Your Coaches’ Favorite 3-Day Memories from 2018

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As our year winds down, we love looking back on all the amazing memories from 2018. You can re-live the magic through all our photos from the walks, and by sharing your favorite memories with your 3-Day family. Our coaches are here to get it started! Here are some of their favorite memories from the 2018 3-Day Series…

Coach Gayla, Seattle & Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day

I loved getting the best hugs from Nancy Schulman when we announced her as the Seattle 3-Day Milestone Award Winner (below).

And in November, I loved bringing in the last walkers at the Dallas/Fort-Worth 3-Day with Coach Liz. It pumps me up .

Nancy Schulman milestone award and gayla SE 2018

Coach Heather, Michigan and Philadelphia 3-Day

One of my favorite parts of 2018 was the opportunity for the local coaches to walk in the last walker on Day 1 and Day 2 and assisting them with raising the flag.

I also really liked the sense of “community” and slumber party feel of having participants all on the same floor in the evenings while they enjoyed the activities of the host hotel in Philadelphia!

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Coach Stephanie, Twin Cities and Atlanta 3-Day

My favorite moment of 2018 was our new Saturday route through White Bear Lake in Twin Cities. We had amazing community support! My two favorites were the pink ice cream cones from Cup and Cone and the cheer station that was hosted by Indulge Salon.

Coach Tisho, Philadelphia 3-Day

I loved the Philly hotel camp! Watching all the months and months of effort pay off in this amazing new chapter for the 3-Day was just incredible. Also, being on event with three of my walkers who had each lost their wives this past year to breast cancer. Seeing them come across the finish into camp each day and being there with a waiting hug made me feel like I was helping them through this incredibly tough time. It’s one of the biggest joys of this job – being able to support my walkers in their time of need.

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Coach Kiki, Twin Cities

My favorite memories, this year and always, involve the hard-working crew as well as my colleagues.

Coach Amy, San Diego 3-Day

“Surviving” San Diego 3-Day slumber party tent set up with 3-Day staff members Kiki and Cyrena. So. Many. laughs. I’m so grateful for their support and friendship with that adventure!

Coach Jennifer, Atlanta 3-Day

The brisk air at the Atlanta 3-Day Opening Ceremony with the beautiful backdrop of Stone Mountain and hundreds of excited walkers setting out on a very special Atlanta 3-Day journey. It was perfect.

What are your favorite memories from this year? Tell us in the comments!

Meet Your San Diego 3-Day Coaches

If you’ve been following along with your San Diego 3-Day coaches on social media, you already know they’re a pretty fun group who love working together! But you can expect more than just smiling faces and lots of laughs with coaches Amy Schwager and Staci Roos, and Event Planner Meredith Parker! Before our California 3-Dayers arrive at our final Opening Ceremony tomorrow, here are some things you need to know about your hard-working San Diego coaching team.

They are here to support your every step…

They have been looking forward to seeing the smiling faces of all the San Diego participants since the Closing Ceremony last year! Staci has been emailing and talking on the phone with all of you for weeks and can’t wait to put a face to each of your names.

Coach Amy at right

Amy is also waiting with open arms for her 3-Day Crew to arrive!

“I’m so excited to see the smiling faces of my crew. It is a magical feeling when you are surrounded by people who desire nothing more than to give all that is asked of them and so much more. We’ll also be welcoming new Crew Captains to the amazing Sand Diego Crew Captain leadership team!”

And they support each other too!

The love is real for this group of women:

Amy does “magical work with our awesome crew,” according to Staci. “They arrive with great energy, inspired to serve and sprinkle love to the walkers and their fellow crew members.”
Meredith loves ice cream, pumpkin chiffon cheesecake, and “has an easy-going personality that makes you feel comfortable instantly,” says Amy. She also is the ultimate problem solver, taking on all the challenges and exciting aspects of planning a great 3-Day route like the pro she is!
Staci has an “ability to emotionally connect with her walkers and develop deep relationships” that Amy admires. “She is always always ALWAYS finding the time to support our participants in order to make sure they are successful with their fundraising and training, so they ultimately end up having the opportunity to experience the magic of the 3-Day.”

Coach Staci

Keep an eye out for them throughout the weekend – They can’t wait to meet you!

The 3-Day is personal to them

Staci and Amy have long been involved with the 3-Day family, and each of them have a personal reason for working hard for this cause all year long.

