5 Things You Should Do With Your Downtime at 3-Day Camp

The Susan G. Komen 3-Day is a very full three days; and by full, we mean inspiring, amazing, encouraging, and yes, a little bit tiring — because when we’re working toward the end of breast cancer, it’s your tireless efforts that are making a huge impact. After you’ve spent an incredible day on the route walking or crewing 20 miles, here are some ideas for how to make the most of your downtime between meals, mingling with other 3-Dayers, and checking out our Camp Show.

  • Treat your body to a massage!

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After a long day of walking or crewing, the kind folks at Bank of America treat us every year with massage chairs and foot massagers to knead our sore muscles. Sign up at the Bank of America tent and prepare to relax and reflect on your day with a wonderfully blissful massage. Your calves and feet will thank you! You can zen out in silence, hit the chairs with your team, or fly solo and strike up a conversation with a new person sitting next to you. You may just meet your new best friend!

  • Pick up your Camp Mail, Legacy Pins, and Sweet Dreams treatsLegacyPins

Did you know that there’s a whole part of 3-Day camp dedicated to pampering YOU? Well-wishers and supporters may have sent you mail which you can pick up at 3-Day camp. You’ll also have a chance to collect your Legacy Pins, which are small, colorful pins that note certain accomplishments or elements of the 3-Day. Collect them every year! You can also check to see if any of your loved ones have sent you a Sweet Treat; a gourmet chocolate perfect for finishing out your day in sweet style.

  • Strike a pose

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We know that you’re not walking 60 miles just for the photo op, but, snap a few pictures with our 3-Day photo ops to show the world that you are More Than Pink! In camp, you’ll find our 3-Day photo cube, which has four walls, each with photo banners for walkers and crew. Grab a prop, show us your victory pose, and then post them on social media – OR, save them to use as thank you notes to send out to your donors!

  • Play for the cause

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Curl up in our giant bean bag chairs and play an engaging round of Words With Friends. This word game app is super calming and fun; offering friendly competition as you play against your friends or other players. As an added bonus, this October if you help the Words community play 6 Million tiles between Oct 1st – 21st , Words With Friends will donate up to $100,000 to Susan G. Komen!

Just log in and use their new exclusive Pink Ribbon Tile (created specifically for Breast Cancer Awareness Month) and play as many friends as possible. Even the smallest word can make a big difference.

  • Reflect and remember

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The 3-Day is a celebratory event, but it also has a more serious purpose: to remember the lives we have lost to breast cancer. Visiting the Remembrance Tent is a somber but important moment, and one we encourage you to have — to see why the hard work you are doing matters so very much. We still hear the echo of their footsteps — and we walk for them.

You’ll never be bored when you’re on the 3-Day, but these ideas show you that there are several fun, relaxing, and therapeutic activities you can take part in as you recover and refuel for the rest of your 3-Day experience. See you in Camp!

20 Reasons To Be a 20-Mile Walker

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With our final two 3-Days coming up quickly in Dallas/Fort Worth and San Diego, the time is NOW to sign up for the 3-Day! If you’re new to our community, can’t walk the whole 60 miles or raise the whole $2300, or just want to dip your toe in the water…you can be a 20-Mile Walker. This one-day option of the 3-Day allows walkers to join us on Sunday and finish out the final 20 miles of the weekend with the rest of the 3-Day community, including our exciting Closing Ceremony.

It requires less training, less fundraising, but all the fun that you would experience on the full 3-Day journey. If you haven’t signed up yet, you still can at The3Day.org/20Mile

And if you need more convincing, here are 20 reasons why you should be a 20-Mile Walker…

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  1. It’s a welcome to the 3-Day family: If you haven’t participated in the 3-Day previously, walking a 20-Mile Walker is a great way to get a taste of the community. You will meet breast cancer survivors, those who have lost someone to breast cancer, and many people who have been directly aided by the work that Susan G. Komen does. It will be inspiring to say the least!
  2. It’s only one day: That’s not much of a commitment when you think of all the fun you’ll have and the difference you will make in the fight against breast cancer.
  3. You don’t even have to take the day off: 20-Mile Walkers join the event on Sunday, so even those traveling in from other cities can be back home by Sunday night in most cases. We know not everyone can take a day or two off to join us, so participating as a 20-Mile Walker is a great alternative to that.
  4. It’s a great way to get moving: If hitting the gym is getting boring, or you’re looking for a new way to stay active…walking 20 miles with us is a perfect idea! People of all fitness levels participate!
  5. Do something with your friends: This lower commitment option for participating in the 3-Day is a great way to gather friends or family together for a day of bonding.
  6. No need to camp: If sleeping outside isn’t your style, you don’t have to camp (but you can if you want to!). We have great hotel partners, so you can get a cozy night sleep before you take on those 20 miles.
  7. It’s an excuse to wear a tutu: There will be tutus abound on the 3-Day!
  8. Or really any crazy outfit: We have everything from Santa to unicorns to dinosaurs walking on the 3-Day path!
  9. You get unlimited snack access: If you love string cheese, grapes, PB&J, rice krispie treats and all manner of snacks, there is no better excuse to eat your fill than to walk 20 miles.
  10. New friends will find you: No one is ever alone on the 3-Day so even if you sign up by yourself, you will make tons of new friends as you walk.
  11. And you might just keep them forever: Our 3-Day community stays close all year long via social media, local meet-ups and even snail mail. A friend made on the 3-Day is a friend for life.
  12. People cheer when you cross the street: Between our amazing Crew and local support, you will be supported and cheered on throughout your day-long walk. Many of our 3-Dayers say they even get sad on Monday when they cross the street and don’t hear those cheers.
  13. You will smile every step of the way: Yes, this is a 20-mile journey, but we promise it will be a fun one! ?
  14. It’s a great way to see a new city: Lots of people travel in to participate in the 3-Day, so even if you don’t have a 3-Day in your hometown, you can still join up.
  15. Or learn more about your hometown: Even if the 3-Day is in your home city, chances are you haven’t seen every inch of the area. Walking the 3-Day will show you areas of your home you might never have seen otherwise! It will also give you an excuse to re-visit some of the famous landmarks around town.
  16. There’s a pink carpet finish line: Who doesn’t love a good glamour walk across a pink carpet?!
  17. And you’ll accomplish something few people do: Who else do you know that can say they walked 20 miles with their Sunday?
  18. You’ll attend the Closing Ceremony: This is the celebration of the 3-Day, and a truly inspiring and emotional experience that many people deem the highlight of their weekend.
  19. You’ll be making a difference: Komen has set a Bold Goal to decrease breast cancer deaths in the US by 50% by the year 2026. Every step you take is a step towards making that goal a reality.
  20. …and you’ll probably be back next year ? Or at least we hope so! Once you’ve tried the 3-Day or walked the 3-Day in a new city, it will be tough to say “no” in 2019.

