Meet Your 2018 Philadelphia 3-Day Coaches

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The Philadelphia 3-Day is tomorrow…can you feel the excitement? We are thrilled to welcome all our participants to the City of Brotherly Love! Your coaches, Tisho and Heather, plus your amazing Crew Coordinator Kiki and Event Planner Melanie, have all been counting down the days to this weekend for a whole year. They can’t wait to welcome walkers, crew, volunteers and 3-Day supporters of all kinds to Philadelphia! Before we kick off the weekend though, the whole team is here to share their favorite tips and advice, especially for the new 2018 Philly experience…

One of those is the new 3-Day route, which Melanie thinks the walkers will especially love. It will take our 3-Dayers past favorite spots like the Art Museum and its famous Rocky Statue, as well as historic Elfreth’s Alley. There will also be a lovely walk down Kelly Drive, and through the charming town of Manayunk. Melanie promises lots of fun photo opportunities!

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Coach Tisho, a long-time Philly veteran, says she is the most excited that Philly gets to be the one to try out a hotel camp! She looks forward to everyone’s feedback on this new way to celebrate the 3-Day, and thinks it’s going to be amazing!

Aside from the route and the hotel, there is plenty more to be excited about this year…

Kiki can’t wait to see the Crew and their smiling faces 😊 She’s also looking forward to getting out of the office and really dig in on event with her awesome fellow coaches! She says, “the hard-core belly laughs are my best ab workout.”
Tisho can’t stop gushing about the hotel! Who wouldn’t love to sleep in comfy hotel beds?! She also thinks walkers will like the new route, and “welcoming AVON39 walkers and Crew to our 3-Day family!”
Melanie is pumped for the new route too…and getting to show people new spots in Philadelphia – like the picturesque Strawberry Mansion Bridge and Belmont Plateau. Get your cameras ready!

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Coaches Heather and Tisho with a participant (center)

But all of them are pumped to welcome Coach Heather to her first Philly 3-Day! She is thrilled for the whole weekend, but especially “to spend an awesome few days with my super cool fellow coaches and soak in the awesomeness that is the Philly 3-Day community!”

As you can see, the love between all the members of the Philadelphia team members is shared across the board. They can’t stop talking about how great each other are! If you don’t already know them, meet them now…

Coach Heather works tirelessly to take good care of her participants, and Coach Kiki promises “you’re in good hands when you have Heather on your side!” She always pumped up and ready to go, inspiring her fellow coaches for all their adventures.

Melanie, in contrast, brings a centered calmness to the group, which Coach Tisho says (with a laugh) that they sometimes desperately need! As a Philly resident, she also works tirelessly to highlight the best in her city.

Tisho is the team’s go-to for all questions. She is also “so passionate about her role with the 3-Day. She brings her compassion, huge heart, and dedication on the daily in hopes that each participant has a great 3-Day experience!” (according to an enthusiastic Coach Heather 😊)

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And last but not least, Coach Kiki is the joker of the group! Tisho and Heather have plenty of stories of Kiki’s endless laughs…combined with a no-nonsense attitude and dedication to bring her A-game to the 3-Day.

With this team on your side, you know you’re in good hands and are sure to have an amazing weekend in Philadelphia!

See more of your awesome Philadelphia 3-Day team below…

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2018 Philadelphia 3-Day Route Preview

The Philly 3-Day is coming up this weekend, and it’s going to be an amazing three days for walking, having fun, and making memories. Our whole 3-Day team can’t wait to host our walkers, crew, volunteers and supporters for a wonderful weekend together! This year will be full of changes for our Philadelphia 3-Day family and Event Manager Melanie Toner is giving us a sneak peak of what to expect!

“All three days are brand new! Their order is new, and most of the routes are new as well. We’re thrilled about the changes!” Melanie enthuses. “We’ve tried hard to highlight new areas of the city with this updated route. You’ll see different parts of the city each day.”

Those route changes start on Friday morning with the Opening Ceremony, which will take place at our home hotel: the Hilton Philadelphia at Penn’s Landing.

Melanie says, “We’re taking what is normally an outdoor event and putting it in the Grand Ballroom of the hotel. There will be elements unique to Philadelphia because it will be our first-ever indoor Opening Ceremony.”

After the Opening Ceremony, walkers will head west across the city through historic Philly to University City. We will pass Independence Hall early in the day, which will be a great way to start our walk. Walkers will then go through Rittenhouse Square; which Melanie promises is gorgeous!

From there, the new route takes walkers out to Fairmont Park, with the “Please, Touch!” Museum which will be fun for all. It’s also a great place to recommend to family members who might be coming into town to support their 3-Dayer and looking for something extra fun to do.

From East Fairmont Park, walkers will head back towards the Hilton and go into Penn Treaty Park along the river. They’ll also cross Strawberry Mansion Bridge, a beautiful location and Melanie’s favorite photo spot of the day!

After Day One, walkers will return to our new 3-Day camp at the Hilton Philadelphia at Penn’s Landing. Camp is indoors this year, and the extra comfort that provides will be the perfect end to both Friday and Saturday’s walks.

