2022 San Diego 3-Day Recap

Our 2022 Susan G. Komen 3-Day series is officially in the books! We wrapped up the season with our final event in San Diego this past weekend, and it was truly a weekend we won’t forget. With 1,700 walkers and 325 crew members, $5.3 million was raised in the fight against breast cancer.

Day 1

The Pink Bubble was awake before the sun Friday morning, and gathered at the Del Mar Fairgrounds for our Opening Ceremony. Though quite chilly, there was no lack of excitement as we looked forward to the next three days and 60 miles we’d have together for the last 3-Day in our 2022 series. As emcee Kimberly Reinika and host Cati Diamond Stone kicked things off with some stretching, dancing and our Opening Ceremony, we were soon on our way to start the 60-mile journey.

The first leg of the route was as special as ever, wandering past Del Mar’s Dog Beach into Del Mar Village, home to some of the best community support we have on the 3-Day. The Torrey Pines High School cheerleaders welcomed us into the heart of Del Mar shortly after our first pit stop of the day.

Departing Del Mar, we headed towards the infamous Torrey Pines Hill. Though notoriously tough, walkers fueled up at the bottom at pit stop 2 and couldn’t help but smile as they were greeted with immense support and cheering at the top. Continuing on, walkers passed UCSD as they ventured into La Jolla and then towards Kellogg Park for lunch.

After lunch, walkers further toured La Jolla before heading south into the quaint town of Bird Rock and into Pacific Beach, where our final pit stop and grab & go stations were located. We enjoyed the neighborhood streets of Pacific Beach before hitting Fanuel Park, the entrance point to Mission Bay where we walk along the boardwalk to reach camp at Crown Point Park.

Walkers crossed the Mohawk Flooring Pink Carpet into camp and 3-Day Main Street where many of our sponsors set up tents to offer various services to our participants. Natura Bissé offered refreshing mists and samples, Bank of America provided massage chairs, and Amgen hosted a lounge with a make-your-own trail mix station and spin-the-wheel prizes aimed at providing knowledge about our bone health.

We finished up our first day with our Bank of America Celebration of Champions, highlighting all our top fundraisers from individuals, rookies, crew members, youth corps and of course, teams! Stay tuned to the 3-Day blog for our posts about these amazing fundraisers, as well as our Crew Impact and Milestone Award Winners.

Day 2

On Day 2, walkers experienced some of San Diego’s great beach towns. After breakfast at camp, we crossed one of Mission Bay’s bridges into Ocean Beach for our first pit stop of the day. As we ventured further into Ocean Beach’s neighborhoods, we encountered our Day 2 hill. Once reaching the top, walkers were rewarded with amazing ocean views and a cheering station comprised of local supporters and the Heartland Fire Department, who passed out water bottles and snacks to keep us going.

We rounded our way through Point Loma towards pit stop 2 at Sunset View Elementary, a staple pit stop of the San Diego 3-Day with tons of space and great views. Perhaps even more famed than this great location is the next photo-op located at the bottom of the hill it sits on: Sunset Cliffs! Walkers stopped to take photos and enjoy the ocean breeze, basking in the beautiful weather that we had all weekend long!

We made our way back through Ocean Beach, passing through pit stop 3 right on the beach and back over Mission Bay Bridge into Bonita Cove for lunch. Here we celebrated being halfway through 60 miles with two decorated arches and of course our halfway dance! Our dedicated sponsors were there, Mohawk Flooring providing their pink SmartCushions to sit on, and Natura Bissé offering refreshing mists. A DJ was on site, providing us with great music and vibes as the San Diego Police Department bike cops led the way for the “Cupid Shuffle” and “Wobble” before heading out.

The community support continued with tons of signs, live music and face paintings as we headed towards Mission Beach to walk along the boardwalk. We then headed back up towards Fanuel Park for our final pit stop of the day and prepared for the heartfelt and emotional Memorial Mile. Signs dedicated to loved ones we’ve lost to breast cancer lined the path back into camp. That evening we loaded our plates up at the 3-Day buffet and sat down for our Honor Ceremony.

