How the 3-Day Routes Come to Life

Participants walking along the shoreline at the 2025 San Diego 3-Day.

Planning the Susan G. Komen 3-Day® takes months of collaboration and careful coordination. Each route is carefully designed to be safe, challenging and memorable while taking participants on an unforgettable journey of up to 60 miles toward a world without breast cancer. 

This year’s Komen 3-Day Series will travel through four beautiful destinations — the historic streets of Boston, the charming neighborhoods of Dallas/Fort Worth, the waterfront in San Diego and the scenic paths of Tampa Bay. While each route and city offers its own unique experience, every mile is carefully planned long before the Pink Bubble arrives in town.  

Planning the Route 

A group of 3-Day participants walking through an intersection at the 2025 Boston 3-Day.

The route planning process of the three day, 60-mile walk is a year-round effort that requires collaboration between Komen staff, city officials, police departments, public works teams, chambers of commerce, visitor bureaus and other local partners.  

“We’re very lucky to have great relationships with every city that we’re in,” route planner Ethan P. said. “I really can’t thank the cities enough for what they do for us.” 

Planners aim for approximately 20 miles each day of the event while identifying parks and open spaces for pit stops and lunch, and ensuring major intersections are staffed by route safety.  

Walkers line a street at the 2025 Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day.

Scenic paths, local landmarks and iconic attractions help shape the 3-Day routes, but planning also includes adapting to changing conditions. Construction projects, road closures, local events and even parking availability can impact where 3-Day participants walk from year to year. 

“When one event’s over, we’re already looking at next year and how to make the route better,” Ethan said. “It could be the smallest things like there’s not enough parking at this one spot to we just think that this area is much prettier.” 

The pink arrows are placed along the 3-Day route to keep participants on the right track throughout event weekend.

To help participants confidently navigate all 60 miles, the route planning team marks the course with pink arrows. They are placed along the route to keep participants moving in the right direction, along pit stops, to lunch and back on to the next portion of the day’s route. It is another behind-the-scenes detail that’s key to creating a safe, seamless 3-Day experience. 

It Takes a Village 

A successful 3-Day route also depends on the support of the communities that welcome the Pink Bubble each year. The 3-Day team spends several months doing outreach with local businesses, neighborhoods and community partners along the route.  

Businesses showing support for 3-Day walkers at the 2025 San Diego 3-Day.

“The 3-Day coaches do an amazing job at helping us and making sure we’re reaching out to everybody around where we’re walking,” Ethan said. “The support we have received from Boston, Dallas/Fort Worth, San Diego and now Tampa Bay has been truly amazing. “ 

The community spirit is part of what makes every 3-Day so special. From businesses decorating storefronts with pink decorations and snack stations to cheering spectators lining the sidewalks, the encouragement participants receive throughout the weekend happens because of the in-depth preparation that leads up to every event season. 

Every City Has Its Own Feel 

The 2025 Boston 3-Day had a historical backdrop for participants.

Each 3-Day route is different and that is what makes each city so special. This year, San Diego participants can look forward to a couple of new pit stops that Ethan described as “absolutely stunning,” though he is keeping the details a surprise. 

Tampa Bay returns to the 3-Day in February 2027 for the first time since 2013, giving many participants the opportunity to experience an entirely new route featuring waterfront views, downtown streets and scenic trails. 

“It’s going to be a very pretty route that’s also really diverse,” Ethan said.  

Boston will feature a new pier on Day 3 that participants will be able to walk around, while Dallas/Fort Worth’s new hotel and camp location has inspired thoughtful route updates that still preserve many of the familiar sights participants know and love. 

To learn more about the 3-Day routes, visit the3day.org. 

What to Pack in Your 3-Day Bag

Walkers at the 2025 Dallas 3-Day.

Whether you’re reuniting with teammates, meeting new friends or experiencing your first Susan G. Komen 3-Day® being prepared will help you focus on what matters most — walking to help end breast cancer. 

From veteran favorites to newbie essentials, here’s what participants recommend for packing for a comfortable 3-Day weekend. 

The Right Gear 

When you wear what works for you, it’s easier to power through 60, 40, or 20 miles. 

  • Moisture-wicking clothing (T-shirts, shorts, sweatpants, leggings). 
  • Broken-in walking shoes (never wear brand-new shoes to the 3-Day!). 
  • Hat or visor. 
  • Two pair of socks per day (veteran walkers recommend changing into fresh, dry socks at lunch). 
  • Light layer jacket/waterproof jacket/sweater.
  • A comfortable backpack or crossbody bag with a water bottle holder or a waist pack for carrying on-route essentials with a water bottle holder. 
  • A lightweight rain poncho or shoe covers (if rain is in the forecast). 

