2016 Susan G. Komen San Diego 3-Day Wrap-up

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On Friday morning, a brilliant blue-tinged sunrise illuminated the smiling faces of over 2,600 walkers ready to take the first steps of their 60-mile journey starting at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.

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Towering palm trees lined the paths to the coast, as walkers breathed in fresh sea air on their way to the cheering stations and pit stops, which paved the way for our entrance into the idyllic Torrey Pines State Park, known notoriously for its giant hills but also its sweeping views.

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At mile 10.6, the UCSD Scripps Institute of Oceanography cheered us on with joyful enthusiasm and pompoms, and then it was on to lunch at Kellogg Park. Our final pit stops of the day, at La Jolla Lutheran Church and Christ Lutheran Church kept us fueled up with grahamwiches and sports drink, and we loved the La Jolla Cove seals, who barked as walkers selfied.

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After an amazing day of 20.5 miles, back in camp at Crown Point Shores Park, we were treated to a moving speech by survivor Heather, 7-time walker and currently battling stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room, and we all walked back to our tents inspired to pound the pavement strongly on Day 2.

Walkers worked out their aches and pains the first few miles of Day 2 with photo opps with friendly creatures from Sea World! A barn owl, a screech owl, a porcupine, and a river otter were along the path, along with the Sea World Mascot, ready to strike a pose with our fabulous 3-Dayers.

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From Sea World it was past Robb and Ocean Beach Fields, and then Pit Stop 2, at the top of a scenic vista at Sunset View Elementary, leading to a wonderful downward stretch back along the coast.

Lunch at Bonita Cova was muy bonita, and filled with amusements, from Chippendales dancer straight from Las Vegas, to thousands of vibrant Gerbera Daises being gifted to our strong walkers and crew. The San Diego Police Department also entertained us with a long and rockin’ dance party.

The way out of lunch gifted us with friendly pets and licks from therapy dogs, and then onward to South Mission Beach Park and Belmont Park.

Pit Stop 4 at Fanuel Park was aloha, and as walkers hydrated and stretched, they said Mahalo to the Pit Stop and Aloha to the famous Cookie Lady, passing out hundreds of homemade cookies.

The last two miles brought us through our inspiring Survivor Stretch, lined with the warriors of breast cancer, inspiring us to go on. Back in Camp, we honored and celebrated our 2016 Award Winners, and then danced the night away with our Youth Corps before retiring to our pink tents to drift off to dream of a world free of breast cancer forever.

At 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, we were all on our way toward Pit Stop 1 at De Anza Cove, and then the jubilant cheering station at the Mission Bay Park Visitor Information Center. The South Shore Park housed our Pit Stop 2, which at 7.1 miles, was where blisters were treated by our handy medical crew, water bottles were refilled, and the Youth Corps cheered up tired walkers with silly jokes and their energetic cheering.

From Pit Stop 2 we began our walk into Old Town San Diego, where we started the ascent up the fabled Juan Street hill, aided by local Mexican restaurants serving free chips and salsa.

Though the hill was challenging, we were applauded by survivors carrying signs saying “People like you saved my life”, spectators passing out sliced pickles, and adorable dogs in pink shirts.

We loved the mansions towering over San Diego on our way into lunch at Pioneer Park, where salads and sandwiches helped us get ready for our final four miles of the day.

The stunning Balboa Park housed cheering stations and our Pit Stop 3, where we posed with bronze statues, stretched, and then snapped pictures at the beautiful mile 59 marker drawn in chalk before our final two miles into Waterfront Park.

After 15.6 miles on Day 3, we marched proudly into the twilight of Closing Ceremony, surrounded by sweeping palm trees and our loved ones. Dusk descended upon the 3,000 people gathered in the park, and Dr. Sheri and Amber Livingston told us the astounding news that with our 2,600 walkers and 350 crew, we raised $7.6 million dollars. As we hugged and celebrated and danced, our message rang loud and clear; that though our feet may ache, our spirit, our tenacity, and our dedication will live forever; through aches, and pain, and blisters. We are shouting loudly and proudly that in this fight, where we seek to live in a world free of breast cancer, WE WILL NEVER GIVE UP. Thank you, San Diego. We are so very proud of you.

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If you’re ready to be a part of this incredible journey again in 2017, sign up now for just $35 at The3Day.org/Register.

Philly Fashionistas: Fun 3-Day Costumes and Fashion

One of the joys of the Susan G. Komen 3-Day is admiring the scenery – the peaks of mountains rising around you, a beautifully wooded trail, the reflection of a serene lake in the early morning. You’ll also admire the fashion choices of your fellow participants; from the lunch Crew decked out in 50’s diner garb, to the walkers in front of you with blinking foam tubes on their heads. Everywhere you go on the 3-Day, there’s something to see. We caught up with a few fashionistas in Philadelphia this year and asked them to tell us about their stylish 3-Day attire. In the spirit of Halloween and dressing up, we hope their creativity and flair for costumes and fashion is as fun for you as it is for us.