“We will still have the 3-Day Lounge, the massage chairs and all those camp elements that everyone loves! You can expect to have communal dining and all the magic of 3-Day Main Street. You will have everything you love, but with controlled temperatures and all the perks and comforts of hotel life,” says Melanie. “We think our walkers and crew are going to love having the hotel showers, cushy beds and TV options to come home to after enjoying all of 3-Day camp.”

You might not want to leave your comfortable bed on the morning of Day Two, but it will be worth it!

There will be lots of similar sights to those in years past, including walking from the Hilton across the city, with a stop right in front of the Philly Museum of Art. That means you can kick off Saturday with a photo op at the Rocky statue!

Walkers will then head along the Schuylkill River with a lunch stop at Bala Cynwyd Park. This was our past lunch stop in 2016 and will be a beautiful and relaxing spot. Plus, it gives a sneak peek of the Philly suburbs.

After lunch, walkers will make their way back towards the Hilton through Belmont Plateau, where you’ll see some of the best views of the city skyline! 3-Dayers will also walk through the Philadelphia Zoo, though it will be along a different route than in year’s past, so you will make lots of new furry friends!

After another cozy night back at your hotel, Day Three will begin with a walk through Elfreth’s Alley, which has some of the oldest homes in Philly – and even the country. It’s very historic and beautiful! Franklin Square will be another stop for more American history, which you can find all weekend long.

Melanie advises, “Look out for blue placards on buildings and statues! Those denote a historical site. They make it easy to brush up on your American history as you walk!”

There will be a pit stop at Clark Park, and then walkers will loop back across the city, enjoying the Italian Market, plus both Pat’s and Geno’s Philly Cheesesteaks. Choose your favorite…or have both!

The second half of Day Three is very similar to last year and the Closing Ceremony will be in the same location at The Navy Yard. From there, we will be celebrating three glorious days, and 60 difference-making miles under the Philadelphia sun!

Never Giving Up: Meet Nikki S., Former AVON 39 Walker

Nikki (left) and her Aunt Lynne

“My aunt was a mother figure to me. She had a huge hand in raising me, teaching me right from wrong, explaining all the joys of being a woman (lol), and so much more. She was my biggest supporter, my biggest fan, and wasn’t afraid to tell it how it is. Honestly, I don’t know how I would’ve turned out if it wasn’t for having her and my uncle in my life.”

Many of our 3-Dayers have lost loved ones to breast cancer, but that never makes hearing their stories any easier. It just adds to the motivation, focus, and determination to finding a cure. No one knows this better than Nikki S., who has been both a 3-Day and AVON 39 walker in the past.

She will be returning to the 3-Day this year in memory of her aunt and godmother, Lynne. Having walked in Boston in the past, Nikki knew she could not hang up her walking shoes after the AVON 39 left her home state, and so will be journeying to Philadelphia this September to walk for a cure. Coach Tisho is already “so excited to introduce her to the rest of our family,” and Nikki echoes that excitement as well.

“I am excited for the opportunity to continue to support the cause. Even with AVON no longer being offered, I needed to continue walking in my Auntie Lynne’s honor.”

Lynne’s husband, Nikki’s uncle

Her Aunt Lynne was first diagnosed with breast cancer when Nikki was young, and watching her courageous fight inspired Nikki to first join the 3-Day when she was in college.

“Being a stupid college student, I was pretty confident that I could walk the 60 miles without training AND wearing sneakers I had bought the week before. Funny, huh?! I made it through the first day and a half, until I couldn’t walk through the blisters anymore. I had to shuttle back to camp and call my aunt to come pick me up! We had a good laugh, and she was still proud of me for raising the money, supporting the cause, and trying.”

A few years later, Lynn’s cancer had progressed to metastatic stage 4, found in her lungs and throughout her bones. Nikki began walking the AVON 39 in Boston for Lynne. Sadly, in 2016, Lynne lost her battle — and Nikki lost her dear aunt.

Nikki and her uncle

When asked to describe the importance of the 3-Day, and breast cancer walks, she recalled memories of those tough times.

“Watching my Aunt’s health quickly deteriorate; Hearing her wish she could just go back to work and have normalcy; Having her there to listen to my “bad days” and offer advice, while she never complained about her treatment; Wanting more time and more of her advice; Seeing my Grammy and Grampy lose their first born; Watching my Uncle grieve the loss of his ‘bride’ after their 28 years of marriage and a lifetime of love; The heartbreak that my daughter still goes through, missing her Auntie.”

It is heartbreak that motivates Nikki and keeps her working towards a cure.

She’ll be heading to Philadelphia as a Super Fundraiser (she has raised more than $20,000 in total over the years for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day® and the AVON 39) and has a unique success strategy to reach her fundraising goals.

“I would like to surpass my fundraising from last year. I had organized and hosted a very successful comedy show fundraiser, and hope to do the same this year. It was a great experience, and a great way to attack my fundraising goal.”

We are honored to welcome Nikki back to the 3-Day family this year. Alongside Nikki, we walk for Auntie Lynne. We will never give up.