco bar.
Each team member had to eat one burrito -- with only one person eating at time -- and the team that had all four members successively eat their burritos fastest won. Four teams competed at a time, and the winning team of each round won a free entree at Qdoba and a T-shirt for each person on the team. The team with the best overall time won the taco bar.
Students' reasons for entering the contest varied from having a competitive spirit to just liking burritos.
The winning team was a group of Penn College Republicans, with a combined weight of almost 1,000 pounds. It finished in seven minutes and 24 seconds.
Winning teams of other rounds did not come very close, with the second-best time being eight minutes and 24 seconds.
The College Republicans team -- Wharton senior Cory Bray, College sophomore Sean-Tamba Matthew, College senior Jon Ghergurovich and Wharton sophomore Jack Abraham -- entered because "we can eat more food than anybody on campus," Bray said.
To prepare themselves, the team practiced before the competition. "We had five trials. When we made our burritos, we made them extra difficult. Habanero sauce, guacamole, sour cream made it more of a challenge. We had three gallons of water each last night," team captain Abraham said.
While most teams consisted of all men, one team at the competition was all female.
Qdoba held the contest "to get the students involved and get them in the restaurant and get them just enjoying the community of Qdoba," said Robert Charbonnet, vice president of Philadelphia Fresh Foods, the company that operates the franchises in Philadelphia.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
DonatePlease note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.