Delco Man Takes 4th In 30-Hour Coffin Contest

RIDLEY PARK, PA — The self described Halloween fanatic from Delaware County who recently competed in the 30-Hour Coffin Challenge at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey finished fourth overall.

Mike Markawicz, 32, of Ridley Park was the fourth place finisher for the challenge.

Markawicz and the other runners up took home park passes and Fright Fest souvenirs.

Amanda Roberts of Hopatcong, New Jersey emerged the victor and took home $600, a pair of 2020 Gold Season Passes, Haunted Maze Express Passes and a small replica of her full-sized coffin.

Markawicz, Roberts, and their other competitors took on a variety of harrowing challenges.

Roberts won by lying in the claustrophobic coffin, enduring limited bathroom and phone breaks and earned the most points to win the competition.

She ate pork brains, fished items from a jar of hissing Madagascar cockroaches, bobbed for candy corns in green baby food, tolerated pungent smells and the Baby Shark song on repeat, and withstood visits from Fright Fest freaks and Six Flags critters like a tarantula, skunk and boa constrictor.

According to Six Flags, Markawicz was inspired by a strange happening in his youth. While attending a family viewing and paying respect to a loved one, the body sat up. Death fascinated him and for the last 13 years he has been fighting to saving lives as a paramedic.

Runners up were:

• 2nd Place: Kerri Platt of Forked River, NJ – A 47-year-old mom who nearly died in childbirth, and last year donated a kidney to save her mother’s life;
• 3rd Place: John Nash of Seaside Heights, NJ – An Army Ranger who completed the challenge with his daughter, Alairra Craven;
• 4th Place: Mike Markawicz of Ridley Park, PA – A paramedic who was inspired by a strange happening at a family viewing;
• 5th Place: Cricket Alanis of Bayshore, NY -- 53-year-old mom of three who is a cancer survivor and worked as a funeral director; and
• 6th Place: Alairra Craven of Seaside Heights, NJ – 18-year-old Craven just completed Army basic training, following in the footsteps of her father, Army Ranger John Nash.

The Munsters star Butch Patrick, who played Eddie Munster, helped emcee the two-day event and presented the winners with their prizes and autographed photos

6,000 people applied for the 30-Hour Coffin Challenge in 2019, up from 4,300 applicants in 2018 Contestants were selected based on the creativity of their essay.