2019 New England 3-Day Wrap-Up

We returned to New England with a splash this past weekend and could not have asked for a better three days on the East Coast! From Fenway to Boston Commons to the Freedom Trail and beyond, this weekend was one for the books.

Our journey began on Friday morning at our host hotel, the Revere Hotel Boston Common, with a special Opening Ceremony complete with stories from local walkers. Our survivors, and those living with breast cancer, were also honored before they led us out of the hotel and into the morning sunshine.

Our walk began through Boston Common and the historic Beacon Hill neighborhood, which gave walkers a real taste of the history of the city’s architecture and environment. Everyone loved both the natural calm of the Common as well as the cobblestones and homes in Beacon Hill. From there, we entered Cambridge, passing through Riverbend and North Point parks before settling in for lunch.

The weather stayed cool for our entire first day, giving walkers great weather to make quick work of a 20-mile day! After lunch, they passed the USS Constitution (or Old Ironsides to the locals) and the Bunker Hill Monument, both of which were excellent photo opportunities as well as being peeks into the history of the city.

Before being welcomed back to our hotel camp by our amazing crew team, walkers passed L Street Tavern, which many recognized from the movie Good Will Hunting. It was the perfect ending to a wonderful Day One! 3-Day BINGO, and the much-loved Bank of America massage chairs, awaited walkers and Crew at Friday’s camp. After that, it was straight to sleep in the comfy hotel beds to be well-rested for Day Two.

Saturday dawned with bright and beautiful fall weather, perfect for another day of walking! The morning was also jam packed with historical sites, including Trinity Church, Old South Church and the Boston Public Library…all in the first mile of walking! From there, we followed the Boston Marathon route in reverse, and walkers had fun celebrating “crossing the finish line” a little early in the weekend.

From there, we walked through Brookline and Brighton before arriving at our halfway celebration at lunch. Walkers lounged on the Mohawk pink mats before jumping up to dance in our celebration flash mob with Mark as Bon Jovi blared across our lunch site.

The second half of the day began with wide smiles leftover from lunch. We headed back into Boston proper, getting more city views before taking the Commonwealth Mall path back to our hotel. The shady tree-lined avenue gave relaxing shade and a respite from the hustle and bustle of downtown.

When our last walker arrived back at camp, we began our emotional Honor Ceremony and saluted those who inspire and motivate us to commit three days, year after year. We walk for them, and this ceremony celebrated that commitment. Tears were shed, hugs were shared, and we went to bed feeling fulfilled and ready to take on Day Three.

Sunday was our sunniest and warmest day yet for the weekend! The day began with a walk-through the Boston Public Garden and a stop by Cheers, the bar that inspired the titular beloved TV show. It wasn’t open yet, but walkers loved stopping for a photo!

They also posed outside Fenway Park, and declared their allegiance to home teams from across the country. We missed the game that day, but in honor of New England, 3-Dayers cheered on the Red Sox in spirit.

After Fenway, we walked through Brookline and Jamaica Plain before making our way back into the Boston city limits. We passed under the Chinatown Gate and over the Charles River, even passing the site of the Boston Tea Party. Just one more historical landmark in a weekend full of them!

Our walk ended at the Lawn on D, with lots of space for friends and family to come celebrate this amazing accomplishment. Our last walkers began our Closing Ceremony with excitement, which continued as our Crew entered the ceremony area. Then, shoes were raised to honor the strength of our survivor community, and for those living with breast cancer. They are the reason we will continue to walk, and to fundraise, for a world without breast cancer.

And fundraise we did! The 1,100 walkers and 200 crew members of the New England 3-Day raised an amazing $2.9 million in the fight against breast cancer. That’s an accomplishment worth celebrating! As we danced and soaked in the moment, many walkers already registered to return to the New England 3-Day in 2020. They know that the work is not done. And though our weekend has ended, we will not stop here. We will never quit.

2019 Susan G. Komen New England Route Preview

Labor Day weekend is upon us, and that means fall will be here before you know it. And while we’ll be sad to say goodbye to the sun and fun of summer, fall 2019 means we have more 3-Days coming up, starting with a return to the Northeast. We are heading to the New England 3-Day next weekend, and we can’t wait for you all to see our newest 3-Day walk. We know all our participants are waiting very impatiently for the coming walk weekend, and we have a sneak peak of what you can expect, straight from our New England 3-Day Event Production Manager, Meredith Parker!

Meredith can’t wait to welcome everyone back to New England!

“This is an area of the country that has great pride, and we are proud to bring the 3-Day back to this community of people.”

3-Day participants will feel this sense of community every step of the weekend, including at our hotel camp at the Revere Hotel Boston Common. Meredith says this camp “is a great mix of old school Boston traditions, with still a modern feel.”

We are taking over multiple hotels, due to the amazing turn out we have in New England, which will allow us to spread a little bit of the 3-Day camp feel across a few different locations. How will this work? Meredith was happy to break it down for us!

