Meet Your Seattle 3-Day Coaches

It’s a busy week in the 3-Day world, and our Seattle coaches are hard at work getting an amazing weekend ready for you! They’re excited to bring the 3-Day to the West Coast. If you don’t know them yet, the Seattle 3-Day team is a group of women you’re going to love meeting this weekend! They’re dedicated, enthusiastic, and will be in your corner every step of the way.

That includes Coach Liz, who her fellow coaches call “the goddess of the 3-Day.” She has walked many times as well as a long-time coach and knows the 3-Day experience front to back.

Coach Amy says, “I have never met anyone so dedicated to taking care of our participants and sprinkling her love to make sure every interaction is filled with care. Liz always has a personal story that she can connect to a participant and always makes that walker or crew member feel supported.”

That love exists for Coach Amy, too! She is the crew’s biggest advocate and Liz goes as far to say that “she does magical work with our awesome crew. She is always so sweet and has a kind word for everyone.”

Coach Amy works alongside Coach Kiki, both working to help our crew have the best weekend possible. Kiki is hilarious and oh so productive, remaining calm no matter what problems come her way. Kiki can’t wait to be back in Seattle again after a few years and knows that both walkers and crew will have a “whole lot of smiles and hard-core belly laughs” to look forward to over the next few days. If you ever need a smile (or a sing along to your favorite Lizzo song!), Kiki is your gal!

Coach Aubrey will also bring plenty of smiles on event…and she’ll sing along with you to Lizzo, too! She’s a singer in her free time, and will even be performing at camp!

“Aubrey’s infectious enthusiasm for the Seattle 3-Day is contagious,” Coach Amy says with a smile. “Her passion for cultivating relationships in order to form partnerships and strengthen the 3-Day community inspires me daily. When you talk to Aubrey, you can’t help but smile.”

Last, but certainly not least, is our amazing Event Production Manager, Ann. Aubrey says she glues their group together, and “is super laid back and flexible. She’s always willing to hear suggestions from myself and the walkers!”

Ann has planned a beautiful route for all of you, and the coaches can’t wait for you to experience every step of this amazing weekend! Spots to keep an eye out for. Here are the coaches’ favorites…

  • Day One’s walk across the 520 Bridge and into Medina
  • Day One also has a scenic lunch stop at Bellevue Downtown Park
  • Day Two’s trek along the waterfront in Kirkland
  • Our new Honor Ceremony at camp on Saturday evening
  • Of course, Day Three’s stop in Gasworks Park and Lake Union Park
  • The Rose Garden is also a fan favorite
  • The new Finish Line Festival will also be tons of fun for spectators and participants alike

From our Opening Ceremony at the Space Needle, to the many nature trails and picturesque parks you’ll experience throughout the weekend, our Seattle coaches know it will be a weekend to remember!

Coach Amy summed that feeling up nicely.

“The Seattle 3-Day Crew community is truly a beautiful example of what happens when you allow love to rule over everything you do. On the 3-Day, you will experience something that defies explanation. You will be challenged, inspired, pushed harder and appreciated more than you ever have before. It is a magical thing and I wish I could bottle up this magic and sprinkle it all year long!”

We can’t wait to see that magic throughout Seattle this weekend ?

2019 Seattle 3-Day Route Preview

The weekend is almost here! Hot on the heels of an amazing New England 3-Day, we’re heading to the West Coast and taking our walk to Seattle! As we gear up for three days of family, fun and inspiration, we are excited to debut a few changes to the Seattle 3-Day this year while still hitting our favorite spots along the way. Event Production Manager Ann Love is giving us the details on everything we should look forward to.

Get excited because our Opening Ceremony will once again be at the Seattle Center at the Fountain Lawn. We will kick off our 60-mile journey in the shadow of the Space Needle, with some new additions to the Opening Ceremony to make this a truly special morning.

Ann is excited about being back at the Fountain Lawn for several reasons.

“It’s an iconic spot that is a great place to start our journey…plus we have access to indoor restrooms! Take advantage while you can!”

After we leave Seattle Center, we will be heading out on the picturesque route of Day One, which is similar – but shorter! – than last year. We will cross over the 520 Pedestrian Bridge, which is more picturesque than some of the bridge options we have used in the past.

From there, we will walk south through Medina, which is a very cute, quaint little town where some Seattle heavy hitters (Hi, Bill Gates!) have their homes. We’ll also be making our way through the Bellevue neighborhood for lunch at Downtown Park. Ann loves this spot, especially for the little waterfall that makes it extra relaxing. From lunch, we will exit through Bellevue and go into Redmond.

We have a new pit stop 4 to look forward to in the afternoon and Ann thinks walkers will be especially excited for that change! From there, we will return to our outdoor camp at Marymoor Park. We are back in the original campground spot this year, after making a move in 2018. Ann loves being back at our “home” at camp.

“This area will be a great spot to keep the whole camp experience close together and has more parking for Crew! There is also a big parking lot for hotel shuttles, and for Friends and Family Night, so there will be plenty of space and less extra walking. The outdoor camp really gives us our own special 3-Day space. We are our own community.”

Be sure to stick around camp for our new camp programs, including 3-Day BINGO on Friday night and a very special Honor Ceremony on Saturday.

“People really seem to like the changes in our evening camp programs,” Ann smiles. “There is lots of laughter on Friday night! And I’m excited to see them in an outdoor setting for the first time this year.”

