Tag Archives: 3-Day Opening Ceremony

Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day Route Preview

Lone Star State, we are coming for you! We are so excited to be heading to Dallas/Fort Worth next weekend. We know that Susan G. Komen’s home city is going to be out in full force to support us for this 60-mile walk. Event Planner Eileen Barnick has been preparing all year to make this coming weekend the best 3-Day possible, and she can’t wait to share the route and some new updates with all our participants.

We will begin at Tostitos Championship Plaza at The Star, home of the Dallas Cowboy Headquarters, for the second year and Eileen says everyone should be pumped for a “high-energy celebration” to start our Friday!

“There will be a lot of oomph! It’s such an exciting place to show off the 3-Day spirit.”

After that, the excitement continues as the first five miles have SO much! It’s a great kick-off to the weekend that includes a walk down Star Boulevard (the Star’s entertainment district) towards the Football Huddle sculpture. Once we leave The Star the walkers will enter the beautiful Hall Park, Frisco’s office park, home to many land and water sculptures. Photo ops will abound! From there, we are on to Frisco Central Park where you can take pictures with the bronze cowboys and a herd of stampeding cattle.

Eileen is also pumped to be able to walk through the Dr Pepper Ballpark, home field of the local Frisco RoughRiders, again this year. They’ll be pumping music and really getting the walkers excited. It’s a really fun atmosphere and the whole Dallas/Fort Worth local team is so happy to be able to return there again.

Other Day One highlights include Plano and the corporate headquarters of many large companies including Bank of America, as well as a beautiful trail walk through Arbor Hills Nature Preserve in Plano. We will have a leisurely lunch at Timberglen Park in Dallas and visit the beautiful suburbs of Carrollton and Addison on our way back to camp at Brookhaven College. So much, all in the first day!

Eileen notes that Friday is the longest day, but it’s still the same length as it was last year. Saturday and Sunday are shorter so walkers get the longest day over first, and Eileen promises that even though it’s long, Friday will be loads of fun.

“There’s nothing not to love about Day One. We didn’t change any of the route because people loved it so much. We can’t wait!”

And then comes Day Two, which has large parts of brand-new route. Saturday starts with a short bus ride to Trinity Groves at the Ronald Kirk Pedestrian Bridge. As walkers cross the bridge, they will enjoy beautiful morning views of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge and downtown Dallas. The pedestrian bridge also has all kinds of fun details and games you can play as you cross. Just make sure to stop and take in the lovely skyline views!

From the bridge we will head into downtown past many famous landmarks, including The Grassy Knoll, Sixth Floor Museum and Dealey Plaza. These are such important, iconic parts of Dallas history.

Walkers will continue to enjoy their morning on the popular and picturesque Katy Trail, as they head towards the beautiful towns of Highland and University Parks. These two historic towns feature some of the most beautiful scenery and architecture of the weekend. From the gorgeous homes to the relaxing parks, our walkers will really enjoy this section of the route.

We have a new lunch spot for our halfway celebration at Curtis Park in University Park, and after lunch we will wind through the neighborhoods and business districts of Dallas as we reach the City of Farmers Branch and a fun evening at camp at Brookhaven College.

Eileen says, “We’re spicing up what people have come to expect from Day Two! It’s an extra punch of fun in the weekend!”

Day Three is also brand new and will introduce walkers to two suburbs we’ve never walked in before: Allen and McKinney.

“We will be able to enjoy the trail systems there,” Eileen enthuses. “We always get requests for more time on the trails, and we really tried to accommodate that request for this year.”

The day begins with another short bus ride to Allen at Watters Creek. Through Allen, walkers will be treated to both beautiful neighborhoods and relaxing trails.

Having two bus rides in the weekend allows us to have a different Day Three route from Day One, even though we are ending where we began, back at the Tostitos Championship Plaza at The Star.

As we return to the Star, we will walk through a different part of Frisco than we walked in on Friday morning so the views will be all new and exciting.

Then we will end with a bang at Tostitos Championship Plaza at Tostitos Championship Plaza at The Star! Eileen is especially excited about this new location for our Finish Line Festival and Closing Ceremony.

“Since we will be walking through Cowboys country on Sunday during football season, there will be a lot of people in the area and it will be a nice large welcome! We expect to have a lot of community support around there!”

Overall, Eileen says everyone will have a lot to look forward to next weekend.

“Three very amazing days await! We are so excited to show new parts of the Dallas/Fort Worth area and be able to add more trails to the walk as well. I can’t wait for everyone to see it!”

We’ll see you all soon!

A Note About Saturday’s Route

Due to the recent tornadoes in the North Dallas area, we are making changes to the second half of Saturday’s route and do not have the route cards to share with you just yet. We will give you a route card at the Opening Ceremony with the latest route information and the map of your journey will be updated as soon as possible. Please be flexible with staff, crew and city jurisdictions and understand these changes are being made for the safety of our participants as well as out of respect for the communities where homes, businesses and property have been destroyed.

Meet Your Seattle 3-Day Coaches

It’s a busy week in the 3-Day world, and our Seattle coaches are hard at work getting an amazing weekend ready for you! They’re excited to bring the 3-Day to the West Coast. If you don’t know them yet, the Seattle 3-Day team is a group of women you’re going to love meeting this weekend! They’re dedicated, enthusiastic, and will be in your corner every step of the way.

That includes Coach Liz, who her fellow coaches call “the goddess of the 3-Day.” She has walked many times as well as a long-time coach and knows the 3-Day experience front to back.

Coach Amy says, “I have never met anyone so dedicated to taking care of our participants and sprinkling her love to make sure every interaction is filled with care. Liz always has a personal story that she can connect to a participant and always makes that walker or crew member feel supported.”

