Atlanta 3-Day Route Preview

Get ready Georgia, because the 3-Day is coming your way! Our pink bubble will be coming to Atlanta this weekend with an all-new route and very special Closing Ceremony location.

This year’s Atlanta 3-Day will begin at the picturesque Stone Mountain Park, and walkers will spend the day walking through the park as well as Sycamore Park and Atlanta itself. One change you will notice is that as we begin our day, we will be walking straight out of the park instead of around the mountain like we have in the past. However, we will continue to use path trails as much as possible as we walk through the towns of Clarkston and Avondale Estates.

One new sight you’ll see along the way will be the Winship Cancer Institute at Mile 13.9.

Event Manager Melanie Toner says she is happy to be walking by this research facility because it is “where amazing cancer research is being done. It will help everyone see the impact that their fundraising will have on the local community.”

Day One will end after 21.8 miles, back at camp at the Georgia World Congress Center, but in a different hall than in years past. Melanie says this new location, and the new layout of camp, will “help contribute to the community environment that we are really trying to create with camp this year.”

After a nice night of rest, Day Two will begin walking past the Phillips Arena / CNN Center, which will mean you’ll have the opportunity to take some great photos Saturday morning. There will then be plenty of shady areas as we walk Northeast towards Buckhead.

An afternoon highlight will be the Northside Beltline Trail with its old-fashioned train trestle. There will also be a route highlight at mile 16.8 at the High Museum of Art, before we end our day walking by the Center for Civil and Human Rights and the World of Coca-Cola. Stop for a soda before you head back to camp for dinner!

Day Three brings the most changes, which Coach Libby is very excited about! “I am hopeful that the walkers will like all of the changes as much as I do!”

Melanie echoes that, saying Day Three is the part of the Atlanta 3-Day that she is most looking forward to. “I’m so thrilled to bring Atlanta participants a new route! We haven’t had a new route in a long time, but we are bringing them a new experience. We listened to your feedback and we have it for you this year!”

We will be walking through West Atlanta, including the Underwood Hills and Vinings areas before ending with a grand finale.

SunTrust Park, which just opened in April, will be the perfect spot to complete our 60 miles with a great, pink celebration!

Melanie says she, and the whole Atlanta team, are “excited to bring the walkers to this new venue! It’s really beautiful! Atlanta as a city is pumped about this new stadium, so it’s nice to be able to bring the event to there. And the area around the stadium is great as well!”

It will be a momentous end to a weekend of fun. We can’t wait to see you, Atlanta!

Meet Your Atlanta 3-Day Coaches

The 3-Day is heading south to Atlanta this weekend, and we are ready for another sunny 60 miles with all our amazing 3-Day walkers and crew. Part of your Georgia welcoming committee will be your amazing Atlanta 3-Day Coaches: Karen Odell, Susan Wynne and Libby Riordan. These ladies have been preparing all year long to host another fantastic weekend for our 3-Dayers, so before you put on your tutus and lace up your walking shoes, we wanted to help you get to know them better.

The first thing you need to know about Libby, for example, is that she is “is rock solid, she knows her stuff and conveys a sense of confidence while being completely approachable and helpful.” That’s according to Coach Karen!

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Coach Libby (right)

If you ask Libby about herself, she will also let you know that she would choose Mexican food all day long, and that she listens to FloRida when she needs extra motivation on her training walks and other work outs. She has been involved with the 3-Day since 2005, when she applied for a job on our team one month after walking her first 3-Day.

“It’s been a long journey with a community that I am lucky to call family!”

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Coach Susan

Coach Susan joined the 3-Day family not long after Libby, walking her first 3-Day in 2007 in honor of one of her closest friends, whom she had lost to breast cancer. She still walks in other 3-Day cities to this day!

When she’s not 3-Daying, she is craving Mexican food and sushi, and listening to The Lumineers and The Avett Brothers. They might not seem like the traditional “pump up jams” to some, but she says they’re still her favorite to train to.

Coach Karen says Susan “makes our participants feel as if they’ve known her forever and she is a great resource for any question.”

Susan echoes that same love when talking about Coach Karen, saying, “Karen is so thoughtful and dedicated to making our participants have the best experience possible.”

