2017 San Diego 3-Day Route Preview

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Our final 3-Day of the year is next weekend, and we are so excited to be heading back to the West Coast for the 2017 San Diego 3-Day. As the date fast approaches, we are giving a sneak peek at our amazing 60-mile route, which will have walkers immersing themselves in the many beautiful sights and locations of San Diego.

Event Manager, Merideth Parker walked her first 3-Day in San Diego (she’s now a three-time walker!) and so is very happy to welcome all our participants next weekend.

It will all begin at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, which was just home to the Breeder’s Cup race, and is a source of great local pride and excitement.

Merideth enthuses, “It’s also the home of the Del Mar Fair every summer! It’s just a great, festive location that’s home to a lot of iconic events for the city. It’s a big, open space that’s perfect for us!”

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After the Opening Ceremony, walkers will make their way along the coastline and through Torrey Pines State Beach. Also, keep an eye out for a fun cheering station at En Fuego Cantina Restaurant!

Other highlights involve some local sea life! The seals and the tide pools at La Jolla cove are always a high point on the day.

Merideth also says to look out for the Bird Rock section of Pacific Beach.

“I used to live there, and it has had a resurgence and become its own little village in recent years. It’s very cool and hip!”

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Then we will arrive at our camp site at Crown Point Shores, which has been such a wonderful location for the last few years.

Merideth says, “It’s along the shoreline of Siesta Bay so you’ll get beautiful views of the bay, and the little islands there! We’re so grateful to be coming back! 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.”

It’s the perfect nice, quiet spot nestled in the nature of the park that will be a great camping grounds for a great night’s sleep.

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Day Two will take walkers through Ocean and Mission Beach, which holds one of Merideth’s favorite spots on the whole route!

“Get ready for Sunset Cliff as you go through Ocean Beach. There’s a turn onto Ladera Street, where you go down a hill, and the views are just spectacular. It’s a great coastline view!”

There will also be lots of local cheering stations to keep spirits high and smiles on everyone’s faces!

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Day Three will kick off with more cheering stations and an amazing photo opportunity at Mormon Battalion. Walkers will then make their way through Old Town, which Merideth says is always a favorite.

“I also love Mission Hills, and walkers will have to be a little quieter here, but it’s known for its craftsman-style bungalows that are just gorgeous. I have a favorite house on every street!”

Your Instagram feed will thank you there, and as our walk ends in Little Italy!

“There’s also a section just before the Closing Ceremony in Little Italy, that rivals many other Italian neighborhoods I have seen,” says Merideth. “You don’t have to get on a plane to enjoy delicious food from Italy! It’s all right there in San Diego!”

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There will be a small change in Day Three’s route that will also make our day a little shorter. Walkers will rejoice over the shorter mileage on the day, as we have made an update near the San Diego River Pathway. Walkers will now stay on Morena Boulevard to keep them safe and make their feet happy.

The day ends at our Closing Ceremony, which for the second year will be at Waterfront Park.

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Merideth 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. The spot will make for excellent photos!

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!”

We are so excited to celebrate with San Diego all weekend long, and end our 2017 3-Day season making bold strides together towards a cure for breast cancer.

Meet 3-Dayer and Survivor Diana Reid

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We are constantly honored and in awe of the strength and passion we see from all our 3-Day participants. We always endeavor to provide special support and love to our community of survivors and those living with metastatic breast cancer. They are the strength that gives walkers extra motivation, and keep us inspired all year long to continue working towards Komen’s Bold Goal.

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One such survivor is Diana Reid, who has walked 11 3-Day events in Atlanta, many of them side-by-side with her family.

She began walking in 2007 after being diagnosed the year prior with Stage 3 Triple Negative breast cancer. Her daughter walked with her then, and they were joined in 2009 by Diana’s sister, who had received her own breast cancer diagnosis that year. By 2015, Diana’s daughter-in-law had also joined the 3-Day Medical Crew, and Diana’s younger sister had crewed the Atlanta 3-Day as well.

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She says, “The support we get at the 3-Day is incredible! Not only by the crew and staff, but by the community as well. It makes you feel like you are doing something important. Because so many of my family members have been affected by breast cancer I feel a great need to try and contribute any way I can to find a cure.”

The 3-Day weekend is truly a family affair for Diana. That is because so much of her family has been touched by breast cancer, and benefited from Komen-supported research and grants.

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In January of this year, Diana got the call telling her that there was a lesser-known rad51c gene mutation that has been linked to ovarian and breast cancer, and that she had this mutation. She later discovered that her father, daughter and younger sister all also had the mutation.

Since then, she has undergone a complete hysterectomy and a double mastectomy. Her daughter also had double mastectomy as a preventative measure.

“I have always believed that the funds raised by the 3-Day for research are important, but this year that has really hit home for me and my family. Not only has research enabled me to cut my chances of a re-occurrence by 99% but it has also enabled my daughter to cut her chances of a diagnosis.”

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That’s why they are going to keep creating memories together as they continue to walk in what Diana calls an “overwhelming and incredibly fun” weekend. They are all already excited for 2018 and to return to “the excitement on the faces of the staff, walkers and crew from the moment it starts until the moment it ends.”

Most importantly, they are never going to give up.

Diana promises, “We will all continue to participate in the 3-Day as long as we are able or until a cure is found.”

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Learn More About the 3-Day Host Cities

We are almost done with our 2017 3-Days, and we can’t believe how the time has flown! It has been an amazing few months, and we are all excited to close out our year in San Diego next week. The support and love from all our host cities has been just what our participants needed to complete their 60-Mile journeys.

To spread our excitement for our final event, and get you ready for our 2018 walks, we have made photo slideshows of some of our favorite spots you’ve seen on the 3-Day routes.

Whether you were walking in your own home town, or traveling to a 3-Day city far away, take a look below! Also, click on the city you’ll be walking in 2018 to link to our coaches’ Facebook pages. They are a wonderful resource for everything you’ll need to know about the 3-Day now and for next year.

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