Can you complete the 12 Tacos/12 Beers In An Hour Challenge? This man tried it.

Feats of the human will and competitive spirit captivate and sustain us, not least when everyday people attempt seemingly impossible endeavors.

Which brings us to tacos and beer. A lot of tacos and beer consumed in a very short about of time; 12 tacos and 12 High Life beers, to be exact, in 60 minutes or less. A taco and a beer every five minutes.

I learned about this challenge a few weeks ago, after a friend recounted seeing someone attempt it in Charleston, S.C. in 2011. He couldn’t do it, but he came damn close. I have serious doubts about my chances at finishing, as I do about most every person out there even vaguely interested in attempting it.

At least one person, though, was brave enough to attempt the 12 Tacos/12 Beers In An Hour Challenge. Meet Jamie, who undertook the endeavor on the afternoon of Saturday, April 8. Jamie held strong for about 35 minutes before falling behind schedule and vomiting at about the 50-minute mark. That he did throw up mid-challenge and afterward puts an asterisk next to his attempt, but we should still admire the fact that he put down the whole bunch.

Jamie broadcast the attempt on Periscope — a condensed version is up top — which boasted as many as 1,000 concurrent viewers in the waning minutes. SB Nation caught up with Jamie via email for an interview about his attempt.

SBN: First off, where are you from and what are your main sports rooting interests? Have you fully recovered from the ordeal?

J: I’m from Atlanta and closely follow the Braves, Falcons, Hawks, GT, ATLUFC, hell, even the Thrashers back in the day. My ATL sports fandom has become a big running joke, especially for my girlfriend. She tweets to all seven of her followers about how I drag her to the bar to watch Tuesday night Hawks losses to the Bobcats.

I’ve bounced back pretty well, all things considered. I was invited to watch the Masters with some friends about 10 minutes after turning the stream off, and I responded affirmatively but woke up in the same position about two hours later to a bunch of angry texts. Three days removed, and all bodily functions have returned to normal at this point.

SBN: Have you ever competitively eaten before, or was this your first such attempt at it?

J: Actually, I’ve done some friendly wagers on food consumption previously, but nothing organized. The most notable/recent was 100 munchkins (donut holes) in an hour, which I failed. Those cake donuts are much thicker than you think. My friends and I actually have this hedonistic activity called a Bang-Bang where you go and eat a full meal, pay, leave, and head to another restaurant for a second full meal. It also works great with takeout.

SBN: How did you prepare in the 24 hours leading up to the endeavor? Did you hold off on dinner the night before, for example?

J: I didn’t do too much sincere prep. The one thing most competitive eaters agree on (this is purely conjecture) is that you SHOULD eat the night before, because not eating anything in that time period will shrink your stomach. At least I think I heard that on a hot dog eating contest documentary.

Anyway, I had a sandwich and some beers the night before and then played video games for way too long. Woke up and had a protein shake and a coffee in the morning before setting about getting my supplies gathered. I was planning to walk to the Taco Bell and back (about five miles) but rain and time and laziness got in the way.

SBN: What would you do differently if you were to attempt this challenge again? Would you fiddle with the order in which you ate/drank everything? How would you change your preparation in the lead-up? Would you, say, change the type of beer you would drink?

J: I think my plan going in was pretty good. My only advice to my past self would be to not stay up late, and actually get some exercise, like immediately beforehand. If I had done one or both of those things, the outcome might have been better.

I would change from High Life to Coors Light or Natty Light, just for the water-like qualities of those.

SBN: Did you really puke at 50 minutes? And if so, why did you choose to continue?

J: Yeah, it was right around that 45-50-minute mark. Honestly, at that point I was starting to get pretty drunk, and the little Periscope pop-ups were encouraging me to keep doing it. Stopping then never even crossed my mind.

SBN: At what point in the challenge did serious doubts about completing it enter your mind? Were you confident leading into it that you could pull it off?

J: Going in, I was WAY too confident. I actually purchased 15 tacos and another six-pack of beer. I was going to pull up the extra tacos and finish those, if I had the moxie I thought I did. Looking at the clock right at 32 minutes, I was calculating where I was and realized I was right on schedule. But up to that point I had been way ahead. It was this little moment of clarity right before the beers started affecting me.

Not sure where the time got away from me, but that’s definitely when I started to panic.

SBN: What advice would you give to someone who’s maybe thinking about attempting the challenge themselves?

J: I used the hashtag #tacohighlifechallenge, but it should really be #DirtyDoubleDozen or something like that. Choose your own tacos and beer brand. Call ahead on the tacos or make them yourself because the people at T-Bell were PISSED when I sauntered up and ordered 15. They ended up sticking to the wrappers, leaking all over themselves. and it was a big mess. Also, you need a prep-person to unfold your tacos, pour your beers, wipe your brow, that sort of thing.

Lastly, don’t sit at a table lower than your knees. I was bent over the whole time, and that was a big effect on my mentality from a fullness standpoint.

SBN: What’s up with that T-shirt you were wearing?

It’s from a scene in Seinfeld where Kramer is chugging a beer and smoking a cigarette seemingly at the same time after stating, “Here’s to feeling good all the time,” and I think that was fitting for the activity. I had some other choices, like a Falcons shirt (too soon), a friend’s ATL-centric T-shirt company (I got too fat to wear it), and my old college football sweatshirt, but it was too warm and things were just going to get hotter as this thing went on.

SBN: Do you think you’ve redeemed the city of Atlanta’s competitive legacy in the wake of the Super Bowl?

J: There’s no easy way to redeem that loss. Plus it seems Atlanta has been taking Ls ever since. In terms of turning that narrative around, I think i’d be putting a good foot forward if I didn’t puke, but there you have it. Rise Up.