2018 Susan G. Komen 3-Day Top Twin Cities Fundraisers

After a beautiful first day of the 2018 Susan G. Komen Twin Cities 3-Day, walkers and crew members gathered in the dining tent as Stephanie from Susan G. Komen® and our friends from Bank of America honored the Twin Cities 3-Day’s top fundraisers. Join us in congratulating these extraordinary participants!

This year’s Top Fundraising Team in Twin Cities is Pink United. With 8 team members, they raised over $41,000 this year! In their 7 years as a team, Pink United has raised more than $315,000!

This year’s Top Individual Fundraiser in Twin Cities is Lisa Laframboise! She has raised an incredible $18,900 this year! This is her 16th event in 9 years, and she’s raised more than $56,900 in her time with the 3-Day. She is also a member of the top fundraising Team: Pink United.

Congratulations to our Top Crew Fundraiser, Amanda Rissley, who raised $5,000, with more than $17,400 raised lifetime in 6 events over 6 years.

Please join us in thanking these incredible fundraisers for everything they do!

 

Meet Your Twin Cities 3-Day Coaches

It’s here! The Twin Cities 3-Day is tomorrow, and we can’t wait to take this 60-mile journey with all our Minnesota 3-Dayers. As our staff and crew gather today to make final preparations and plans, no one is looking forward to tomorrow more than our Twin Cities 3-Day Coaching Team.

Meet Coaches Stephanie and Tisho, along with our amazing Crew Coordinator Kiki and Event Manager Eileen. They make the 3-Day magic happen year-round, working every day towards this weekend.

Stephanie has an infectious laugh and an upbeat attitude about everything. Tisho is full of knowledge on the widest range of topics, is a great advice-giver and has a heart of gold. Kiki is hilarious and oh so productive, remaining calm no matter what problems come her way. Eileen is the “complete package” of 3-Day information and support, always seeing the good in people around her. What a group!

These compliments and accolades don’t come from thin air, either! These are straight from the mouth of their fellow coaches.

With that kind of support, it should be no surprise that Coach Tisho, who is new to the Twin Cities 3-Day, describes this 3-Day with one simple word: family.

“I’ve been a part of the 3-Day for 10 years now and it is the most amazing group of people. The participants and my colleagues have made this literally a life-changing event for me. That’s why I’m most excited for my first Twin Cities 3-Day and meeting all the participants with whom I’ve been speaking since last year!”

Other things they’re looking forward to? The whole team is very excited for the latest changes to the route this year and can’t wait to hear feedback from participants.

Some of their favorite spots (both new and old) along this year’s route include:

  • All the beautiful lakes on Day 1
  • Stone Arch Bridge on Day 1
  • Downtown White Bear Lake on Day 2 (Hint: this is new and it’s fabulous!)
  • The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden
  • The St. Paul Water Utility Trail in Vadnais Heights
  • Day 3’s view of the downtown St. Paul skyline after you pass through Pit 3 and walk into Indian Mounds Park. This is definitely a photo op, so get your cameras ready!
  • Closing Ceremony at Harriet Island

“I am giddy with excitement for them to see our brand-new Day 2 route which will take them through White Bear Lake and its charming downtown area!” says Coach Steph. “I’m also really excited that on Day 1 we’ll be back walking down Nicollet Mall. The last two years the mall has been under construction and now it looks beautiful. This is the heart of downtown Minneapolis and features a lot of great restaurants and all the hustle and bustle of downtown Minneapolis.”

The whole team is full of Minnesota pride, with Coach Kiki saying the whole weekend will be full of “beautiful scenery and the nicest people on the planet.”

Don’t miss a minute of this fun and beauty! That was the #1 piece of advice from all the coaches. Take your time and enjoy the whole weekend. Make new friends, reconnect with old ones. Try new experiences and be open to the joy of the weekend.

“Be present! Those two simple words were part of the Opening Ceremony a few years back and they really hit me. Don’t just follow the pink parade. Don’t let it all pass you by. Stop and take photos, pay attention to what’s around you and the people next to you. Soak it all in because even when you come back next year it will never be the same event twice,” promises Coach Kiki.

You’ll be surrounded by your 3-Day family, led by your local coaches. They can’t wait to welcome you in!

2018 Twin Cities 3-Day Route Preview

The Twin Cities 3-Day is coming up this weekend, and as you get ready for the event, we have a preview of what to expect! For those who are familiar with the route, you will see a lot of our favorite sights of the Twin Cities. However, we made some big changes to Day Two that we are excited to share! Read on for more…

Our walk this year begins at Southdale Center in Edina. It has been a local staple since 1956 and is the perfect jumping off point for sixty miles of fun. This was the original Mall of America!

However, this year we will be starting in a different area of the mall, in the Herberger’s Lot, due to construction at the mall. However, Event Production Manager Eileen Barnick promises that there will be plenty of people directing and helping everyone find the Opening Ceremony, so look for them. We will get this 3-Day started off on a great, fun foot!

Day One will begin in residential parts of Edina and we will walk around Harriet Lake and Lake Calhoun. This will give our 3-Dayers some great nature walk time!

Then, before lunch we will walk through the Sculpture Garden, which is always a fan favorite. Leaving the garden, we will walk across the pedestrian bridge, which just re-opened to the public in August. It is re-painted and looks beautiful and colorful!

Lunch will then be at Loring Park, and following lunch we will walk through Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis for about a mile. This is an outdoor mall that has its own stretch of private road that cars aren’t allowed on.

Eileen is particularly excited about this stretch of the day, saying, “It has lots of cute restaurants and shops that are trendy and fun! That is a big new part of Day One. Also, keep an eye out for the Mary Tyler Moore statue and get your photos!”

We will end the day passing through the University of Minnesota on the way to Camp at Harvest Park in Maplewood.

“It’s so big and open and they’re so nice to us there. They love having the 3-Day!” Eileen says. “It also gives us access to some great trails to start and end our days with, so it’s just a perfect location.”

After a night of beauty rest, Day Two will unveil an almost completely new, shorter route. This is based on feedback from last year’s event, and our whole 3-Day team is excited for walkers and Crew to experience the day.

As we leave in the morning, we will head to White Bear Lake, which is breathtaking! Walk into the harbor and on a path around the lake, and then into the town. Keep an eye out for local cheering stations and support throughout the town.

“Otter Lake comes next! Day Two is a lot of lakes. We love those nature times!” Eileen promises.

Lunch will take place at Calvary Church Grounds, and after lunch we head through more neighborhoods and walk the St. Paul Water Utility Trail, which takes walkers between two lakes.

Cheerleaders will then welcome walkers home to camp!

Eileen is most excited for everyone to see Day Two and thinks walkers will really enjoy the changes.

Then, finally on Day Three, walkers will see much of the same route as last year but there will be slightly more downtown St. Paul walking. We will go through lots of local neighborhoods, plus Battle Creek and other local trails. As we go into St. Paul, we will walk through Indian Mounds park, which overlooks the city. Prime photo time there!

Once we get into the city, Eileen says to keep an eye out for farmer’s markets!

The day will wind down at Kellogg Mall Park along the river, which has nice shady trees to help stave off that summer heat. We will be walking along the Mississippi River right before walkers come into the Closing Ceremony after they cross the Wabasha Bridge, which is stunning and perfect for photos!

The Closing Ceremony is once again on Harriet Island, but there will be a few changes in the stage ceremony itself. Stay tuned for those! It will be just as celebratory and exciting though so never fear! Eileen and the Twin Cities 3-Day staff can’t wait to welcome everyone into the Pink Bubble and support you through every step of your 3-Day journey.