A Colorado eating challenge turned into tragedy when the contestant choked to death in the process.

SFGate reports a 42-year old man died while trying to eat a half-pound doughnut in 80 seconds. If successful, the man would have won a free meal and a button.

The incident happened at the Voodoo Doughnut shop in Denver. Their "Tex-Ass Challenge" invites participants to consume what would be the equivalent of six doughnuts in less than 90 seconds.

The man wasn't the only person to die Sunday in an eating contest. A college student in Connecticut was engaged in a pancake-eating contest when she began choking and later died.

It is a grim reminder that eating contests can have dire consequences, and seldom is the reward worth the risk.  Our human bodies are wondrously made, hardy and resilient, but not indestructible.

Whether it is an eating contest or a drinking contest - the risk is huge. Our bodies were not designed to consume large quantities in a short amount of time. To engage in such behavior is simply testing the limits of your body and making a gamble with your life. Is the pay-off worth the potential consequence?

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