Be a 3-Day Socialite!

The Susan G. Komen 3-Day® has been all over social media in 2014, bringing our followers info and images from the Komen 3-Day on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest and here on the 3-Day® blog. But some of the very best content we’ve seen on our social platforms has come from YOU –our walkers, crew members and supporters – and to that we say, “Keep it coming!”

With two events left this year, we want to encourage everyone to keep the conversation going with us on social media. Here are the best ways you can leave your social footprints in 3-Day-land.

Hit Us With #Hashtags! – If you don’t know what a hashtag is or how to use one, fear not. We published a handy tutorial post a few weeks back that gives you a quick-and-dirty how-to on hashtags. When you post status updates, tweets, or photos having to do with the 3-Day, remember to always include #The3Day. We also have hashtags for each individual 3-Day event:

Participate in Photo Challenges – For each 3-Day, we have a daily photo challenge, asking you to post pictures on Instagram related to each day’s theme. You can post as many times as you want (always using the appropriate hashtags, of course), and at the end of each day, we’ll choose 3 of our followers’ photos to share on our Instagram page.

But My 3-Day Event is Already Over This Year… – That’s okay, keep posting anyway! If you follow us on Instagram or Facebook, you know that we share shots all the time from events that happened weeks or months ago, and you can too. It’s an awesome way to relive the amazing memories from each event and to get yourself and others excited about 3-Day events to come.

I’m Just a Supporter…Can I Play Along? – First of all, there’s no such thing as JUST a supporter. Every person who cares about the 3-Day—whether walker, crew member, volunteer, cheering station champion, or friend or family member applauding from home—has a place at the social media table. And in fact, following the 3-Day on social media is hands-down the best way for folks back home to feel like they’re there in person, tracking their loved one’s progress and rooting them on with thumbs-ups, hearts and encouraging comments.

Like, Comment, and Subscribe! – If you are active on social media, chances are you are doing this already, but one of the best ways to show your support for what we and your fellow users post is to like posts and reply with comments. This goes for 3-Day participants and non-participants alike. Follow the 3-Day (and each other!) on Facebook to make sure you never miss a post. Subscribe to the blog and our YouTube channel. Retweet us on Twitter and tap-tap us on Instagram. The more you engage with us, the better we’ll be able to create content that you want to see.

Have questions about the 3-Day’s social media? Message us on Facebook, write on our Facebook wall, or tweet us @The3Day.

Philly Fashionistas: Fun 3-Day Costumes and Fashion

One of the joys of the Susan G. Komen 3-Day is admiring the scenery – the peaks of mountains rising around you, a beautifully wooded trail, the reflection of a serene lake in the early morning. You’ll also admire the fashion choices of your fellow participants; from the lunch Crew decked out in 50’s diner garb, to the walkers in front of you with blinking foam tubes on their heads. Everywhere you go on the 3-Day, there’s something to see. We caught up with a few fashionistas in Philadelphia this year and asked them to tell us about their stylish 3-Day attire. In the spirit of Halloween and dressing up, we hope their creativity and flair for costumes and fashion is as fun for you as it is for us.

Alaine, of the Philly Camp Services Crew, caught our attention with her sparkly wings, pink camo pants, star glasses, and multi layered tutu. Alaine said she found most of the pieces of her costume at Party City, and her inspiration started thanks to a Camp Services theme. “Except for the t-shirt (which I had), our theme for Camp Services was Fairy Tale Princesses, so I picked Tinkerbell. Tinkerbell wears green – so I chose to be Pinkerbell, but Pinkerbell is a tomboy, so that explains my pink cargo camo shorts.” We think Pinkerbell is a great look for you, Alaine! Alaine says she will be at the 3-Day every year until we find a cure.

Alaine, or Pinkerbell

If you’ve been at the 3-Day this year, you’ll probably recognize William from Seattle. William wears a walking kilt and long, knee high boots. William’s boots, from the Westco Shoe company, are known as a Highliner boot. “The key on wearing these for such a long walk is the socks, which make a big difference.” The kilt is Seattle–made and called a utilikilt. “On the 3-Day walk I wear three different styles of kilts, because it’s incredibly comfortable for walking in. I couldn’t see wearing sneakers with the kilt so I got the boots to go with the kilt.” While William is German, he graduated from a Scottish school. Other than looking awesome, William credits his walking style as being a great fundraising tool when he trains in his outfit. “This outfit actually raises a lot more awareness. People come up to me and start chatting with me about what I’m wearing, and I have a card that I hand out to people. On one side it has the reason why I’m walking, and the other side has links to my fundraising pages.”

