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!

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 treats

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

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

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 1^st – 21^st , 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

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!

2018 Michigan 3-Day Route Preview

The Michigan 3-Day is this week, and as you get ready for the event, we have a preview of what to expect on our first 3-Day of the year! We can’t believe the weekend is almost here!

After getting great feedback on our route from last year, you’ll be happy to see some familiar sights, but we have taken extra effort to make this year even better than the last!

Camp will once again be at Novi Middle School after we received such a warm welcome from the Wildcats last year. This outdoor camp allows us to take advantage of the great Michigan summer weather, and since the camp site is safely away from any noise or light, that won’t interfere with your 3-Day beauty sleep.

New at camp this year will be Bank of America photo booths so you can get that perfect 3-Day photo, and toiletry bags from Hilton Hotels.

Our Michigan Event Production Manager, Ann Love, previously a Michigan 3-Day Coach, is very excited about these new camp amenities!

“I want one of those toiletry bags for my everyday life! They’re such a great addition!”

Bank of America will also be providing more massage chairs than last year, and Mohawk will once again be providing padding to make your tents as comfortable as possible. We want our 3-Dayers to experience a full night of glamping!

We also listened to feedback from last year and have created a more compact camping layout. It’s more intimate, people will be a little freer to move around and have fun with their 3-Day pals!

The Opening and Closing Ceremonies are also in the same locations as last year, with the Opening Ceremony taking place at Walled Lake Western High School. The ceremony itself will be slightly different from last year but Ann and our 3-Day team want all the updates to be a surprise for our 3-Dayers. So, follow along with us on Facebook to see the grand unveiling!

“Walled Lake School loves having us! We will walk by their administrative building, so they have a big cheering station and have the whole district of student staff, teachers and everyone there. It’s a great start to the 3-Day!” Ann promises.

After the Opening Ceremony, walkers will start their day along the Walled Lake Trail, which was a hit last year and is one of Ann’s favorite spots on the route!

“We always love the opportunity to walk along the water. Surprisingly, we don’t always get to walk by a lot of lakes, even though we have so many of them in Michigan!”

Other highlights from Day One are Pavilion Shore Park, Novi Ten Shopping Center and Novi Meadows!

There will be minimal route changes as we walk in and out of camp, due to construction, but Ann and the 3-Day team are working hard to make those changes extra special.

“We’re doing our best to fill that area with cheering stations and make that part of the walk exciting and welcoming as people get closer to camp. We want the route to feel different every day!”

After a fun night at camp, Day Two will take 3-Dayers through the city of Plymouth. That’s where we will see the now famous “Pink Fountain,” which is an excellent spot for photos! After that, we will pass through the city of Northville. Spots to look out for though the rest of the day are Cass Benton and Kellogg Park (a favorite spot of Ann’s!) as well as Northville Downs.

Day Three will again be a similar route to last year’s because it was such a hit in 2017! Much of the day takes place in Dearborn, including a pit stop at the Dearborn Historical Museum. Ann loves this spot, which is a fun destination right in the heart of the downtown of Dearborn.

Ann says, “The whole city of Dearborn in general loves having the 3-Day there. They’re so excited that we are once again hosting our Closing Ceremony in this hometown. The hosts of these Sunday locations are so awesome and supportive. They’re so excited that we come there and always are so thankful.”

We will finish, as usual, at Ford World Headquarters for our celebratory Closing Ceremony.

Ann promises for a truly inspiring and personal 3-Day experience this year.

“We really worked, especially in Michigan, to make things feel as intimate and personal as possible. We want people to be surrounded by their friends and 3-Day family.”

She can’t wait to welcome all the 3-Dayers “home” to Michigan in just a few days.

“I’m always excited to get started! It’s so nice to see everyone and be in the Pink Bubble. I love kicking everything off in Michigan for a fun season!”

Recruit Your Friends for a 3-Day Slumber Party Before May 31

Who doesn’t love a slumber party? You can have a fun time with your pals, sleep under the stars, share stories and jokes and snacks and more. It’s the perfect way to get in some quality bonding time, and you can do all of that right on the 3-Day!

If you recruit two first-time walkers by May 31 to join you on the 3-Day, we’ll arrange for you to have a More Than Pink slumber party together on-event! This glamping experience comes complete with a large tent that sleeps up to four people, and has air mattresses, pillows and phone chargers.

But time is running out! There are only a few more days to earn a stay in one of our awesome 3-Day slumber party tents, and you won’t want to miss out. Don’t believe us?

This is what Kendall C., one of our 2017 slumber party tent users, had to say about her experience:

“The tent was SO much larger than we anticipated, and the air mattresses and pillows were such a treat to have! I also couldn’t believe there were chairs, which we loved having at the end of the day to relax in. We also would bring all our chairs together to hang out in the evening before bed. I also remember a welcome doormat, and a little table complete with a fake succulent! I mean, that is glamping in my book and I’ll take it any day! To top it all off, there was a cell phone charger we ALL got to use, even at the same time. We were so, so happy to have the Slumber Party tent and it completely made our camping experience perfect!”

You can take a sneak peek inside this year’s tents with Coach Marianne from San Diego, who camped out with some 3-Dayers to test out the amazing slumber party experience. They had a ball!

So, what are you waiting for? Visit The3Day.org/Refer to learn more about our 3-Day Slumber Party offer. Then, start asking your besties to join you for a truly one-of-a-kind sleepover. Let’s go glamping!