Twenty-five-year-old Ethan Teske set off from Mankato on Thursday afternoon with one thing in mind: to beat the Tendermaid Challenge.

“I just always had a huge appetite,” Teske said.

The Tendermaid Sandwich Shop in Austin has had the challenge since owner Sara White took over about 18 years ago. The challenge requires challengers to eat 11 cheeseburgers, one bag of chips, one malt and a 64 ounce glass of water. Teske was the first to complete the challenge since Sept. 4, 2012, breaking Thomas Herrera’s record with a time of about 21 minutes.

Teske has completed 22 challenges since 2010, when his appetite for challenges piqued.

“I went to a restaurant for the first time and I saw they had a food challenge, and it’s just been an addiction ever since,” Teske said.

Then, he has tried more than 30, including a six pound burger and fries challenge in Bloomington and a slider challenge in Brookings, South Dakota. He found out about the Tendermaid Challenge through the website www.foodchallenges.com, which allows people to choose their location and see all the food challenges near them.

To burn the extra calories, Teske said he runs a lot, eats a lot of fruit and vegetables, and drinks a lot of water, to help expand his stomach. For prospective challengers out there, Teske gave this advice: “Don’t go into a food challenge without prepping yourself first,” he said.

Although a friend usually comes with him, Teske came to this challenge alone. Yet he said he was kind of glad he came alone, because this challenge was different since it was a record-beating challenge, versus others he has competed in.

“I felt like there was added pressure,” Teske said.