Congratulations to the 2019 Philadelphia 3-Day Milestone Award Winner, Riley Weston

Riley (at left)

Please join us in congratulating our 2019 Philadelphia Milestone Award Winner; Riley Weston. The Susan G. Komen 3-Day® Milestone Award is given at each event to a walker or crew member who has an outstanding history of participation in the Komen 3-Day. At the Philadelphia 3-Day camp show, we presented Riley with this special honor.

Riley has participated in the 3-Day for nine years and raised more than $180,000 in that time! Coach Carol, who has known Riley as a fellow walker and a coach, says she is “the most talented, humble person you would every have that chance to meet.”

That love is echoed by her friend, Lyndell, who says,

“I met the amazing Riley Weston seven years ago when I joined team Faith Girlz to walk for such a worthy cause. I was feeling down about the passing of my best friend. While my BFF didn’t have breast cancer (brain cancer), cancer had hit my family and started touching people who I cared deeply about.

Over the last few years, Riley and I have formed a friendship that has helped me grow as a person and an advocate in many ways. Her passion for finding a cure is contagious! Her efforts to continually raise a great amount of money shows her commitment to the cause and this organization. I am thrilled that Riley is receiving this year’s Milestone Award! I am proud to be a Faith Girl and honored to be able to call her my sistah and my friend. :)”

What was your inspiration to do your first 3-Day?  

I had lost my grandmother. My aunt (her daughter) was in remission. My sister asked me to do the walk with her in 2010 when her friend backed out at the last minute.

What has brought you back to the 3-Day year after year?

Since then, I have lost my sister to triple negative breast cancer. One of the promises I made to her was that I would not stop walking, raising money and awareness until this disease was something we spoke about in past tense. My cousin is also now in remission like my aunt!

What is the secret to your 3-Day fundraising success?

Take no prisoners! Seriously though, I do not have matching funds, so I really just talk to people about breast cancer and what it has done to me and my family. I also ask them if they’ve even heard of triple negative, which most of them have not. I explain the research that Susan G. Komen does and how they reach so many people. Personally, I tell them when I lost my own health insurance, it was Komen who made sure I was still getting mammograms.

What is your best advice to anyone participating in the 3-Day?

My sister used to say this a lot and I still do for her: SUCK IT UP, CUPCAKE! And HAVE FUN!

What’s a fun fact about you?

I’m a believer in the impossible, I’m obsessed with my chocolate lab, Joe Bob, and never say no to a good apple pie moonshine, honey whiskey or cookie dough. Not necessarily in that order 😉

What are the most important lessons you’ve learned on the 3-Day?

That life is way too short, that these women I’ve met are my friends for life and that we CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

My 3-Day Experience: Checking in with Former AVON 39 Walker, Lenore

This year on the 3-Day, we were happy and honored to welcome many past-AVON 39 walkers to our pink family. One of those walkers, Lenore C., joined our 2018 Philadelphia 3-Day along with a few of her past AVON 39 teammates.

When we talked to her before the event, she said her desire to join the 3-Day came from the simple knowledge that “we can do more together” in the fight against breast cancer.

Now, with those 60-miles behind her, Lenore says she had a stellar experience both preparing for, and walking in the 3-Day.

“I even really enjoyed my fundraising! My husband’s yoga students helped, the Transformation Made Easy digital community supported me tremendously and 3-Day fundraiser emails were essential!

As for training, the 3-Day app was so great. It connected with my calendar, so I could see what I needed to do every day. It was fun and challenging! I got people to go with me on training walks. I took advantage of my environment and explored new paths. I listened to podcasts while I walked alone — thank you Being Here, Audible and Audiobooks. They were amazing company! I listened to all the Harry Potter books!”

After all that support and training, Lenore approached the weekend in Philadelphia with excitement. She found our Opening Ceremony inspiring, but she said she loved the walker stalkers and Crew support most of all.

“It was comforting and hilarious to share snacks and stories with them. The Youth Corps are also the best! Their cheering and chanting were terrific for matching my own enthusiasm. I was charged up all the way!”

As a Philadelphia native returning home for the walk, she also liked the variety in the route, and getting to see everything from “unique and artsy shopping areas to the great spans of green by the Schukyill River to the iconic Rocky Statue and the Liberty Bell” all in one weekend.

And then, after all those sights and steps, she came to the finish line.

“I felt proud and honored. Honored by the presence of all those who supported me personally in my journey that honors my body and my perseverance. Grateful for my body’s responding positively to my demands and also grateful to the bodies of those who can only dream of being able to walk 60 miles but have truly journeyed so much further in overcoming breast cancer.”

