Marie Callendar's inaugural pie-eating contest in Northeast Fresno

Three pies totaling nearly eight pounds, no hands, and the will to eat.

That's what nearly 40 people of all ages signed up for this Fourth of July.

"The idea here, guys, is to bury your face in these things," Marie Callendar's general manager, Richard Shields, explained to the participants. "Hands behind your back or by your side. Get as messy as you can and eat as much as possible."

Marie Callendar's in northeast Fresno held its inaugural pie-eating contest this holiday, inspired by a competition on the East Coast.

"A couple of years ago, I was in Brooklyn at Coney Island watching Nathan's hot dog eating contest out there, and once I came on board with Marie Callendar's, it just kind of all fit together and made sense to showcase our pies and have a Fourth of July party," Shields said.

Participants had five minutes to eat as much pie as possible.

For many, it was their first-ever eating contest.

"I think I did pretty well," contest participant Joshua Dixon said while covered in pie. "Just powered through as much pie as I could, try to ignore the crust and get the filling."

Once the time ran out, the pies were weighed to determine the winner- who would take home $500.

"In first place eating 5.3 pounds of pie... Fernando Fernandez," Shields announced at the event.

"I'm just shocked still," winner, Fernando Fernandez said. "I had no strategy. I just wanted to get it over with. It was just pretty hard."

Many, like the winner, didn't go in with a strategy and just wanted some Fourth of July fun.

"I wasn't planning on winning, just eating a lot of pie and getting the reward of free pie," contest participant John Sexton said. "It was delicious. It was fun."

All participants could take home the unfinished pies and get a coupon for a free pie in the future.

For news and weather updates, follow Tiffany Olin on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram .