Join the 3-Day and Help Us End Breast Cancer

Survivor procession at the 2025 San Diego 3-Day.

Each year, the Susan G. Komen 3-Day® brings together thousands of dedicated people nationwide who are united by one shared goal: help end breast cancer.  

In the months of fundraising leading up the 3-Day, participants help raise critical funds. Since 2003, over 500,000 participants have raised more than $927 million to save lives, expand community programs, improve access to patient care and fuel groundbreaking research, therapies and treatment.  

The impact created by the 3-Day community over the years has been extraordinary, and this year we’re focused on pushing that progress even further. 

Why the 3-Day 

The 3-Day is a powerful journey that spans three unforgettable days where participants walk up to 60 miles. It’s a challenge that reflects personal commitment and collective impact, and it’s unforgettable. Along the 3-Day route, participants receive community support from residents and businesses who line the streets in appreciation. And through each step, participants share stories of survivorship, remembrance and hope for a world without breast cancer.  

Along the route of the 2025 Susan G. Komen San Diego 3-Day.

For Monica G., a newer participant of the San Diego 3-Day, walking was a way to honor the family members and friends in her life who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. She walked on her own, motivated by her desire to take action in a space that leaves many feeling helpless. 

“I can only imagine what treatment must have been like for them,” Monica shared. “I felt that the least I could do was help raise money to support the breast cancer community and challenge myself to do something meaningful. 

Ways to Participate 

In the upcoming season, Komen 3-Day events will take place in Boston (Aug. 21-23), Dallas/Fort Worth (Oct. 23-25), San Diego (Nov. 13-15) and Tampa Bay (Feb. 19-21, 2027). 

The 3-Day is flexible and inclusive of all fitness levels, with multiple distance options. While many choose the full three days and 60 miles, others choose the 1-Day (20 miles) or 2-Day (40 miles) options. 

The 2025 Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day walkers.

From the day you register, participants are supported by a dedicated coach who provides fundraising resources, training guidance and encouragement every step of the way. 

The 3-Day is more than just a series of endurance walks. It’s an experience known to change lives and keep participants coming back year after year. 

The Pink Bubble 

At the heart of the 3-Day is the “Pink Bubble”— the energetic, creative and welcoming community of walkers, crew members and volunteers, who strive to end breast cancer with every step they take. The Pink Bubble is known for its touching pink-clad tributes honoring survivors and loved ones throughout the 3-Day weekends, and for its unwavering support, deep connection and compassion.  It’ something you must experience to truly appreciate.  

The Pink Bubble is a place where strangers become teammates, and by the time you reach the Finish Line, you’ll be moved to do it all over again. 

The 2025 Susan G. Komen Denver 3-Day.

If you’re ready to experience the Pink Bubble, we invite you to register today! We’d love to have you join us at one of our 3-Day events. 

Visit the 3-Day to learn more. 

Jacki P.’s 3-Day Story: 78 and Still Showing Up

Jacki P. at the Susan G. Komen 3-Day.

When Jacki P. was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1996, she was terrified. Today, at 78, she is a survivor who—after 20 years of participation—remains deeply committed to the Susan G. Komen 3-Day®. 

“Last year, I thought I should hang up my shoes because it’s so hard to raise fundraising dollars at my age,” Jacki said. “But when a former teammate was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer, I realized I can’t stop. I need to do more.” 

The Mammogram That Changed Everything 

Jacki’s life changed with a routine mammogram in 1996. Shortly after the exam, she received a phone call from a breast cancer surgeon that changed everything. 

“My thoughts immediately started racing,” Jacki recalled. “Will I see my children grow up? Would I be there to attend their high school graduations and weddings, or hold my grandbabies? I was terrified.”  

At that time, most of what Jacki heard about breast cancer were the “horror stories” about being sick, scarring and pain from treatment. Jacki’s breast cancer was caught early, a fact she credits with saving her life.   

“The lump was deep,” she said. “I never would have found it on my own.” 