She was glad to honor those in her own life who had been affected by breast cancer, including her stepmom, Geri, her best friend’s mom, Rosie, and her first boyfriend’s sister, Crisse. It was their memory that kept her moving all weekend, and she even finished faster than she thought she would.

“I found myself speeding up as I approached the arch and could not and did not resist dancing across that finish line. I kept dancing and was joined by the emcee! It was a blast, our impromptu party! My friends’ and my husband’s smiles, applause and congratulations were elevating!”

She even ended up walking 4 more miles along the route to her car, cheering on those approaching the finish line as she went. She says she also showed off her medal proudly. 😊

So, after all that training, fundraising, walking, and yes, even a little dancing…will she be back in 2019? You bet!

“Oh, yes! I’ll be back! I plan to raise even more money! I think I’ll auction off some specific miles and take photos as proof! I might even promise to execute dares for extra pledges — like walk backwards for 1 or selfies with a man in pink or a pink girl doing a cartwheel… something cooler but, like those are my ideas for now.”

We have no doubt that Lenore will continue to make her 3-Day experience an extraordinary one.

If you want to join Lenore in 2019, the time to sign up is NOW! If you register at The3Day.org by 11:55 PM CST TONIGHT 12/6, you’ll automatically get 50% off your registration fee—no special codes required!

Come and walk with us.

2018 Philadelphia Susan G. Komen 3-Day Wrap Up

Over the weekend, hundreds of walkers gathered inside the Grand Ballroom at Hilton Philadelphia at Penn’s Landing ready to take on the fight against breast cancer. The 2018 Philadelphia 3-Day was the first 3-Day to feature a Camp inside of a hotel, and we were so very excited to pilot this intriguing new model for our 3-Day community.

An energetic Opening Ceremony further reminded us why our steps are so very important, and we took off into Philadelphia.

We walked past Independence Hall at 1.2 miles, and then into our first Pit Stop of the 3-Day weekend at mile 3.6, which was themed with bouncing balls. We continued on to Pit Stop 2 at West Fairmount Park, where our walkers stepped into a fairy tale with the Enchanted Pit Stop, complete with 3-Day Dwarves, “Crampy, Blistery, and Achy.”

The smiling faces of our crew at Pit Stop 2 propelled us forward into lunch at Chamounix Field, 9.2 miles into our route. We showed some team spirit with the Eagles theme, and enjoyed resting on our Mohawk pads and stretching before we took off for the final parts of the route.

While a little bit of rain came down, it didn’t dampen our spirits. A quick stop at Boob Street at Rodin Museum Grounds fueled us up for the remaining five miles of the day, and the community came out to cheer us in as we walked back into the Hilton.

The hotel was serving Philadelphia’s pretzels with pink salt, a perfect local treat to get us ready for dinner and a fun camp show where we awarded some of our participants’ amazing fundraising work, and rewarded milestone and impact award winners, Ronald MacDonald and Dawn Kifer. Then, it was off to bed so we could rest in anticipation of a beautiful Day two.

Day two greeted us with ideal weather and no humidity. Walkers tackled the cobble stone streets of the city, and walked past the art museum, where some walkers took a moment to recreate their Rocky moment and run up the stairs.

Next, we walked along the river while teams rowed in regatta races, and then climbed the hills to Belmont Mansion for its incredible views of the skyline. Then it was time for lions, tigers and bears as the route moved through the Philadelphia Zoo before returning back to camp at the Hilton Philadelphia at Penn’s Landing.

Back at Camp, we relaxed in the zen-inducing Bank of America massage chairs and enjoyed a yummy dinner before an entertaining camp show and our classic 3-Day dance party. On Sunday we headed out to South Philly neighborhoods, with Mile 1 passing by Elfreth’s Alley. Walkers were cheered on by inflatable unicorns and dinosaurs, and we wished we could start every day that way.

We also walked by the dueling Pat and Geno’s Steak Shops at mile 11, with some walkers stopping for a yummy bite to eat. After some classic Philly fare, it was onwards past a cheering station at Marconi Plaza, and then past the Sports Complex (home of the Phillies, Flyers, Sixers and Eagles), being welcomed by the Eagles Drum and Bugle Corps who could be heard from a mile away. We also spotted another dancing unicorn — just the whimsical sight we needed to put some pep in our step as we marched toward Closing Ceremony.

The day ended at the historic Navy Yard under sunny skies, with dragon flies whizzing by, reminding us of loved ones lost checking up on us.

Closing Ceremonies were jam packed with friends and family waiting to celebrate our courageous walkers and crew. Together, we raised $2.1 million toward the fight to end breast cancer. Philadelphia, thank you. We are so honored and grateful for everything you do.