The San Diego Youth Corps began our Honor Ceremony, telling us their “why” and what urges them to commit to the 3-Day and finding the cures for breast cancer at such a young age. We then heard from three different walkers who told their stories and reminded us all why we walk and why we raise money to fight this horrible disease.

After the Honor Ceremony, walkers enjoyed a hot chocolate bar with mugs provided by Bank of America. We warmed ourselves up and basked in the last night together in camp, enjoying 3-Day Main Street and placing our luminaria bags near the Remembrance Tent.

Day 3

Walkers were led out on their final day of this journey by the Ultimate San Diego 3-Day Experience winner, Gemma G.! We left camp and headed back to the Mission Beach Boardwalk and over to Belmont Park for pit stop 1 . With just over four miles in, we refueled and headed towards our first cheering station of the day, a park path lined with family, friends and members of the community holding signs and waving pom-poms. Walkers stopped to dance at this cheering station, as the Wonderbus played music and offered words of encouragement to finish strong.

We passed Sea World and were greeted with even more community support as we headed down the riverwalk towards Old Town, home of the infamous Juan Street Hill.

Fueled by fresh tortilla chips and tons of people motivating us at the bottom, we marched up our last big hill of the San Diego 3-Day. Once reaching the top, more refreshments and even a garden hose mister were offered to cool us down and keep us moving.

We made our way through the neighborhood of Mission Hills before reaching our final lunch spot at Pioneer Park, taking our time to rest before hitting the final stretch of our 60-mile journey. After finishing lunch, we ventured through Hillcrest and down Balboa Park, where our final cheering station and pit stop were.

After three days and 60 miles, walkers crossed the finish line at Waterfront Park right next to San Diego Bay. Our Finish Line Festival included pink SmartCushions and the pink carpet provided by Mohawk Flooring, medals by Bank of America, and a giant pink inflatable tunnel from Amgen.

Our last walker crossed the finish line around 4:30 p.m., initiating the start of our Closing Ceremony. We watched as she raised the “We Will Never Give Up” flag, and welcomed in the rest of our walkers, our crew, the SDPD Bike Cops, and finally, our survivors. A slideshow highlighting great moments throughout the weekend played, and we announced that together we raised $5.3 million. We finished off the event and the end of the 2022 3-Day series with a dance party, celebrating all that we’ve accomplished in the fight against breast cancer!

The San Diego 3-Day was a great event to wrap up our 2022 season with. A huge “thank you” goes out to the city of San Diego for allowing the Pink Bubble to take over, the local businesses and walker stalkers (local and beyond) who came out to cheer us on, and to all the walkers, crew and volunteers who participated as we fight to put an end to breast cancer. We will see you all again next year!

Congratulations to the 2022 Chicago 3-Day Milestone Award Winner!

We’d like to congratulate Rachel B. on being our 2022 Chicago 3-Day Milestone Award Winner! Rachel has participated in 28 3-Days over the last 17 years and has raised over $241,000 to date.

We asked Rachel how she got involved in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day, and how she and her team continue to be outstanding fundraisers.

“My Mom had just finished her radiation treatment after her breast cancer diagnosis when I saw an advertisement for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day. I knew that I needed to take action against the disease so my younger sister and a friend joined me for the 2005 Arizona 3-Day. We saw all of the fun names of the teams that were formed and decided on Bouncin’ Buckeyes. Buckeyes refers to our Ohio roots and Bouncin’ is a reference to the boobs. Our first year my sister raised her money within two weeks. She showed me what is possible when you ask for a certain amount of money and also inform the donor of your deadline.

It’s important to remember why you are walking and to share this in your donation requests. I can’t imagine not having all of the memories with my Mom since she was diagnosed in 2004. I try not to take it for granted as I know many that do not get the extra time. I’m grateful for the advances in research and treatment that Susan G. Komen has provided and I know the money that I raise is making a difference.

