Man eats 1.8 pounds of pickles in 5 mins

NEW YORK, May 20 (UPI) -- The winner of a pickle-eating contest at New York's famous Carnegie Deli said it was his fourth time in the contest and his first victory.

Michael Hoffman of Farmingdale, N.Y., said he has entered the deli's pickle-eating contest three times in the past but Wednesday marked his first victory when he downed 1.8 pounds of pickles in five minutes, the New York Daily News reported Thursday.

"I feel great," Hoffman said after the contest. "I'll probably pick up some pickles before I leave."

Second place went to Francis Arpaia of New York, who downed 1.35 pounds of pickles during the time limit and third-place finisher Brenda Matthis of Boston finished 1.17 pounds of pickles before time ran out.

"The pickle contest is a fun event to make people aware of pickles and what pickles mean to a deli," Carnegie Deli owner Sandy Levine said. "It's a fun-loving food that makes people happy."