Moab has always been home to world-class climbers, ultra-marathoners, and mountain bikers who make gravity their side hustle. But this week, the spotlight falls on a different kind of competitor: Christian Duran, Moab’s newly crowned taco-eating champion.
Duran moved to town surrounded by elite athletes and decided he needed his own claim to fame.
“I feel like there’s so many fast, athletic people here who shine, and I was like, how can I put my name out there in the town of Moab?” he said.
His answer? Break the taco record at The Alley, attached to Gravel Pit Lanes bowling alley.
The record had stood for 13 months, taunting Duran every time he grabbed a beer.
See our award-winning (really!) coverage of the previous taco champion.
One night, he looked at the board and declared, “I could do 40, no problem.”
Words many visitors to the Gravel Pit Lanes have casually said, but Duran’s friend Noah didn’t let it slide.
A week later, Christian walked into the bar on a Tuesday night, hungry and wildly untrained. His prep routine?
“I just went to work that day,” Duran said. “In hindsight, I regret that I took a lunch.”
The goal was 40 tacos. The old record was 34. He started strong: 20 tacos down in 40 minutes.
But the kitchen got wise. Somewhere around taco 30, Duran alleges that the chef started “loading them up” with extra beans.
“I think he was fed up with making these tacos,” Christian said. The last five tacos were engineered to break spirits.
It almost worked. Christian described the final minutes as “poisoning myself.” He sat slumped in the corner, praying no one would look at him.
However, Karaoke night came to a screeching halt when the bartender announced history in the making: Christian finished his 35th taco, setting a new bar record.
“It felt great,” Duran said. “Like, so nice.”
Now, every time he walks in, he said that bartenders announce the taco champ’s arrival.
Competitors have already tried and failed to dethrone him, but he has one message: “I dare somebody to beat my record.”
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