Tag Archives: event wrap-up

2019 San Diego 3-Day Wrap-Up

We could not have asked for a better weekend to finish up our 3-Days for 2019! The West Coast brought sunshine, perfect walking temperatures and tons of community support to the San Diego 3-Day this past weekend.

Friday dawned bright and cool as we started our walk at the Del Mar Fairgrounds once again. CEO of Susan G. Komen, Paula Schneider, and our Bank of America partners, delivered inspiring speeches before introducing local participants to lead our Opening Ceremony. Survivors and those living with metastatic breast cancer led our walkers out into the sun and onto the route.

The start of Day One took walkers through the city of Del Mar, which always comes out in full force to support the 3-Day. Cheerleaders, local businesses and even the Toast Lady lined the streets to cheer walkers through their first few miles of the day.

After Del Mar, walkers made their way up and down the hills of Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve. With amazing views of the ocean, this reserve is always a favorite for photos and was lined with cheerleaders and well-wishers. From there, we made our way through the University of California San Diego campus and on to our lunch site at Kellogg Park.

Once again, walkers were beach side, and they enjoyed relaxing in the sunshine! We also met our San Diego 3-Day Youth Corps, who gave us a preview of their Honor Ceremony speeches. We left lunch inspired and ready to take on the afternoon. Walkers then made their way through La Jolla before coming home to our campsite at Crown Point Shores. The sun set as our last walkers came home, and our 3-Day family was complete at the end of Day One.

Day Two began with our Bank of America Breakfast of Champions, where we honored top San Diego 3-Day fundraisers, as well as our Milestone and Local Impact Award Winners. It was such a fun and celebratory way to start Saturday!

From there, walkers made their way through San Diego with stops at Ocean Beach and Robb Field before we came to lunch at Bonita Cove. It was a sunny and spacious spot for our Halfway Celebration! Mark led everyone through our final halfway dance for the year, and then the San Diego Police Department led in further celebratory dances before lunch closed.

Saturday afternoon passed quickly, and soon our walkers were back at camp at Crown Point Shores. Our last walker kicked off our final Honor Ceremony for 2019. This ceremony honors all of the reasons we commit to this cause, including members of our San Diego community, survivors and those living with metastatic breast cancer. We then raised candles to the night and renewed our promise to continue to walk, and fight, for the cures for breast cancer.

On our final day of the walk, we said goodbye to our beautiful campsite and spent the day walking through downtown San Diego. From Mission Beach Park and Bonita Cove to a cheering station at Sea World, walkers had plenty of time to enjoy the California sun and surf. Right before lunch, walkers conquered the infamous Juan Street Hill! More community support cheered everyone up the hill, and everyone made it to the top with smiles and hearts full of accomplishment!

Then we had a quick lunch stop before finishing our 60-mile journey at Waterfront Park. Our finish line festival was quite the celebration, complete with live music, games, and medals from Bank of America.

And then our 2019 3-Day season ended with an amazing Closing Ceremony, complete with one final dance party as the sun set on the West Coast. Our 1,900 walkers and 325 crew members had a lot to celebrate: they had raised $5.7 million in the fight against breast cancer!

San Diego, you and your community were amazing hosts for our final 3-Day of the year! Thank you all for your support and love and dedication to our cause. We can’t wait to see you in 2020!

2019 Seattle 3-Day Wrap Up

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The West Coast certainly was the best coast this past weekend in Seattle! From the natural beauty of the trails and waterfront to the excitement of our first outdoor camp of the year, we spent a fantastic weekend with our Seattle community, and celebrated a wonderful legacy in this region.

Our weekend began on Fountain Lawn, under the shadow of the Space Needle. Walkers, crew, family and friends all gathered to celebrate the start of our 60-mile journey! Michelle Millman from our local partner KIRO7 Seattle kicked off our Opening Ceremony by sharing her own breast cancer story before our survivors and those living with breast cancer led our walkers out and onto the route.

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We passed through downtown Seattle and into Roanoke Park for our first pit stop of the day, with walkers being cheered through the morning by local supporters from St. Thomas School. Everyone entered lunch at Downtown Bellevue Park with smiles on their faces after seeing those young cheerleaders!

At lunch, we also met our amazing Seattle 3-Day Youth Corps, who shared why they commit three days to support Susan G. Komen. It was an emotional declaration of support and showed just how much our Youth Corps means to this community.

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Leaving lunch inspired, we trekked through Bellevue and Redmond in the afternoon before arriving home at our outdoor camp at Marymoor Park. Walkers reveled in the Bank of America massage chairs before giving a warm welcome to our final walker of the evening. Day One = Complete!

Day Two began with our Bank of America Breakfast of Champions, where we were so honored to recognize so many incredible Seattle 3-Dayers for their contributions over the years. And then the walk began! There was plenty of community support throughout Day Two; from Lil’ Smokies snacks to a Susan G. Komen Puget Sound cheer station to gator-itas from the Puget Sound Parrot Heads. Every step of the way, walkers were cheered through their day.

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That includes extra cheers — and dancing! — at our Halfway Celebration at lunch in Juanita Beach Park. Mark led us in our halfway flash mob, and we had more dancers than ever before! Even after walking 30 miles already, Seattle 3-Day walkers could still move and groove ?

The afternoon passed quickly as walkers made their way along local trails in both Kirkland and Redmond. Camp on Saturday night was extra special, with Coach Aubrey performing live music for her 3-Dayers, and our final walker for the day beginning our Honor Ceremony that evening. Once again, participants were reminded of why we commit, why we walk, and why we can never quit. Everyone snuggled into their pink tents feeling inspired to start Day Three in the morning.

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And soon enough, Day Three arrived! The day began with a drop off at the University of Washington and though it was a rainy Sunday, our walkers took on the final 20 miles of the weekend with aplomb. We spent the whole day in Seattle, with early morning stops at Woodland and Gas Works Park. Walkers marveled at the views and posed for photos in Gas Works Park, which is always a favorite pit stop for the weekend.

We then made our way into the downtown area for lunch at Lake Union Park, before walking along the water and through the Olympic Sculpture Park. And before we even knew it, our finish line was in view! We returned to the North Fountain Lawn at Seattle Center for the Finish Line Festival and our walkers crossed the 60-mile finish line with wide smiles and arms raised in triumph.

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As our final walker crossed the finish line, we began our Closing Ceremony celebration! Following the last walker, we honored our crew, and the survivors and those living with breast cancer. Together, our Seattle 3-Day family was finally complete. We celebrated this weekend, the legacy of the 3-Day in Seattle and our amazing group of participants. After all, our 350 walkers and 175 crew had raised a combined $1.1 million! Thank you, Seattle, for yet another amazing 60-mile journey with us!

 

 

 

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.