Come join us this year! You can still register at The3Day.org/20Mile.

Day 1 of the Susan G. Komen 3day walk in Novi, Michigan on August 4, 2017.

2018 Atlanta 3-Day Route Preview

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We’re taking the 3-Day down South and heading to Atlanta this week! Our whole team is excited to welcome all our participants and know it will be a great three days (or four days for our amazing Crew!). Before we start our 60-mile journey, Event Manager Melanie Toner is giving us a sneak peek at the route, which will feature some fun new changes in 2018.

The Opening Ceremony will once again be at Stone Mountain Park, which is a picturesque and iconic location to start our weekend. We will start along a paved walking path through the park and continue to utilize path trails as we walk through the smaller towns of Clarkston and Avondale Estates. Melanie is hoping this will provide pretty views as well as being easier on our walkers’ feet and legs as they kick off the 3-Day.

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While there is abundant shade, there are also some hills, so remember to stretch and hydrate whenever you can. In the afternoon, we’ll continue into downtown Decatur and the hilly, scenic neighborhoods of North Decatur, Emory Village, Virginia Highland. In Emory Village, walkers will pass by Emory University, as well as the Winship Cancer Institute. Keep an eye out for local cheering supporters there!

We’ll finish our day by taking to the urban sidewalks of downtown Atlanta, traveling through the Historic Fourth Ward Park and then will weave through the city to camp at the Georgia World Congress Center. We will have a celebratory night full of dancing, fun, and cozy indoor camping after Day One ends. Melanie is excited to be there to welcome all our walkers home at the end of a great day!

The Day Two route continues to provide us with plenty of shade as we walk northeast towards Buckhead and Piedmont Heights. Then the route will level off slightly through the neighborhoods surrounding Buckhead and go to Granite Properties – the home of the Atlanta Komen Affiliate for a route stop with them!

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After leaving Granite Properties, we will begin to walk west through Tuxedo Park and Castle Wood, making our way through the Woodfield and Springlake neighborhoods. Trinity Presby Church will serve as a lunch stop and the point where we walk south towards the Georgia World Congress Center.

Atlanta’s Northside Beltline Trail will surely be an afternoon highlight with its old-fashioned train trestle. Melanie encourages walkers to take time to really soak in the experience of that trail.

As we make our way back into the city via Peachtree Street, we are once again walking in urban Midtown before returning to downtown’s Georgia World Congress Center.

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Day Three is a favorite of Melanie’s and she can’t wait to hear feedback on the new route!

“We heard feedback from our post-event surveys from last year and we created a whole new Day Three for you with a new Closing Ceremony site! And we think people will be really excited about it!”

The Day Three route heads east through downtown Atlanta, past Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Park, his tomb and birth home. Melanie is very glad to be including these highlights again this year.

“We didn’t walk by this area last year, and we wanted to make sure to bring this back. We’re delighted that the new route allows us to walk by these important historic landmarks.”

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Trails then take us through Freedom Park before stopping for lunch in Druid Hills. From there, we head north through Virginia-Highland and then west through the gorgeous neighborhoods of Ansley Park before completing the final steady climb along Peachtree Road. It will be celebratory last hill to end the 3-Day on a (literal) high note.

The route on Day Three also goes past two of Atlanta’s Tiny Doors, a public art installation bringing “big wonder to tiny spaces.”

“Definitely keep an eye out so you don’t miss them!” Melanie says. “It’s so fun and a little bit of Atlanta culture that’s going on right now.”

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The Closing Ceremony this year will be taking place at the Atlanta International School, which is a fun new location to celebrate the end of an amazing weekend.

Melanie says, “We call can’t wait for participants to see the new Closing Ceremony location and I think it will be just the update everyone is looking for. We couldn’t have asked for a better partner in the school. We just can’t wait for everyone to get here!”

We’re counting down the days, Atlanta! Let’s do this!