The Return of 3-Day Mythbusters

The Susan G. Komen 3-Day® is a big event with a big commitment. Through all of the steps of this incredible journey—from registering, to fundraising and training, to what to expect on the event itself—we have the Komen 3-Day coaches as well as our website and handbooks to help provide information and support. But with so much to learn about the 3-Day®, we know it’s not uncommon for some details to get lost or misconstrued along the way. In a blog post last year, we dished out the truth about some common misconceptions related to the Komen 3-Day, and today we’re back to address a few more of these misunderstandings in the latest edition of 3-Day® Mythbusters.

Myth: Cell phones are not permitted on the 3-Day. It’s 2014, and we’d be pretty out of touch if this myth were true. You most certainly can have and use your mobile phone throughout the 3-Day—to take photos or video, to update your Facebook and Twitter or to touch base with teammates who are on other parts of the route. We even have phone charging stations at camp. You just aren’t allowed to use your phone while you’re walking. When in motion, your focus needs to be on the road and other walkers around you, in order for you and them to stay safe. So if you need to snap a pic of the amazing scenery and Instagram it right away, just step off the route and stop, then stash your phone in your pack and carry on when you’re done. That way, you won’t inadvertently cause a 10-walker pile-up on the route!

Myth: You’re not allowed to listen to music while walking. Back in the day, if you wanted to listen to music while you walked, your only options were to cover your ears with headphones or carry around a boombox for your beats. The 3-Day’s policy has always prohibited headphones/earbuds, simply for safety reasons – if you can’t hear what’s around you, you increase your risk of running into an obstacle or another walker. Now, however, most mobile phones can play music through built-in speakers, or can be connected to compact external speakers that are easily clipped to a walking pack. Let’s be honest: music can be a great motivator to get you through the miles, so if you can fire up your playlist without covering or plugging your ears, as long as the lyrics and volume of your tunes are not offensive to the people around you, groove away!

Myth: You must walk the entire 3 days, or nothing. The 3-Day is just that: a three-day long event, and to get the most out of it, you should certainly plan to be there from early Friday morning all the way through until after the Closing Ceremony on Sunday. But we get it, sometimes things come up—a Friday work commitment, travel conflicts, a Saturday wedding—and a walker may have to miss part of the weekend. That’s fine! We’ve even had two walkers leave during the middle of Day 2 to get married to each other, and then come back for Day 3. If you raise all your money, you are welcome to be there for the parts of the event that you can, and miss parts if you have to. Hopefully it won’t come to that, but it’s important to know that missing a few hours here or there shouldn’t hold you back from doing the 3-Day. (Note that the rules for Crew are a little different: because crew members have a designated job on the 3-Day, they are required to be on the event for all 3 days, plus the All-Crew Kick-Off on Thursday.)

Myth: The crew gets paid to work on the 3-Day events. The 3-Day does have a small paid staff who manages the events, but the majority of the on-event work—setting up camp, running the pit stops, serving food, keeping the route safe—is done by the all-volunteer crew. These amazing folks (usually around 300 people per event) commit their time and energy to making the 3-Day great, and are paid only in the smiles, high fives and heartfelt thanks of their fellow participants.

Myth: Joining the Crew is an “easy” alternative to walking. Sometimes we hear people say, “Walking 60 miles is too hard, so I’ll just crew instead.” Those folks are in for a big surprise when they find out that being a crew member is equally—or more—challenging than walking. Crew members are the first people awake in the morning and the last ones to bed at night, and are often pushed to great physical demands (long periods on their feet and heavy lifting, for example) over the course of the event. So if you do not want to walk, but are still able to give 100% of your energy to the 3-Day in a different way, then the 3-Day Crew may be a good fit for you.

Myth: The 3-Day only serves junk food. Keeping walkers well fed and hydrated is an important health objective on the 3-Day. After all, your bodies are working hard with all that walking, burning an average of 100 calories per mile. Feeding hundreds of participants across 60 miles requires logistical efficiency, so packaged snacks like chips, peanuts, granola bars and yes, those delicious PB&J grahams make sense. But you can always find healthy, fresh options to eat too. At pit stops, you can feast on things like bananas and oranges, carrots and string cheese. Breakfast and dinner are hot meals served in camp, and include salads, fresh fruit, and protein.

We hope this clears things up! If there are any other aspects of the 3-Day that you’re just not sure about, your best bet is always to call the coaches at 800-996-3DAY, or refer to your Fundraising, Training and Event Prep Handbooks on your Participant Center.

Are there any other myths that you’d like to see busted? Tell us in the comments!

A Celebration of Mothers, with Dr. Sheri

Guest post by Dr. Sheri Prentiss, National Spokesperson for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day®

In honor of Mother’s Day, I thought it’d be appropriate to share what I admired in my mother, and strive for as a mother myself. Many of us are lucky to have been influenced by amazing women that were also mothers. Let’s celebrate those wonderful women!

My mom Yvonne Springs was a strong, courageous woman who always put her children first. She worked hard to overcome life’s obstacles and set a good example for her four children. She never gave up.

To be a mother is a great commitment and sacrifice. Moms have the most challenging, but also the most rewarding, job in the world. Learning from my mother, I strive to be the best mom I can be through:

Always being there for my children, even when they are grown.
Supporting my children’s dreams, even when they seem impossible.
Defending my children against the world.
Going the extra mile, whenever needed.
Constantly and unconditionally loving my girls.

I walk for my two daughters who have blossomed into young women. I was so proud to walk in the 2013 Susan G. Komen Chicago 3-Day with both of my daughters when they participated in the Young Women Walking program. I’m thankful to the Val Skinner Foundation for sponsoring the YW² program, which gives 16-23 year-old young women and men a chance to participate in one day of the Komen 3-Day and encourages them to take charge of their breast health.

As mothers, we would do just about anything for our children. For me, walking in as many 3-Day events as possible is a small price to pay (while having the best time of my life)!

“All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.”

Abraham Lincoln

Top Ten Signs You Might Be a 3-Day Walker

The signs are there. Are you a Susan G. Komen 3-Day® walker?

10. You refer to the break room at your office as Pit Stop 1. The vending machine is a Grab & Go.

9. In your world, there are no stop lights, only stretching opportunities.

8. You go into a panic if you pedicurist tries to remove your hard-earned callouses.

7. You secretly wish you were awarded legacy pins for everyday milestones like paying your bills or doing the grocery shopping.

6. You’ve mastered the skill of getting in and out of a port-a-potty in under 60 seconds without your skin ever touching any part of the structure.

5. You have no accurate concept of how far a mile is or how much 35 pounds is, but you know precisely how much mac n’ cheese or bacon you can pile on a paper plate before it buckles under the weight.

The 3-Day Blog

Tag Archives: 2014 3-Day