2018 San Diego 3-Day Route Preview

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Our final 3-Day of the year is this weekend, and we are so excited to be heading back to the West Coast for the 2018 San Diego 3-Day. As the date fast approaches, we are giving a sneak peek at our 60-mile route, which will immerse walkers in the beautiful sights of San Diego and celebrate the final walk of the year.

Event Manager Meredith Parker walked her first 3-Day in San Diego years ago, so she (along with our whole San Diego coaching team) is very happy to welcome all of our participants next weekend.

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It will all begin at the Del Mar Fairgrounds once again, which was just home to the Breeder’s Cup race, and is a source of great local pride and excitement. This Opening Ceremony site has become a favorite for participants and supporters alike, and we’re excited to once again kick off our journey here.

Meredith enthuses, “It’s a great, festive location that’s home to a lot of iconic events for the city. Such a big, open space that’s perfect for us!”

After the Opening Ceremony, we will be making our way through Del Mar, which is always so welcoming to our walkers! Make sure to keep an eye out for the Toast Lady! After lunch at the picturesque Kellogg Park, we will enter La Jolla and spend Friday afternoon walking through that area, including passing Pacific Beach.

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We will finish the day at our camp site at Crown Point Shores, which has been a wonderful location for the last few years.

Meredith says, “It’s along the shoreline of Siesta Bay so you’ll get beautiful views! The residents of Crown Point have been so welcoming us for more than a decade, and we can’t wait to bring our sea of pink back to the park.”

Coach Staci echoes that, saying the whole team works year-round to maintain “meaningful and cooperative relationships with all of our sites, keeping walker safety and enjoyment as the top priority.”

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It’s the perfect spot nestled in the nature of the park that will be excellent to celebrate at 3-Day Main Street (Who is excited for those Bank of America massage chairs?!), as well as being a great camping grounds for a restful night’s sleep.

We will spend Saturday in San Diego proper, including a stop at Ocean Beach’s Dog Beach South for Pit Stop 1. There will be lots of local cheering stations on Day 2, as well as calming nature walks through Tecolote Shores, Mission Bay Park and De Anza Cove Park.

Then on Day 3, we’ll be back in San Diego for stop at Fanuel Street Park and Bonita Cove before lunch. Coach Staci says all the lunch spots throughout the weekend are picturesque and relaxing spots, so walkers can look forward to that all weekend long.

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Day 3 only has 15.5 miles on the route, so it will be quick and fun for our walkers! Pioneer Park and Balboa Park will also be great spots for photos and fun!

Our 60-mile journey ends at our Closing Ceremony, which once again will be at Waterfront Park.

Meredith explains, “It’s right on the harbor, across the street from Embarcadero, which is a waterfront area that hosts the Maritime Museum and the Star of India full-rigged sailing ship.”

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The park is relatively new to the San Diego landscape and is close to Little Italy and the Gaslamp Quarter, which are perfect places to celebrate with friends and family after your 60-mile journey! There will be plenty of amazing photo ops so get your selfie smiles ready ?

We are so excited to celebrate with San Diego all weekend long and end our 2018 3-Day season making bold strides together towards a cure for breast cancer. We have had Bold Goals for 2018 and beyond, and all of you are helping us take important steps towards achieving them.

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Congratulations to the 2018 Dallas/Fort-Worth 3-Day Milestone Award Winner, Karen McEnheimer

Karen McEnheimer 2018

Please join us in congratulating our 2018 Dallas/Fort Worth Milestone Award Winner; Karen McEnheimer! 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 Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day camp show, we presented Karen with this special honor.

Karen is a part of Team Traveling TaTa’s, and has participated in the 3-Day since 2007. She has walked or crewed in Atlanta, DC, Philadelphia, San Diego, Boston, Twin Cities, Seattle, San Diego, Michigan, and now finally Dallas/Fort Worth. She has raised almost $8,000 for the Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day this year and has surpassed $101,000 in 18 events so far.

Her friend Margie Wimbish thinks Karen is “so deserving” of this award.

“She is a fundraising machine. She will stand outside of Wal-Mart in the cold and rain or if it 100 degrees. She is the energizer bunny of fundraising!”

Mary Ripine echoes, and then expands, on this excitement for Karen.

“For Karen, it is not just about the fundraising; it is about the people she meets and their stories. She met a woman who was recently diagnosed while fundraising outside of Wal-Mart. She really connected with her and even shared her information to take the women to her doctor appointments!

