A Florida man who finally captured the title at the World Famous Key Lime Pie Eating Championship said his winning strategy came down to eliminating the biggest obstacle first: the whipped cream.

Florida Keys resident Kevin Renly, 62, claimed victory at the annual Fourth of July competition in Key West after devouring a whipped cream-topped 9-inch Key lime pie in 59.6 seconds — all without using his hands. 

Contestants were required to eat the pies without using their hands, though goggles and dive masks were allowed.

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After finishing runner-up in 2024 and 2025, Renly said he spent time refining his approach before this year’s competition.

“You didn’t have to eat the cream. So, I figured, ‘How am I going to get rid of the cream real fast?'” Renly told Fox News Digital. “So that’s what I figured out. I take my shirt off and dive into it, pull up and the whipped cream is on my chest.”

Once the topping was out of the way, Renly flipped the pie upside down to tackle what he considered the toughest part.

“How are you going to eat the crust? That’s the worst part, because it was just so dry,” he said. “No problem. We’ll just flip it upside down and eat it that way.”

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Held as part of the five-day Key Lime Festival, the competition is Key West’s tropical twist on Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest and drew hundreds of spectators as 25 contestants plunged face-first into whipped 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 referred to himself as the “first loser” after consecutive second-place finishes.

The win carried extra meaning because the contest fell on the wedding anniversary he shares with his wife, Julie.

“I didn’t want to go home and tell her I’d lost again,” Renly said after the competition.

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Renly said his motivation also extended 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 come [from] out of town and they take this trophy home,'” he told Fox News Digital. “This trophy needs to stay here locally, so some locals have got to keep it here.”

Key lime pie was designated as Florida’s official pie in 2006.

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The iconic dessert is traditionally made with Key lime juice, sweetened condensed milk and egg yolks in a graham cracker crust topped with whipped cream or meringue.

Now that he’s won, Renly already has his sights set on making history.

“No one’s ever repeated for a win,” he said. “Now I’ve got a new goal — to be the first repeat.”