Staci says this weekend allows her the opportunity to “honor the memory of my mother in law, Grace Lennon Roos. I get to honor the many survivors I’ve come to know. I get to do work every day that empowers people to have an impact on a cause that is near to their hearts. I get to hear people’s stories and connections to this cause and learn of their passion for making a difference.”

Amy honors and welcomes all our 3-Day participants with her trademark enthusiasm ?

“The 3-Day weekend is magical. On the 3-Day, you will experience something that defies explanation. You will be challenged, inspired, pushed harder and appreciated more than you have ever have before. It is a magical feeling and I wish I could bottle it up and sprinkle it all year long!”

But they sure know how to have fun

From beach boardwalk to celebratory hilltops, the coaches will be celebrating San Diego all weekend long!

Their favorite spots for the route are:

The top of Torrey Pines
Waves crashing along Sunset Cliffs
Sunrise at Mission Bay
All our lunch stops

But more than any photo op, they are excited to shower all the participants with love.

Coach Amy says, “I can’t wait for everyone to feel the love of the 3-Day community. The 3-Day is a beautiful example of what happens when you allow love to rule over everything you do.”

Meet Your 2018 Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day Coaches

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Coach Gayla at left

The Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day is tomorrow…can you believe it?! We are so excited to head to the Lone Star State, home of Susan G. Komen, for an amazing three days.

But no one is more excited than your Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day team! Your coaches Gayla and Liz, plus your amazing Crew Coordinator Gina and Event Planner Eileen have all been counting down the days to this weekend for a whole year.

Before we officially kick off the weekend, they are here to share their top tips and advice, toot each other’s horns, and get you pumped for your 60-mile journey.

Huddle statue 2018

That journey includes a lot of new sights and spots to take advantage of this year! There are some not-to-miss route changes that Eileen and the whole team are looking forward to. Here are some of their favorite spots:

Our new Opening Ceremony site, Tostitos Championship Plaza at The Star!
Specifically, the “Huddle” statue at The Star where we begin our journey (above). It’s made from aluminum pans!
The bronze cattle statues at Frisco Central Park
Walking through Dr Pepper Ball Park
Vitruvian Park Cheering Station just before camp
Arbor Hills Nature Preserve in Plano
All the local cheering stations! There are lots to look forward to this year ?

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Coach Gina at right

The coaches are also looking forward to welcoming all the participants to Texas. This is especially true for Coach Gina, a new (and very welcome) addition to the Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day team.

“I can’t wait to meet and connect with the crew, Crew Captains and volunteers. I have gotten to know them virtually the past several months and I’m honored to work alongside these incredible people,” Gina smiles. “The energy of this whole weekend strengthens my spirit in the fight against breast cancer. The walkers have trained and fundraised, the crew and volunteers, especially Crew Captains, have put in their own preparations and the staff has been preparing for months to ensure a wonderful 3-Day experience. We can’t wait to see you all!”

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All your coaches are long-time 3-Day supporters, walkers, volunteers and more. Their More Than Pink love runs deep!

Coach Liz says, “The 3-Day is one of the most powerful and passionate communities I’ve ever been connected to. The participants become friends and more like family due to the time spent together on training walks and sharing the passion for finding a cure. The way everyone takes care of each other is so incredibly special, I honestly don’t know of any other community like this.”

Coach Gayla echoes that with her usual enthusiasm!

“We are all so passionate about the 3-Day and our participants, we hope it shows. It’s amazing that we GET to do this all year long and can’t imagine doing anything else. Another reason is that the Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day is my home and I am a proud Texan ready to show it off to everyone!”

dogs of the 3-day

Want to make the most of this Texas 3-Day weekend? Take advice right from the team! They advise you all to:

Savor the moments, every step, each interaction, because as the saying goes, “It’s the little moments that make life big.”
Take lots of selfies!
Save contacts. Become Facebook friends. Keep in touch. Seriously, you will make lifelong friends, we promise.
Talk to everyone! Ask someone you don’t know why they are walking.
Remember to stretch and hydrate. Then stretch and hydrate some more.

They want you all safe and sound and happy at the end of your 60 miles ?

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That’s in part because they’re always happy when they’re on the 3-Day…and when they’re working together! Gina is the newest addition to the group, and she has provided so much kindness and thoughtfulness to the 3-Day, plus she was Coach Liz’s first 3-Day coach back in 2004. Talk about experience!

And she loves her Dallas/Fort Worth team right back!

“Beautiful, dedicated, passionate, hardworking, to name a few! Gayla, Liz and Eileen are such a blessing to work with, and together, we will rock the 3-Day!”

We will rock the Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day, and that’s a promise. Rock on, coaches!

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