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West Milford residents take top spots at Battle the Beach Charity 5K

| 25 Sep 2013 | 04:53
    From left, Matt Majewski, Dakota McAveney and Blake Ballin - all West Milford residents and employees at Town Tavern - competed in Battle the Beach Charity 5K in Wildwood. They finished first, second and fourth out of 751 athletes and raised $300 for Special Olympics of New Jersey.
    From left, Matt Majewski, Dakota McAveney and Blake Ballin - all West Milford residents and employees at Town Tavern - competed in Battle the Beach Charity 5K in Wildwood. They finished first, second and fourth out of 751 athletes and raised $300 for Special Olympics of New Jersey.
    Dakota McAveney came in first overall in this charity obstacle course.
    Dakota McAveney came in first overall in this charity obstacle course.
    Blake Ballin soared above the obstacles - and the competition - at Battle the Beach.
    Blake Ballin soared above the obstacles - and the competition - at Battle the Beach.
    Matt Majewski comes through the water obstacle at the Battle of Beach in Wildwood, all to benefit the Special Olympics.
    Matt Majewski comes through the water obstacle at the Battle of Beach in Wildwood, all to benefit the Special Olympics.

WEST MILFORD — The township was proudly represented on Sunday, Sept. 15 at the Battle the Beach 5K in Wildwood, to benefit Special Olympics of New Jersey. West Milford residents and Town Tavern employees Dakota McAveney, Blake Ballin and Matt Majewski entered the competition and came away with three of the top four finishes.

Battle the Beach is a hybrid event, combining a 5K run and obstacles in the sane. The course featured a dozen obstacles along a 3.1 mile course. There were walls to climb, tire swings to navigate, a cargo net, tunnels, hurdles, sand mounds and water crawls in the sand. Out of 751 athletes, Dakota posted the fastest time overall while Blake posted the second fastest and Matt came in fourth. Their participation raised $300 for the New Jersey Special Olympics.

The three have been work together for about a year at the Town Tavern on Macopin Road. They had been training together during the summer. This was the first race they entered together. Blake is a senior at West Milford High School; Dakota and Matt are recent graduates of West Milford High School.

The race was held the same weekend as the New Jersey State Fireman's convention in Wildwood and the three were unable to get a hotel room. Macopin Fire Department came to the rescue and let them stay in their hotel rooms to help them out.