That love exists for Coach Amy, too! She is the crew’s biggest advocate and Liz goes as far to say that “she does magical work with our awesome crew. She is always so sweet and has a kind word for everyone.”

Coach Amy works alongside Coach Kiki, both working to help our crew have the best weekend possible. Kiki is hilarious and oh so productive, remaining calm no matter what problems come her way. Kiki can’t wait to be back in Seattle again after a few years and knows that both walkers and crew will have a “whole lot of smiles and hard-core belly laughs” to look forward to over the next few days. If you ever need a smile (or a sing along to your favorite Lizzo song!), Kiki is your gal!

Coach Aubrey will also bring plenty of smiles on event…and she’ll sing along with you to Lizzo, too! She’s a singer in her free time, and will even be performing at camp!

“Aubrey’s infectious enthusiasm for the Seattle 3-Day is contagious,” Coach Amy says with a smile. “Her passion for cultivating relationships in order to form partnerships and strengthen the 3-Day community inspires me daily. When you talk to Aubrey, you can’t help but smile.”

Last, but certainly not least, is our amazing Event Production Manager, Ann. Aubrey says she glues their group together, and “is super laid back and flexible. She’s always willing to hear suggestions from myself and the walkers!”

Ann has planned a beautiful route for all of you, and the coaches can’t wait for you to experience every step of this amazing weekend! Spots to keep an eye out for. Here are the coaches’ favorites…

  • Day One’s walk across the 520 Bridge and into Medina
  • Day One also has a scenic lunch stop at Bellevue Downtown Park
  • Day Two’s trek along the waterfront in Kirkland
  • Our new Honor Ceremony at camp on Saturday evening
  • Of course, Day Three’s stop in Gasworks Park and Lake Union Park
  • The Rose Garden is also a fan favorite
  • The new Finish Line Festival will also be tons of fun for spectators and participants alike

From our Opening Ceremony at the Space Needle, to the many nature trails and picturesque parks you’ll experience throughout the weekend, our Seattle coaches know it will be a weekend to remember!

Coach Amy summed that feeling up nicely.

“The Seattle 3-Day Crew community is truly a beautiful example of what happens when you allow love to rule over everything you do. On the 3-Day, you will experience something that defies explanation. You will be challenged, inspired, pushed harder and appreciated more than you ever have before. It is a magical thing and I wish I could bottle up this magic and sprinkle it all year long!”

We can’t wait to see that magic throughout Seattle this weekend ?

2018 San Diego 3-Day Wrap Up

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The 3-Day headed back to the West Coast last weekend for our final 3-Day of 2018 in San Diego. We couldn’t have asked for better weather, and better times for this final 60-mile journey of the year.

Friday was dawning as we began our Opening Ceremony, which started with a speech from our Bank of America partners, who emphasized how much the 3-Day has contributed to the fight against breast cancer. This fact was emphasized by our local speakers, many of whom had personal stories of connection and inspiration in the San Diego community. Their words were still ringing in our ears as the Circle of Strength led our walkers out of the Del Mar Fairgrounds to start the day.

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The inspiration and community support continued as walkers made their way through the city of Del Mar. There were local cheerleaders and businesses, the famous and beloved Toast Lady of Del Mar, and plenty of signs, flags and sparkles to keep our walkers smiling.

Then they conquered the Torrey Pines Hill, our longest hill of the weekend! They were greeted at the bottom by more cheers, and an amazing view of the California coastline. By the time they reached Pit Stop Two at the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, walkers had already conquered 5.1 miles.

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Walkers made their way through the University of California, San Diego campus in the afternoon and lunched at Kellogg Park along the beach.

There were more cheering stations and smiles throughout the end of Day One, before walkers headed home to camp at Crown Point Shores. Our last walker was welcomed with joy! Then, after an inspiring camp show where we honored our Bank of America Top Fundraisers for the 3-Day, all our participants tucked in for a cozy night at camp.

Day Two brought our walkers through the city of San Diego, including ocean views at Pit Stop 1 along Ocean Beach. Susan G. Komen CEO Paula Schneider joined walkers on Saturday with her family, taking on the 19.9-mile day with them.

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The ever-present San Diego Police Department kept all our walkers safe and smiling as they walked through South Shores and Tecolote Shores in Mission Bay. The Route Safety Crew was also working hard, conquering hills and boardwalks alike to make sure every walker came safely home to camp for mac n’ cheese night! We also awarded a lucky winner of the Ford Warriors in Pink giveaway, played the Newlywed Game with two 3-Dayers who were just married last week, and met our amazing San Diego Youth Corps. There couldn’t have been a better way to finish the day.

And then, suddenly, it was Day Three! The final day of the San Diego 3-Day brought more stunning ocean views before walkers came to Pit Top 1 and fun animals from San Diego Sea World as they entered Pit Stop 2. With all that fun, it was a quick 6.9 miles!

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Then, after Mile 9.5, the walkers conquered the infamous Juan Street Hill. It was “Juan last hill” on their 3-Day journey, and the walkers made it look easy!

From there, they stopped for lunch at Pioneer Park and things were all downhill (literally) from there. Walkers came through downtown San Diego and arrived for their final Victory Walk at Waterfront Park. There was celebrating, smiles, dancing and lots of More Than Pink fun.

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The Closing Ceremony finished out the weekend and our 2,200 walkers and 300 amazing crew were shouting loudly and proudly that in this fight against breast cancer…WE WILL NEVER GIVE UP. Thank you, San Diego. We are so very proud of each one of you.