My Mom’s breast cancer was found from a mobile mammogram bus visiting her place of employment. They compared her mammogram to the previous year and saw a difference and sent her for a lumpectomy. Early detection and annual mammograms saved her life. Our team is a super-fundraising team so we have always had a goal to raise more than the minimum. Our supporters are generous and support us with donations to achieve our goals year over year. I also send emails throughout the year so that I am sharing our progress. After the walk, I send all of my donors a thank you card made with some 3-Day pictures and include a donation form for the next year’s 3-Day.”

We also asked some of her friends to provide a brief testimonial to her greatness!

“Rachel is the reason I joined the 3-Day. Her passion is contagious. She works countless hours to raise funds for herself and others. Her selfless acts and drive to raise awareness are inspiring.” — Heather G.

“Rachel is an amazing person and a great team captain. She keeps us all focused and without her we’d be lost.” — Billy G.

“Rachel is the most committed individual I’ve ever known. Her passion for the 3-Day and the fight against breast cancer personifies the statement, ‘We will never quit!!!’ That is why she leads our team.” — Bobbi D.

Rachel shared with us, she is a Rodan + Fields skincare consultant and was given the opportunity to join her team on a mission trip to Ethiopia with Ordinary Hero. Rachel visited multiple orphanages and learned how critical food is to our lives. She now sponsors two families in Ethiopia, providing monthly food and allowing their children to go to school. Rachel has been back to Ethiopia once already and hopes to go again in 2023.

Stay tuned throughout the rest of the 2022 Susan G. Komen 3-Day Series for our other Milestone Award Winners!

Shannon B. Is Ready to Join the Pink Bubble

Breast cancer survivor Shannon B. will be making her Susan G. Komen 3-Day debut in Chicago this year. After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020, recently undergoing reconstruction surgery and raising over $32,000 to date, Shannon is ready to take on 60 miles and join the Pink Bubble.

What is your connection to breast cancer?

I was diagnosed with stage 2, HER2+ breast cancer in October 2020, had 6 rounds of TCHP chemo, a full year of Herceptin, a bi-lateral mastectomy with 7 lymph nodes removed, 28 radiation treatments, and most recently, reconstruction surgery.

Why did you sign up for the 3-Day?

Ironically, I have felt so lucky and privileged through this whole process of having support, good insurance, a flexible employer, and a “best possible outcome” of being cancer-free with a low chance of recurrence. I know that SO MANY others have it much harder than I have, and I feel like I NEED to do something to help others fight breast cancer and fund research that has helped save my life. My oncologist told me that just 10-15 years ago HER2+ breast cancer was one of the deadliest because they didn’t yet know how to treat it. It’s because of research, trials, and the incredible individuals before me that my medical team knew the exact path forward to get me to this cancer-free stage.

What do you hope to gain from this experience?

More than anything I hope to make a difference, so others don’t have to deal with this disease, the treatments, side effects, surgeries, etc. Or if they do, maybe the money I raise can help make it just a little bit easier by helping with medical bills, transportation, etc.

How did you raise so much money in such a short period of time?

I am no fundraising superstar, but am surrounded by incredible people in my personal and professional life. I have worked at the same company for over 10 years and have built amazing relationships with people all over the country. My family and friends have never wavered in their support. I created a fundraiser on Facebook and posted on LinkedIn and Instagram. My birthday and anniversary of my last TCHP chemo treatment is coming up so I hope to do a few posts to bring in another wave of donations. I have raised A LOT of money, but it still wouldn’t cover the cost of one of my chemo treatments pre-insurance.

What are you most looking forward to regarding the event?

I am looking forward to being surrounded by others who are so committed to the cause that they are willing to sacrifice their time and energy to this incredible challenge. And selfishly, I am walking with one of my best friends and I can’t wait to have three days together! What am I least looking forward to (not that you asked)? I am a crier and will likely be crying 80% of the three days; it will be a hard weekend emotionally.

What advice would you like to seek or questions you’d like to ask from any veteran walkers?

Please tell me the blisters are avoidable! I can and have survived a lot, but I am a big wimp when it comes to blisters!

Do you have any advice for Shannon or any other first-time walkers? Tell us your best tips and tricks for conquering the 3-Day in the comments!