COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Thousands of eggs will be consumed by athletes and attendees in town for the Arnold Sports Festival as the nation deals with record-high egg prices. 

It will be a weekend full of weightlifting, bodybuilding, and other competitions. For many of the athletes, what they eat is just as — if not more — important than their physical training.

“Probably the most important part of it,” Leigh Blount, a bodybuilding competitor from Australia, said. “You would think it’s going to be going to the gym and training, which is very important as well, but it all starts with what you fuel it.” 

The competitors eat more eggs than the average person. Blount said that on average, she eats six eggs a day. She noticed the price of eggs when she went grocery shopping in Columbus. 

“It definitely is more expensive for sure,” she said. 

With the ongoing bird flu outbreak, egg prices are at an all-time high, and for the program Aaron Georgelas, a bodybuilder from Washington D.C., is following, he eats them every morning.

“I would say my first meal is about 10 egg whites,” he said. “It’s interesting it’s one of the best proteins out there, it’s a complete protein, it’s highly digestible, it’s a favorite because there’s proteins that can take longer to digest. That’s tough when you’re eating six meals, so most bodybuilders have egg whites and eggs in their diet and it’s very important.” 

The Arnold Sports Festival will bring about 20,000 athletes to town. The Hilton Downtown is just one of the hotels where athletes and attendees stay. This weekend alone, it will serve more than 10,000 eggs, according to the general manager.  

Georgelas said there’s been times for him back home where the store he usually shops at ran out of eggs. 

“A lot of times, your food cost’s changing,” he said. “That one you noticed. If chicken goes up 10, 15 cents, you don’t really notice. When eggs double in price, you notice.”  

The Hilton Downtown will also serve 500 pounds of salmon, 1,000 pounds of beef, and 3,000 pounds of chicken, according to the general manager.