Alaine, of the Philly Camp Services Crew, caught our attention with her sparkly wings, pink camo pants, star glasses, and multi layered tutu. Alaine said she found most of the pieces of her costume at Party City, and her inspiration started thanks to a Camp Services theme. “Except for the t-shirt (which I had), our theme for Camp Services was Fairy Tale Princesses, so I picked Tinkerbell. Tinkerbell wears green – so I chose to be Pinkerbell, but Pinkerbell is a tomboy, so that explains my pink cargo camo shorts.” We think Pinkerbell is a great look for you, Alaine! Alaine says she will be at the 3-Day every year until we find a cure.

Alaine, or Pinkerbell

If you’ve been at the 3-Day this year, you’ll probably recognize William from Seattle. William wears a walking kilt and long, knee high boots. William’s boots, from the Westco Shoe company, are known as a Highliner boot. “The key on wearing these for such a long walk is the socks, which make a big difference.” The kilt is Seattle–made and called a utilikilt. “On the 3-Day walk I wear three different styles of kilts, because it’s incredibly comfortable for walking in. I couldn’t see wearing sneakers with the kilt so I got the boots to go with the kilt.” While William is German, he graduated from a Scottish school. Other than looking awesome, William credits his walking style as being a great fundraising tool when he trains in his outfit. “This outfit actually raises a lot more awareness. People come up to me and start chatting with me about what I’m wearing, and I have a card that I hand out to people. On one side it has the reason why I’m walking, and the other side has links to my fundraising pages.”

William rocks the Utilikilt and Highlander Boots

Some people find inspiration for their outfits from their kids. The Washington D.C.-based Lady Jugs found their fashion inspiration through their children’s swim team, the Lady Bugs. “We had to be red and black,” they laughed. The Lady Jugs bought their tutus, made their own shirts and hats, and purchased black stickers to add spots to all of their ensembles. The stickers were originally felt dots, but were re-evaluated after “one got eaten by my dog,” notes a member of the team. The Lady Jugs wear different outfits every day, and even decorate their tents with lady bug dots. What’s one advantage of wearing red and black in a sea of pink? “We can find each other! We stand out and people remember us.”

Lookin’ great, Lady Jugs!

We have to say hats off to the team Power of Pink from Havertown, whose feathery contraptions lit up the balmy gray skies in Philly. It initially took 45 minutes to craft the first iteration, and then once they had a prototype, they said creating the feathered hats was fast. “We made a little template, glued feathers to it, and then started sticking feathers through the hats. We wanted to go big this year! This is our take on the fascinators from England. Duchess Kate was our inspiration,” a team member said. Do they have any advice for those DIYing their own fashion for the 3-Day? “Make sure it’s comfortable! You can’t have anything poking you or else it will be a long 60 miles.” Like the Lady Jugs, the Power of Pink team also loves that a unique look sets you apart from the crowd. “We had no problem finding anybody anywhere. We can see the hat, even if there are hundreds of people at the pit stop!”

The power of pink!

Another team that caught our eye were the Jersey Shoe Breast Friends. While their shell bras were purchased, they hand-crafted their tee-shirts, clipping off little sections and adding beads for a delightful fringe. They also glued starfish and shells to their pink caps, and like the Lady Jugs, they also had a different outfit for each day.

Breast Friends

No matter your fashion choice for the 3-Day, we always recommend that you spend some time training and moving in your outfit. While a frilly, feathered frock may look amazing, you’ll want to make sure you’ll feel amazing, too, as you boldly take on an incredible 60-mile journey. We love seeing the fun looks of our 3-Day family, but we know that no matter what, they’ll always look great to us; because courage, kindness, and hope are always in style.

17 Reasons Why It’s Great to be a Guy on the 3-Day

It’s true that the majority of Susan G. Komen 3-Day® participants are women, but the Komen 3-Day is no “girls only” club. In fact, some of the most dedicated 3-Day® participants are men, and being a dude in our pink world has its advantages.

You never have an issue fitting 3 days worth of stuff into a 35-pound bag.
It’s perfectly acceptable to talk about boobs without getting slapped.
If you offer a free foot rub, you’ll have a line of women begging you for one.
There is nothing you could possibly do that would make you seem “unmanly.” Even this.
Where else can you spend two nights sleeping next to hundreds of women and not get in trouble with your wife?
You never have to wait in line for the shower.
You are the only ones who know what that “special sink” in the porta-potties is for.
You can try out great new pick-up lines like, “Come to this pit stop often?” and “Know any good groin stretches?”
This.
Everyone wants to dance with you on Saturday night.
Hours of conversation with women gives you priceless (and sometimes scary) insight into the female mind.
You’ve always wondered what it felt like to wear a bra, and the 3-Day is a safe place for you to explore.
Dr. Sheri looks up to you. Literally.
You can finally feel safe talking about your favorite Real Housewife without your buddies finding out.
A photo of you on the 3-Day will look great on your online dating profile.
Chicks dig guys in pink.
Breast cancer is a men’s issue too, and when a cure is found, you’ll know you were part of it.

For help with this list, we got some very entertaining input and ideas from a few gentlemen who have seen it all on the 3-Day. Each of these fellas has walked the entire 3-Day series in a single year:

George N. (12 events in 2007)