After a nice rest, we will kick off Day Two by heading west out of Marymoor Park and onto the trails in downtown Redmond and then into Kirkland. Lunch on Day Two means our new Halfway Celebration so be sure to practice your dance! Ann wants to see a whole crowd doing their best moves during lunch ?

Walkers will cross Kirkland Corridor in the afternoon, and then our grab & go will be on the Google Campus like usual. From there, we’ll come back into Redmond and camp. You’ll even get a little time along the water in Kirkland, which is always a beautiful plus that makes Seattle extra special!

Day Three will be here before we know it, and Sunday will start with a short bus ride in the morning to the University of Washington, near the Husky sports complexes.

We will spend some more time on the trails on Day Three, hitting Woodland Park before skirting Woodland Park Zoo and the Woodland Rose Garden. We don’t actually go through the garden, but if you wanted to make a detour, there will be pretty photo opportunities!

Before lunch we will once again make a stop at Gaslight Park, and the Row for the Cure Festival will be there again this year. We are happy to share the space with them and get more pink festivities going!

Lunch will be at Lake Union Park before we head into town through the Amazon portion of the city. Walkers will go around Pike Place and walk near the waterfront from there. Ann loves that walkers get to spend some nice time along the waterfront and walk through the parks in that neighborhood.

You will hit pit stop 3 along the water, then come back into the city and spend the last 1-2 miles in the Queen Anne District before coming to our finish line.

We are once again ending back at the Seattle Center, but with one exciting change! We will be doing the Closing Ceremony right there on the Fountain Lawn, which means less walking and more great photos! It will really be a great experience and bring any spectators like your family and friends, to the Finish Line Festival, the celebration of the end of our walk.

Ann, our Seattle 3-Day coaches, and our entire 3-Day family, can’t wait to head west and get this amazing weekend started! We will see you all soon!

2019 New England 3-Day Wrap-Up

We returned to New England with a splash this past weekend and could not have asked for a better three days on the East Coast! From Fenway to Boston Commons to the Freedom Trail and beyond, this weekend was one for the books.

Our journey began on Friday morning at our host hotel, the Revere Hotel Boston Common, with a special Opening Ceremony complete with stories from local walkers. Our survivors, and those living with breast cancer, were also honored before they led us out of the hotel and into the morning sunshine.

Our walk began through Boston Common and the historic Beacon Hill neighborhood, which gave walkers a real taste of the history of the city’s architecture and environment. Everyone loved both the natural calm of the Common as well as the cobblestones and homes in Beacon Hill. From there, we entered Cambridge, passing through Riverbend and North Point parks before settling in for lunch.

The weather stayed cool for our entire first day, giving walkers great weather to make quick work of a 20-mile day! After lunch, they passed the USS Constitution (or Old Ironsides to the locals) and the Bunker Hill Monument, both of which were excellent photo opportunities as well as being peeks into the history of the city.

Before being welcomed back to our hotel camp by our amazing crew team, walkers passed L Street Tavern, which many recognized from the movie Good Will Hunting. It was the perfect ending to a wonderful Day One! 3-Day BINGO, and the much-loved Bank of America massage chairs, awaited walkers and Crew at Friday’s camp. After that, it was straight to sleep in the comfy hotel beds to be well-rested for Day Two.

Saturday dawned with bright and beautiful fall weather, perfect for another day of walking! The morning was also jam packed with historical sites, including Trinity Church, Old South Church and the Boston Public Library…all in the first mile of walking! From there, we followed the Boston Marathon route in reverse, and walkers had fun celebrating “crossing the finish line” a little early in the weekend.

From there, we walked through Brookline and Brighton before arriving at our halfway celebration at lunch. Walkers lounged on the Mohawk pink mats before jumping up to dance in our celebration flash mob with Mark as Bon Jovi blared across our lunch site.

The second half of the day began with wide smiles leftover from lunch. We headed back into Boston proper, getting more city views before taking the Commonwealth Mall path back to our hotel. The shady tree-lined avenue gave relaxing shade and a respite from the hustle and bustle of downtown.

When our last walker arrived back at camp, we began our emotional Honor Ceremony and saluted those who inspire and motivate us to commit three days, year after year. We walk for them, and this ceremony celebrated that commitment. Tears were shed, hugs were shared, and we went to bed feeling fulfilled and ready to take on Day Three.

Sunday was our sunniest and warmest day yet for the weekend! The day began with a walk-through the Boston Public Garden and a stop by Cheers, the bar that inspired the titular beloved TV show. It wasn’t open yet, but walkers loved stopping for a photo!

They also posed outside Fenway Park, and declared their allegiance to home teams from across the country. We missed the game that day, but in honor of New England, 3-Dayers cheered on the Red Sox in spirit.

After Fenway, we walked through Brookline and Jamaica Plain before making our way back into the Boston city limits. We passed under the Chinatown Gate and over the Charles River, even passing the site of the Boston Tea Party. Just one more historical landmark in a weekend full of them!

Our walk ended at the Lawn on D, with lots of space for friends and family to come celebrate this amazing accomplishment. Our last walkers began our Closing Ceremony with excitement, which continued as our Crew entered the ceremony area. Then, shoes were raised to honor the strength of our survivor community, and for those living with breast cancer. They are the reason we will continue to walk, and to fundraise, for a world without breast cancer.

And fundraise we did! The 1,100 walkers and 200 crew members of the New England 3-Day raised an amazing $2.9 million in the fight against breast cancer. That’s an accomplishment worth celebrating! As we danced and soaked in the moment, many walkers already registered to return to the New England 3-Day in 2020. They know that the work is not done. And though our weekend has ended, we will not stop here. We will never quit.