William rocks the Utilikilt and Highlander Boots

Some people find inspiration for their outfits from their kids. The Washington D.C.-based Lady Jugs found their fashion inspiration through their children’s swim team, the Lady Bugs. “We had to be red and black,” they laughed. The Lady Jugs bought their tutus, made their own shirts and hats, and purchased black stickers to add spots to all of their ensembles. The stickers were originally felt dots, but were re-evaluated after “one got eaten by my dog,” notes a member of the team. The Lady Jugs wear different outfits every day, and even decorate their tents with lady bug dots. What’s one advantage of wearing red and black in a sea of pink? “We can find each other! We stand out and people remember us.”

Lookin’ great, Lady Jugs!

We have to say hats off to the team Power of Pink from Havertown, whose feathery contraptions lit up the balmy gray skies in Philly. It initially took 45 minutes to craft the first iteration, and then once they had a prototype, they said creating the feathered hats was fast. “We made a little template, glued feathers to it, and then started sticking feathers through the hats. We wanted to go big this year! This is our take on the fascinators from England. Duchess Kate was our inspiration,” a team member said. Do they have any advice for those DIYing their own fashion for the 3-Day? “Make sure it’s comfortable! You can’t have anything poking you or else it will be a long 60 miles.” Like the Lady Jugs, the Power of Pink team also loves that a unique look sets you apart from the crowd. “We had no problem finding anybody anywhere. We can see the hat, even if there are hundreds of people at the pit stop!”

The power of pink!

Another team that caught our eye were the Jersey Shoe Breast Friends. While their shell bras were purchased, they hand-crafted their tee-shirts, clipping off little sections and adding beads for a delightful fringe. They also glued starfish and shells to their pink caps, and like the Lady Jugs, they also had a different outfit for each day.

Breast Friends

No matter your fashion choice for the 3-Day, we always recommend that you spend some time training and moving in your outfit. While a frilly, feathered frock may look amazing, you’ll want to make sure you’ll feel amazing, too, as you boldly take on an incredible 60-mile journey. We love seeing the fun looks of our 3-Day family, but we know that no matter what, they’ll always look great to us; because courage, kindness, and hope are always in style.

One Big Celebration That Lasts for 3 Days – an Atlanta 3-Day Recap from Guest Blogger Cati S.

Cati Stone is the Executive Director for Susan G. Komen Greater Atlanta, and a breast cancer survivor. This year, she was honored to be one of twenty individuals selected as Models of Courage in Ford’s Warriors in Pink® campaign, recognizing inspiring breast cancer survivors and co-survivors. And if all of those things don’t make Cati incredible enough, she has also been a faithful Susan G. Komen 3-Day® walker for several years, and was nice enough to share some thoughts after walking in the Komen 3-Day in Atlanta earlier this month.

“This year marked my 4th time walking 60 miles in the Atlanta 3-Day. My amazing teammates from Team Diamond Stone (also known as the Boo Bees) have always included those closest to me: my Daddy, my sisters, my mother in law, my best girlfriends. We talk all year long about preparing for the 3-Day. We talk about fundraising and blisters and fundraising and logistics (and did I mention fundraising?). We talk about how much fun we had the prior years and about how much fun we are going to have the next time. And then the event happens, and we take a year’s worth of preparation and turn it into one big celebration that lasts for 3 days. We celebrate my having beaten breast cancer, but we also celebrate birthdays and new babies and just about anything else we can think of. We literally sing and dance our way down the street (this year’s dance du jour being the “Tight Pants Dance” from Jimmy Fallon’s show) and then come home at night and sing and dance some more. We are loud and silly and we don’t care who knows it! But we care deeply about finding a cure for breast cancer. In fact, this year we were recognized as the 9th largest fundraising team for the Atlanta 3 Day! In our 4 years, we have raised over $100,000, and we’re not finished yet!

“A highlight to this year’s walk included walking with some very special new friends – Aimee, Tracy and Karen, all of whom are fellow breast cancer survivors and Ford Models of Courage. We all met last spring when Ford brought us together to be a part of their amazing Warriors in Pink program that raises money for breast cancer (over $125 million so far!). I fell in love with these ladies instantly, and walking with them in this year’s 3-Day heightened the entire experience for me. They are true warriors.

“Tracy’s daughter made this video to show what the 3 Day meant to her, and I think it sums things up nicely. It truly is a beautiful experience. http://youtu.be/9eDpqj76FgE”

Thank you, Cati, for sharing your experience with us! We look forward to seeing you in Atlanta again next year!