Folks, it’s that time of year once again, and sports fans all around the city are getting excited for the weekend. Yes, the Super Bowl is on, but the most important physical challenge taking place in RVA this Sunday is the Fourth Annual Pho King Challenge at Mekong Restaurant.
Folks, it’s that time of year once again, and sports fans all around the city are getting excited for the weekend. Yes, the Super Bowl is on, but the most important physical challenge taking place in RVA this Sunday is the Fourth Annual Pho King Challenge at Mekong Restaurant. This epic event requires worthy contestants to consume a giant bowl of the Vietnamese delicacy known as pho (pronounced “fuh” …and yes, that does mean what you’re thinking it means about the way the name of this challenge is pronounced) and consume a liter of Belgian beer from one of those huge boot-shaped glasses you remember from the movie Beerfest. Whoever finishes (and keeps down) this hearty helping of food and drink in the least amount of time is crowned the Pho King.
For the first two years of this contest, RVA Magazine’s own John Reinhold was crowned the winner, but the responsibilities of new fatherhood led him to temper his wild lifestyle, and starting with last year’s competition, Reinhold transferred from competitor to host of the event. His handpicked and rigorously trained successor last year was Deejay Greenberg, while RVA Magazine employee Dan Anderson mounted a fierce challenge with the intent of retaining the crown for our publication. However, both Greenberg and Anderson were ultimately felled by a previously unheralded competitor identified only as The Black Hole. Todd Raviotta photographed the action as it took place, turning the whole thing into a film that you can watch below:
That’s the story so far, but what will happen this year? Aside from the fact that John Reinhold reprises his role as host of the event, we’re really not sure. As we all know, anything can happen in the world of extreme sports, and with Mekong’s huge selection of craft beers close at hand, the influence of fine alcohol will loom large over this event as well. The event begins at 5 PM, and will feature ten stout-hearted men and women competing to earn a year of glory–and a cash prize! Any worthy competitors are welcome to throw their boot-shaped beer glasses in the ring–just arrive early to get your place at the table. Once it gets rolling, the action will happen fast, and with the start time arriving over an hour before kickoff, you won’t miss a second of the Super Bowl. So come on out to Mekong Vietnamese Restaurant, located at 6004 W. Broad St, this Sunday at 5 PM, and watch the hijinks ensue. It’ll be a Pho King great time–we’ll see you there!
