Lone Star State, we are coming for you! We are so excited to be heading to Dallas/Fort Worth next weekend. We know that Susan G. Komen’s home city is going to be out in full force to support us for this 60-mile walk. Event Planner Eileen Barnick has been preparing all year to make this coming weekend the best 3-Day possible, and she can’t wait to share the route and some new updates with all our participants.
We will begin at Tostitos Championship Plaza at The Star, home of the Dallas Cowboy Headquarters, for the second year and Eileen says everyone should be pumped for a “high-energy celebration” to start our Friday!
“There will be a lot of oomph! It’s such an exciting place to show off the 3-Day spirit.”
After that, the excitement continues as the first five miles have SO much! It’s a great kick-off to the weekend that includes a walk down Star Boulevard (the Star’s entertainment district) towards the Football Huddle sculpture. Once we leave The Star the walkers will enter the beautiful Hall Park, Frisco’s office park, home to many land and water sculptures. Photo ops will abound! From there, we are on to Frisco Central Park where you can take pictures with the bronze cowboys and a herd of stampeding cattle.
Eileen is also pumped to be able to walk through the Dr Pepper Ballpark, home field of the local Frisco RoughRiders, again this year. They’ll be pumping music and really getting the walkers excited. It’s a really fun atmosphere and the whole Dallas/Fort Worth local team is so happy to be able to return there again.
Other Day One highlights include Plano and the corporate headquarters of many large companies including Bank of America, as well as a beautiful trail walk through Arbor Hills Nature Preserve in Plano. We will have a leisurely lunch at Timberglen Park in Dallas and visit the beautiful suburbs of Carrollton and Addison on our way back to camp at Brookhaven College. So much, all in the first day!
Eileen notes that Friday is the longest day, but it’s still the same length as it was last year. Saturday and Sunday are shorter so walkers get the longest day over first, and Eileen promises that even though it’s long, Friday will be loads of fun.
“There’s nothing not to love about Day One. We didn’t change any of the route because people loved it so much. We can’t wait!”
And then comes Day Two, which has large parts of brand-new route. Saturday starts with a short bus ride to Trinity Groves at the Ronald Kirk Pedestrian Bridge. As walkers cross the bridge, they will enjoy beautiful morning views of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge and downtown Dallas. The pedestrian bridge also has all kinds of fun details and games you can play as you cross. Just make sure to stop and take in the lovely skyline views!
From the bridge we will head into downtown past many famous landmarks, including The Grassy Knoll, Sixth Floor Museum and Dealey Plaza. These are such important, iconic parts of Dallas history.
Walkers will continue to enjoy their morning on the popular and picturesque Katy Trail, as they head towards the beautiful towns of Highland and University Parks. These two historic towns feature some of the most beautiful scenery and architecture of the weekend. From the gorgeous homes to the relaxing parks, our walkers will really enjoy this section of the route.
We have a new lunch spot for our halfway celebration at Curtis Park in University Park, and after lunch we will wind through the neighborhoods and business districts of Dallas as we reach the City of Farmers Branch and a fun evening at camp at Brookhaven College.
Eileen says, “We’re spicing up what people have come to expect from Day Two! It’s an extra punch of fun in the weekend!”
Day Three is also brand new and will introduce walkers to two suburbs we’ve never walked in before: Allen and McKinney.
“We will be able to enjoy the trail systems there,” Eileen enthuses. “We always get requests for more time on the trails, and we really tried to accommodate that request for this year.”
The day begins with another short bus ride to Allen at Watters Creek. Through Allen, walkers will be treated to both beautiful neighborhoods and relaxing trails.
Having two bus rides in the weekend allows us to have a different Day Three route from Day One, even though we are ending where we began, back at the Tostitos Championship Plaza at The Star.
As we return to the Star, we will walk through a different part of Frisco than we walked in on Friday morning so the views will be all new and exciting.
Then we will end with a bang at Tostitos Championship Plaza at Tostitos Championship Plaza at The Star! Eileen is especially excited about this new location for our Finish Line Festival and Closing Ceremony.
“Since we will be walking through Cowboys country on Sunday during football season, there will be a lot of people in the area and it will be a nice large welcome! We expect to have a lot of community support around there!”
Overall, Eileen says everyone will have a lot to look forward to next weekend.
“Three very amazing days await! We are so excited to show new parts of the Dallas/Fort Worth area and be able to add more trails to the walk as well. I can’t wait for everyone to see it!”
We’ll see you all soon!
A Note About Saturday’s Route
Due to the recent tornadoes in the North Dallas area, we are making changes to the second half of Saturday’s route and do not have the route cards to share with you just yet. We will give you a route card at the Opening Ceremony with the latest route information and the map of your journey will be updated as soon as possible. Please be flexible with staff, crew and city jurisdictions and understand these changes are being made for the safety of our participants as well as out of respect for the communities where homes, businesses and property have been destroyed.