Jacki underwent a mastectomy and chemotherapy. In August, she celebrated her 29th year of survivorship. 

 

A New Perspective  

Jacki P. celebrating 29 years of breast cancer survivorship.

Surviving breast cancer changed how Jacki viewed life. She became more mindful of her health, more grounded in gratitude for her family and more committed to paying it forward. She said she listens more, helps where she can and still treasures every day. 

“Cancer becomes part of your soul. It never really leaves you,” Jacki said. “Even now, it brings tears to my eyes. There’s always that question in the back of my mind: ‘Will it come back?’”  

Rather than living in fear, Jacki has chosen to keep moving forward with purpose. 

20 Years of the Komen 3-Day 

Jacki first participated in the Komen 3-Day in Arizona in 2005 and later joined Team Las Bombas. In 2021, the team reached the Million Dollar Team milestone. In 2025, Jacki spoke at the Denver 3-Day and achieved her personal lifetime  goal of $50,000. But, she’s not done yet. 

“I’ve walked for 20 years, crewed four times and have met the most incredible people,” she said with a smile. “Although I am 78, I am still in very good condition.” 

Jacki P. at the Susan G. Komen San Diego 3-Day.

This year, Jacki plans to walk the San Diego 3-Day and crew in Tampa Bay. The support and connection within the 3-Day community are what keep Jacki coming back year after year. 

“There’s still work to do. That’s why I keep walking and crewing,” Jacki said. “That’s why we all keep doing the 3-Day. Until breast cancer is behind us, we’ll keep showing up.” 

The 3-Day and the “Bravest Scared Mom”: Heather’s Story

Heather B. at the 2025 Susan G. Komen Boston 3-Day.

The 2025 Susan G. Komen Boston 3-Day® was Heather B.’s first breast cancer event, and it was unlike anything she had ever experienced. Over the course of three days, she pushed herself physically and mentally, formed new friendships and discovered just how strong she had become. 

But just a few years earlier, Heather’s life looked very different. 

She was 39, living at home on lockdown with two young children during the coronavirus pandemic, when she received a phone call that changed everything: “Heather, you have breast cancer.” 

There’s no way to prepare for that kind of news. Heather was terrified, but through that fear, she made a promise to herself. 

“I was going to be the bravest scared mom ever,” she said. 

Connecting to Others During Treatment 

Heather went through 16 rounds of chemotherapy, 28 sessions of radiation therapy, a double mastectomy and a full hysterectomy. She wanted to be as proactive as possible in her treatment. Just six months earlier, her children had lost their grandmother to cancer. 

“I was determined they would not lose their mom, too,” she said. 

The pandemic made an already overwhelming journey even harder. Heather’s care team required her to come alone for her medical appointments and treatments. No visitors. No hand to hold. No comfort of familiar faces. At times, she felt isolated, so she turned to online communities for connection.  

“I found others going through the same thing—and those relationships quickly became my lifeline,” she said. 

Heather B. and her friends at the 2025 Susan G. Komen Boston 3-Day.

Finding Purpose 

Somewhere in the middle of all the chaos that comes with a life-altering diagnosis, Heather found something unexpected: purpose. By supporting others diagnosed with breast cancer, sharing what she learned through her diagnosis and “simply listening,” she found healing in unexpected ways. 

In June, Heather celebrated five years as a survivor. She said people often question why she remains involved with the breast cancer community since she has already “beaten” cancer.  Heather said it’s simply because, “the journey doesn’t end when treatment does.” It carries lifelong impacts including physical and emotional side effects, scars, surgeries, anxiety, hormonal changes, fear and fatigue.  

“So, until there’s a cure, I’ll keep showing up— for myself, for my kids and for everyone sitting in a chemo chair feeling scared and uncertain, just like I did,” Heather added.  

For Heather, showing up began at her first 3-Day walk in Boston, and will continue at the 2027 Tampa Bay 3-Day, where she has plans to walk with her sister. For this “brave” mom, the strength that once carried her through breast cancer now carries her forward to offer hope to others.