Relish the Moment: A Hot Dog Filled May for Nonstop!

Steve Froeschle
May 29
4 min read

Hot dogs have been the theme for us at Nonstop over the past couple of weekends!

It started at the Sunderbruch B&B Trail Races a couple weekends ago. One of six races put on by Sun Trail Running, the Sunderbruch B&B (Bacon & Beer) Trail Races feature 5K and 10K trail races on the beautiful singletrack trails of Sunderbruch Park, a 134-acre park located deep in the West End of Davenport. As the name of the race would suggest, there is ample bacon and beer (shoutout to Stompbox Brewing) at the post-race party, as well as delicious breakfast sandwiches and more recently, hot dogs. For the 10 year anniversary of the race in 2024, race director Josh Sun had the idea of putting on a fundraiser “race” during the post-race party, in which two contestants would go head-to-head drinking a 16 oz. beer, eating a hot dog, and running 100 meters as fast as possible. Spectators purchased raffle tickets and “wagered” on who they thought would win, with all proceeds going to Kings Harvest Animal Rescue. In the inaugural edition of the race, local elite runner and Running Wild owner Devin Allbaugh took on the infamous Phil “Pickle Phil” Heald. While Devin had the clear advantage in the running category, he was no match for Phil’s hot dog eating prowess, and Phil took him down in demoralizing fashion. In addition to being wildly entertaining, the race was a success in that it raised $1,500 for Kings Harvest.

In 2025, the beer-hot dog-run race made its return, with Devin being assigned a ringer of sorts to serve as his hot dog eater. Even so, Pickle Phil had an appetite for victory that could not be matched, and for the second straight year a man dressed as a pickle cruised to victory and $1,000 was raised for Hand in Hand.

This year, race director Josh really upped the ante and proposed a 3 vs. 3 beer-hot dog-running relay, with a team comprised of friends of Sun Trail Running vs. a team comprised of Nonstop employees and family. Nonstop got out to an early lead with Dan Froeschle followed by Kasey, but Sun Trail Running was hot on their heels. In what was perhaps a rash decision in retrospect, Nonstop’s third team member, our dear friend Sam Long, decided to chug his entire beer before taking any bites of hot dog. It was clear after his first hot dog bite that he was in trouble, as he struggled to chew and swallow the hot dog without any liquid to aid him. The crowd roared as Sun Trail Running’s anchor, Mitch Elliott, finished his beer and hot dog and sprinted out for the run portion as Sam helplessly tried to swallow his remaining hot dog. Sun Trail Running took the win and bragging rights as Nonstop went home devastated. While we were deeply disappointed in the outcome of the race, we were proud to play a small part in an event that raised $2,200 for The Gray Matters Collective.

Fast forward a little over a week to Memorial Day, and we were once again excited to be a part of the Quad Cities Criterium Running Wild Mile in the Village of East Davenport. This race is one of the most unique races in the Quad Cities in that it is a road mile that takes place during the Quad Cities Criterium bike race in the middle of the afternoon. The course is also very difficult, with even the elite runners being slowed down by nearly 30 seconds due to the hilly nature of the course. Running Wild has leaned into the unique and quirky nature of the race, and have made the costume contest and finish-line-hot dogs staples of the race. There really is a place for everyone in the Running Wild Mile, from elite runners looking to take home the $200 first place prize, to kids running their first race, to party-pace runners out enjoying Memorial Day with a few beverages. This year was the 4^th edition of the Running Wild Mile, and the number of finishers more than doubled from 2025. To accommodate the finish line appetites of all of these runners, Nonstop stepped in as the finish-line-hot dog sponsor, with Kasey preparing and wheeling a cooler full of more than 100 hot dogs to the finish line. Like we’ve always said, there’s no better way to regain your composure after an all-out 1 mile race than by immediately smashing a hot dog before you even have a chance to catch your breath. As delicious as they are, we are officially taking a much-needed break from hot dogs for a few weeks. Rest assured though, we’ll be fully recovered and ready for the MercyOne Genesis Firecracker Run on the 4^th of July, where race director Joe Moreno never fails to throw the best party in town, complete with freshly prepared hot dogs for all 3,000+ runners.

📸 Mike Van Hulle (1-4)

📸 Morgan McEnroe (5-6)