Florida man wins Key West Key Lime Pie Eating Championship in 59.6 seconds
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A Florida man who finally won the title at the World Famous Lemon Pie Eating Championship said his winning strategy was to eliminate the biggest obstacle first: whipped cream.
Florida Keys resident Kevin Renly, 62, claimed victory at the annual Fourth of July contest in Key West by eating a 9-inch lemon cake covered in icing without using his hands in 59.6 seconds.
Contestants were required to eat the pies without using their hands, but goggles and diving masks were allowed.
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After finishing runner-up in 2024 and 2025, Renly said he spent time refining his approach ahead of this year’s competition.
“You didn’t have to eat the cream,” Renly told Fox News Digital. “So I said, ‘How do I get rid of the cream really fast?’ “I thought.” “That’s what I got. I took off my shirt and dived into it, pulled it up and whipped cream appeared on my chest.”
Referee Landon Bradbary points to Kevin Renly, icing dripping from his beard, through the remains of his cake during the World Famous Key Lime Pie Championship in Key West, Florida. (Carol Tedesco/Key Lime Festival)
Once the tops were out of the way, Renly turned the cake over to tackle what he thought was the hardest part.
“How are you going to eat the peel? That’s the worst part because it was so dry,” he said. “No problem. We’ll turn it upside down and eat it that way.”
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Held as part of the five-day Key Lime Festival, the contest was Key West’s tropical twist on Nathan’s Famous July 4th Hot Dog Eating Contest and attracted hundreds of spectators as 25 contestants dived face-first into cream-covered pies.
Renly, who co-owns Southernmost Bees with his wife Julie, joked after this year’s victory that “the third time’s the charm.” He had previously described himself as a “first loser” after taking second place in a row.
The third was the charm for Renly, who also competed in 2024 and 2025. (Carol Tedesco/Key Lime Festival)
This win had extra meaning as the competition coincided with the wedding anniversary he shared with his wife, Julie.
After the contest, Renly said, “I didn’t want to go home and tell him I lost again.”
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Renly said his motivation extends beyond personal bragging rights. He wanted to keep the championship trophy in the Florida Keys.
“I sat there watching and thought: ‘Wait a minute. All these people are coming [from] “This trophy needs to stay here locally, so some locals need to keep it here,” he told Fox News Digital.
Renly devoured a 9-inch key lime pie in 59.6 seconds to claim the coveted key lime championship belt. (Carol Tedesco/Key Lime Festival)
Key lime pie was designated as the official pie of Florida in 2006.
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The iconic dessert is traditionally made with a graham cracker crust coated with whipped cream or meringue with lemon juice, sweetened condensed milk and egg yolks.
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Now that he’s won, Renly has his sights set on making history.
“No one repeated for the win,” he said. “Now I have a new goal: to be the first repeat.”