The Little Things 

Inside your backpack or waist pack, you might want to carry: 

  • Chapstick or lip balm 
  • Band-aids 
  • Hair ties 
  • Hand sanitizer or wipes 
  • Tissues 
  • Bite-size snacks 
  • Electrolyte packets 
  • Portable phone charger 
  • Sunglasses 
  • Identification, money and a credit card 
  • Wide-mouth water bottle (easily fillable at water/ice/Gatorade stations along the 3-Day route) 

Toiletries: Event hotels tend to have toiletries available to you, but we strongly recommend packing everything you might need for your hygiene and comfort. 

  • Sunscreen 
  • Toothpaste/toothbrush 
  • Moisturizer, facial cleanser 
  • Shampoo, Conditioner 
  • Deodorant, Razor 
  • Hairbrush 
  • Body glide  

First Aid: On event, the Medical Crew will have supplies to tend to any major medical issues, but we recommend bringing your own supplies for treating minor medical and personal problems you might need along the route like band aids, petroleum jelly, antacid, pain relievers and any prescription medication you take regularly.  

If you develop blisters, the medical crew will help you take care of them and give you much-needed relief so you can keep walking. Just ask them for help! 

If you’re looking for a more detailed packing checklist, check out our hotel and camping packing guides before your 3-Day event weekend. We’ll see you on the route soon! 

The Crew Behind Memorial Mile

Alicia and Tim are members of the 3-Day crew who make Memorial Mile come to life along the route.

Memorial Mile is the most reflective part of the Susan G. Komen 3-Day®. It’s where the cheers stop, the conversations fade and participants walk through a stretch of the route lined with signs honoring those who have died from breast cancer.  

While participants experience Memorial Mile for only a few quiet moments, a dedicated crew spends hours carefully preparing every tribute sign — each one representing a loved one remembered by the Pink Bubble.  

“Memorial Mile is a very important part of the walk,” said Alicia M., who joined the 3-Day in 2010. “It’s a reminder in the middle of the walk of why we’re all here.” 

A portion of Memorial Mile at the 2025 Boston 3-Day.

When participants reach Memorial Mile on Day 2, they have already walked nearly 30 miles. Some stop to find the sign of a family member or friend they are walking in memory of, while others take time to read the names and faces of people they never met. It’s a bittersweet stretch of the 3-Day that serves as a powerful reminder of the reason thousands of participants commit to walking up to 60 miles. 

Tim P., who has been a part of the 3-Day for 16 years, said Memorial Mile’s placement is intentional. 

“It’s that halfway point where participants are ready for a pick-me-up,” Tim said. “After 25 or 30 miles, your body is questioning if you can keep going. Then you reach Memorial Mile and you’re reminded of why you’re walking. That’s where the saying, ‘Blisters are better than chemo,’ really hits home.” 

Long before participants reach Memorial Mile, crew members like Alicia and Tim have already spent hours making sure every tribute is displayed with dignity. 

A stretch of Memorial Mile along the Susan G. Komen 3-Day.

“We never let the signs sit on the ground,” Tim said. “They’re always held or placed on carpet in a vehicle until we’re ready to put them up. We’re very disciplined in how they’re displayed, how they’re hung and even making sure the zip ties are trimmed neatly. Since we don’t get to walk Memorial Mile, it’s our way of honoring the people they represent.” 

Before joining the crew, Alicia and Tim walked the 3-Day together more than 15 times, giving them firsthand insight into what participants experience when they see Memorial Mile.  

Alicia and Tim have participated in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for more than 15 years.

For Alicia, the meaning of Memorial Mile has grown over the years. 

“I’ve lost people that I’ve walked and crewed with over the years,” she said. “So, it seems like every time I turn around, I have another reason why.”  

That personal connection made watching a powerful rainstorm pummel last November’s San Diego 3-Day especially difficult. Crew members rushed to protect the tribute signs they carefully assembled as heavy winds and rain swept across the route. 

Rain at the 2025 San Diego 3-Day.

“The weather was awful. We were dealing with heavy, heavy rain, heavy wind,” Alicia said. 

“But even in the chaos of the rain and the flooding, people still stopped,” Tim said, fighting back tears. “They didn’t run through it. They still stopped to pay their respects. That’s why it’s so important to have it no matter what.”  

The signs of Memorial Mile along the beach in San Diego at the Susan G. Komen 3-Day.

Moments like that are why Tim and Alicia continue coming back to the 3-Day year after year. 

“It’s just a safe place in this big, crazy, chaotic world where you get to just be in the Pink Bubble and unite for all the goodness,” Tim said. “That’s why we keep coming back.” 

Members of the 3-Day crew setting up Memorial Mile at the Susan G. Komen 3-Day.

For more information about the 3-Day visit the3day.org.