(Image credit: Andrey Smirnov/AFP/Getty Images)

Hundreds gathered at a caviar speed eating event at a Moscow restaurant Friday night for a battle of mental stamina, hunger and stomach size.

Twelve contestants were selected from a lottery to compete in the first-ever eating contest featuring the pricey fish eggs.

The winner, 49-year-old Alexander Valov, devoured 1 pound of caviar in one minute and 26 seconds.  After eating the roughly $5,000 worth of caviar, Valov was awarded 10,000 rubles ($340) and several jars of caviar.

The entire contest cost organizers an estimated $70,000.

The organizer of the event, Alexander Novikov, told Reuters in a video segment, "I once saw a report on how they made big chocolate truffles in Georgia and organized an eating competition.  I remembered foggy Albion where they compete in nettle speed eating contests and hamburger [speed eating contests] in America. I thought, why shouldn't we do our own, Russian competition? So it happened."