One time, Mary had a fundraiser and when Karen saw she had no one to help her, she went home changed into her 3-Day gear and came and helped out for hours and did not take any of the proceeds. To say that Karen is dedicated to the 3-Day, and every member of her 3-Day family, is an understatement.

After all those kind words, we had to hear from Karen herself.

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

I was diagnosed with what they thought was a metastasized tumor in my neck, with the primary site in either my bones,my lungs or my breasts. Since breast cancer runs in the family that is where my mind was going. After I awoke from surgery I was told that it was a 4×5 centimeter staph infection and it had diseased my vertebrae. I decided to walk the following year.

I could not imagine going through radiation and chemo. I had to sit at home for 18 weeks on IV antibiotics and that was horrific enough for me. That was in 2007 that I started this journey and one of my sisters was diagnosed in 2008 two weeks before I walked my second walk in Washington, DC. I have been walking 12 years and just completed my 16 and 17th walks and hit my goal of 100 grand this year.

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

The first time I experienced closing ceremonies and we lifted our right shoe to the survivors I was hooked. I have been to one closing in the Twin Cities where they also get down on one knee while holding their shoe to the survivors.

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

I believe in what I am doing and have never been as passionate about anything as I am about this walk and what steps have been made as a result of it. I am grateful today that as a result my sister is a 12 year survivor. Also, I am not afraid to ask anyone for that donation.

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

Enjoy yourself and take in everything that you can. It truly can make or break your experience. Talk to folks along the way and give them a piece of yourself that they can take home with their memories. I like to do a bit from Mrs. Doubtfire. When someone passes me I give them a very soft pinch on the arm and tell them that it is a Monkey Bite for passing me. I also tell them that it will get harder each time that they pass me. I have been called the Monkey Bite Lady many times and it gives us something to laugh about each time we see each other all weekend.

What’s a fun fact about you?

I have been told countless times that I need to be a stand up comedian. As much of a social butterfly that I am there is one thing that most do not know about me. I have a fear of speaking in front of crowds of people. I clam up! I had to have a fellow walker stand up and hold my hand while I gave a eulogy at a funeral to help support me while I stood there. I love spending time with my grandchildren and riding the motorcycle with my hubby. I will walk as long as these legs and feet will take me.

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

That you should never give up on something when you heart and soul are involved. Give from your heart and you will receive 10 fold in ways that you could never have imagined.

Congratulations to the 2018 Dallas/Fort-Worth 3-Day Local Impact Award Winner, Michelle Beniak

Michelle Beniak

For the 2018 Susan G. Komen 3-Day® season, we’re pleased to be continuing the Local Impact Award. This award is being given to participants who have been instrumental in strengthening the 3-Day® community throughout the year.

Local Impact Award honorees have gone above and beyond in their efforts leading training walks, attending 3-Day community events, supporting the 3-Day staff year-round at meet-ups and workshops, and in general, making a difference by building lasting relationships and showing commitment to the 3-Day in all they do.

Please join us in congratulating the 2018 Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day Local Impact Award Winner, Michelle Beniak.

Michelle is a 6-year breast cancer survivor, and a 9-year 3-Day participant. This year, she is Co-Captain of team Pink Soles in Motion in Dallas/Fort Worth.

Pink Soles in Motion’s other captain, Catrina Gibson, says Michelle “is always willing to take on any task she is handed and tackles it with a smile. From planning and leading training walks, setting up shoe clinics at local retailers or manning the 3-Day booth at Race for the Cure, Michelle always gets it done.”

Coach Gayla echoes that sentiment, saying, “Michelle has been an incredible teammate for the Pink Soles in Motion team for years. She’s a survivor and has helped ME on many occasions. I’ve always been able to count on her to meet me somewhere to chat with a new participant, send people to her when looking for a team to join, man the booth at a Race for the Cure and/or More Than Pink Walk. Her positive promotion of the 3-Day inspires me and so many to get or stay involved.”

Michelle told us more about her 3-Day story…

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

I thought it would be a great challenge.

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

As a survivor, I feel the need to continue raising awareness and funds for finding a cure.

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

As part of a large team, we have several events throughout the year which helps a lot. In addition, finding people who work where their company matches donations has probably been the single most important “secret” to fundraising.

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

Train! If you find you still cannot walk the entire event, remember to walk out of opening ceremony, into camp/out of camp and into the closing ceremony. You won’t regret one minute!

What’s a fun fact about you?

I have 10 grand-kids (+1 due in December) and 2 great-grand-kids!

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

Friendships can be made in mere seconds and last a lifetime. My motto is, “Strangers are family you haven’t met yet.”