The dining area, which is where our evening camp programs will be, will have its own dedicated space. This will be where our Opening Ceremony will take place as well!
Main Street (complete with those Bank of America massage chairs!), the 3-Day Lounge brought to you by Amgen (snacks, comfy chairs and great prizes) and the Pick-Up Point (get your mail, sweet treats and legacy pins) will all be together in adjoining ballrooms so we can really get that 3-Day spirit going throughout the Revere Hotel.

It will be the perfect atmosphere of excitement and relaxation that our walkers will love to come home to after a day out on the streets and trails of Boston and its surrounding areas. And though our journey starts at the Revere Hotel on Friday morning, that’s just the beginning of three wonderful days!

Day One will really kick off as walkers cross over the Charles River almost right after we start walking, and then head through Harvard Square. Meredith says there will be beautiful morning views of the Boston skyline from the Cambridge side of the river so your Friday will start with some excellent selfie opportunities.

Walkers will be able to enjoy parts of the Freedom Trail throughout the day on Friday!

We’re stopping at Paul Revere Park for lunch, which has cool views of the Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge. It will be very relaxing and picturesque! From there, we’ll get a taste of the North End and the Seaport District in the afternoon. Before we head back towards the hotel for the night, we will do a loop through South Boston, which locals will know as Southie — Keep an eye out for Matt Damon 😉 You never know!

All these amazing sights will continue throughout the weekend! Saturday starts with major sights in Back Bay area, including Trinity Church, Boston Public Library, and the marathon finish line. There is lots of Boston history to take in!

Walkers will then head West, going along the Boston marathon route in reverse as Saturday continues. We will pass by Coolidge Corner, which has some nice local shops and restaurants, before heading through Newton and Brighton, which will take them past the Boston University campus. We will finish Saturday by walking through the Back Bay, along the Commonwealth Mall, which is a lovely grassy promenade. Meredith is so glad we’ll be ending our day with a stroll through that area.

Before we know it, Day Three will be here! Sunday starts with a walk through the beautiful Boston Public Garden, including the swan boats. But no stopping for a sail — you have more walking to do! 😉

We’ll walk west to see the brownstones of Beacon Street, where Meredith is looking forward to getting some architectural inspiration, and then even go by Fenway Park. Next is Longwood Medical area, where walkers will pass some of the research facilities and hospitals that benefit from Komen funding. You can see your fundraising dollars at work!

Lunch on Sunday will be nestled in between two of Boston’s most prominent art museums, which will be the perfect break in our day. From there, we’ll pass Symphony Hall for another bit of history.

“You will always be walking distance from a historical building or a Dunkin’ Donuts this weekend,” Meredith laughs.

Before we come to the Finish Line Festival, walkers will make their way through the South End, which is a gorgeous part of town. The day will end with a walk past the Boston Tea Party ships and museum, as well as the giant Hood Milk Bottle statue. Calcium-lovers will especially love this spot!

And then walkers will cross the finish line and head into our Finish Line Festival and Closing Ceremony at The Lawn on D, an outdoor event space in the heart of the Waterfront District! It will be the perfect place to finish our New England 3-Day.

“I’m excited that this is the culmination and reunion of this event!” Meredith says. “People are coming back and it’s going to be so great to see people come together, meet up and celebrate the great local New England spirit. This weekend will give our 3-Dayers a broad picture of the amazing patchwork quilt of the community that is this region.”

Outside the Pink Tent

A walker takes down her tent on the Susan G. Komen Boston 3-Day®.

After yesterday’s hot weather that had so many walkers finding water at new, makeshift stops, this morning’s mood was calm with a hint of satisfaction. I moved through camp as I have for the last few days, somewhere between a visitor and a photographer. My position in relation to the walkers is one of allowance. They permit me there, possibly so they can get a photograph in the slideshows or possibly because they want to feel like someone from the “outside” has seen them amid hundreds of others, someone unique in a sea of so many similar stories. But of course, they are unique, and the uniqueness of each story — every one — is overwhelming to someone who is invited to listen to them and watch their movement of 60 miles by foot over three days.

A Susan G. Komen Boston 3-Day® walker suits up in her tent on the last day.

I am grateful for it, and admittedly, we are both exposed. The walkers to the elements, to each other, and most difficult sometimes, to the camera. I find myself exposed as well. I wear the dark grays and blacks of a staff member; they wear pinks. I am a man; a large percentage of them are women. I am not often walking with them; they are pushing up hills in 95 degree weather. I stand out and I am identified by most on Day 3 as a photographer. There is no hiding. My movement around their tents, around the only sacred space for three days, leaves me careful with the camera and whom I approach. It’s a delicate balance with those who want to talk more this morning and those who are quiet, and anticipating the long journey into the heart of Boston, the final destination of this powerful movement of people.