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Coach Karen (center)

Karen says that is she could have one superpower it would be to have “the ability to always know the right path in life,” and if you want to make her dinner, make sure to bring the seafood! She loves halibut, scallops, lobster, mussels and more!

Through and through, these ladies are a fun and enthusiastic group who are anxiously waiting to welcome everyone to Atlanta next week!

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Coach Karen (left)

Karen describes their coaching team as “supportive, cohesive, and thoughtful,” and Susan says they all work their hardest to “connect with our participants and crew on such a personal level and truly care about our 3-Day family.”

Who wouldn’t want to spend a weekend with these women?!

Meet Cathy O’Grady, Philadelphia 3-Day T-Rex

October is an awesome month for many reasons; the Atlanta 3-Day, it’s Fall, and its Halloween! To help with your costume planning, we have some prehistoric inspiration from the Philadelphia 3-Day. Cathy O’Grady has walked the Boston 3-Day twice, and also walked in Philadelphia, Atlanta and Arizona. She’s also crewed the Philadelphia 3-Day twice.

If you were on the Philadelphia 3-Day you may know Cathy, even if you don’t know her face, and it might be hard to know her face – because Cathy is also known as the Philadelphia T-Rex! In addition to her crewing duties, Cathy keeps the walkers laughing and smiling through all 60 miles of their 3-Day journey, as well as giving them some great photo opportunities. What makes her such a dedicated 3-Dayer? Let’s find out!

How did you first become involved with the 3-Day?

I lost my mother to breast cancer and I always wanted to get involved but constantly made excuses why I couldn’t do it. One summer, I was speaking to my friend from Utah and she informed me that she would come to Boston and walk with me. That’s all I needed to hear so I immediately signed up. I never realized what a life-changing experience I was about to undergo.

What were your first 3-Day experiences like?

I and my friend Tracy had NO idea what we were doing. We didn’t train, we wore the wrong type of sneakers and just followed the crowds to walk from Framingham to Waltham. We started as a team of 2 and, by the time we got to Waltham, we were a team of thousand, because everyone was our friend.

Day 2 brought torrential downpours and lots of unhappy walkers…but not us! We hunkered down in our tent and just made memories. […]

The following year, we were a team of twelve. We formed the “Sofia’s Angels” (the same year I started my nonprofit foundation under the same name). We perform real acts of kindness! As small as leaving quarters on gumball machines to giving coats, scarves and other warm items for the homeless, to paying off over 20K in layaways at Christmas time at Toys ‘R’ Us. Most recently we were able to raise 50K to purchase a handicap-accessible van for a family!

When did you first don the T-Rex costume and why?

Last year, I had signed up to crew in Philly. It was my first time crewing and, being a previous walker, I knew how much strength and laughter I took away from seeing people at the cheering stations. I wanted to do something big! What’s big? A T-Rex! So I ordered it and, although I was sweating in it, it was truly so rewarding to see all the walkers and random people smiling and approaching me for pictures.

How do you keep the walkers smiling all weekend?

I have hidden and jumped out to scare them. I have chased them for a hug. I have held their hands as they crossed the finish line and coming back to camp. I danced with them at camp. I smiled more than they did through all of this because I could see how much they loved it. The best part was that people didn’t know who I was so, when I wasn’t wearing the T-Rex, I would hear people talking about finding T-Rex for pictures!

Why is laughter important on the 3-Day?

I think all the emotions we feel during the 3-Day are important. Laughter is contagious! Seeing someone laughing and smiling, you can’t help but do the same.

What are other tips or “must-dos” do you have for 3-Dayers?

You must sit back and just take in all that is happening around you. I rushed through my first 3-Day and felt like I didn’t take the opportunity to really appreciate the experience. Also, talk to others! EVERYONE has a story and everyone is willing to share it.

What keeps you coming back year after year?

I feel like I’m making a difference. I just became a grandmother to a beautiful baby girl and, by the time she is old enough to understand what breast cancer WAS, I want it to be a WAS.

We agree, Kathy – we can’t wait until the day that breast cancer is extinct. Thanks for cheering on our 3-Day family with your terrific T-Rex!