The Crew Behind Memorial Mile

Alicia and Tim are members of the 3-Day crew who make Memorial Mile come to life along the route.

Memorial Mile is the most reflective part of the Susan G. Komen 3-Day®. It’s where the cheers stop, the conversations fade and participants walk through a stretch of the route lined with signs honoring those who have died from breast cancer.

While participants experience Memorial Mile for only a few quiet moments, a dedicated crew spends hours carefully preparing every tribute sign — each one representing a loved one remembered by the Pink Bubble.

“Memorial Mile is a very important part of the walk,” said Alicia M., who joined the 3-Day in 2010. “It’s a reminder in the middle of the walk of why we’re all here.”

A portion of Memorial Mile at the 2025 Boston 3-Day.

When participants reach Memorial Mile on Day 2, they have already walked nearly 30 miles. Some stop to find the sign of a family member or friend they are walking in memory of, while others take time to read the names and faces of people they never met. It’s a bittersweet stretch of the 3-Day that serves as a powerful reminder of the reason thousands of participants commit to walking up to 60 miles.

Tim P., who has been a part of the 3-Day for 16 years, said Memorial Mile’s placement is intentional.

“It’s that halfway point where participants are ready for a pick-me-up,” Tim said. “After 25 or 30 miles, your body is questioning if you can keep going. Then you reach Memorial Mile and you’re reminded of why you’re walking. That’s where the saying, ‘Blisters are better than chemo,’ really hits home.”

Long before participants reach Memorial Mile, crew members like Alicia and Tim have already spent hours making sure every tribute is displayed with dignity.

A stretch of Memorial Mile along the Susan G. Komen 3-Day.

“We never let the signs sit on the ground,” Tim said. “They’re always held or placed on carpet in a vehicle until we’re ready to put them up. We’re very disciplined in how they’re displayed, how they’re hung and even making sure the zip ties are trimmed neatly. Since we don’t get to walk Memorial Mile, it’s our way of honoring the people they represent.”

Before joining the crew, Alicia and Tim walked the 3-Day together more than 15 times, giving them firsthand insight into what participants experience when they see Memorial Mile.

Alicia and Tim have participated in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for more than 15 years.

For Alicia, the meaning of Memorial Mile has grown over the years.

“I’ve lost people that I’ve walked and crewed with over the years,” she said. “So, it seems like every time I turn around, I have another reason why.”

That personal connection made watching a powerful rainstorm pummel last November’s San Diego 3-Day especially difficult. Crew members rushed to protect the tribute signs they carefully assembled as heavy winds and rain swept across the route.

Rain at the 2025 San Diego 3-Day.

“The weather was awful. We were dealing with heavy, heavy rain, heavy wind,” Alicia said.

“But even in the chaos of the rain and the flooding, people still stopped,” Tim said, fighting back tears. “They didn’t run through it. They still stopped to pay their respects. That’s why it’s so important to have it no matter what.”

The signs of Memorial Mile along the beach in San Diego at the Susan G. Komen 3-Day.

Moments like that are why Tim and Alicia continue coming back to the 3-Day year after year.

“It’s just a safe place in this big, crazy, chaotic world where you get to just be in the Pink Bubble and unite for all the goodness,” Tim said. “That’s why we keep coming back.”

Members of the 3-Day crew setting up Memorial Mile at the Susan G. Komen 3-Day.

For more information about the 3-Day visit the3day.org.

How Sweep Vans Support Walkers at the 3-Day

Donna and Denise's sweep van at the Denver 3-Day. The theme was Wizard of Oz.

When participants arrive at the Susan G. Komen 3-Day®, they’re determined to take on an unforgettable journey of walking up to 60 miles. But sometimes exhaustion, an unexpected injury, weather-related route closures or simply needing a moment to recharge can make it difficult for walkers to stay on the route.

That’s where the sweep vans come in.

Throughout the 3-Day weekend, sweep vans monitor the route for walkers who need a break and provide transportation to another section of the route. While some walkers choose to use a sweep van if an unexpected challenge arises, others incorporate them into their event plan from the start. No matter the reason, sweep van crews are ready to offer a lift, encouragement and a warm welcome when a 3-Day walker steps inside.

More Than Just a Ride

Denise and Donna dressed in costume near their Wizard of Oz sweep van at the Komen 3-Day.

Like many parts of the 3-Day, sweep vans embrace the spirit of the Pink Bubble. Crews often decorate their vans, wear costumes and create fun themes to lift walkers’ moods and to keep the energy going all weekend.

At last year’s Denver 3-Day, Donna K. and Denise S. decorated their sweep van based on the Wizard of Oz. The pair dressed in costumes including Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion and the Tin Man, plus Glinda and Elphaba and greeted walkers with music and gave them small gifts.

“My son 3-D printed these red badges of courage, and we passed those out to everybody as they came in the van,” Donna said.

Donna and Denise in the 3-Day sweep van supporting walkers.

For Donna, who has been participating in the 3-Day as a walker since 2006 and crews in at least one city a year, supporting walkers from a sweep van gave her a new perspective.

“There’s some people that absolutely will not get in a sweep van,” Donna said. “That was me when I first started doing the walk. I wanted to do all the miles. But after a while, you realize that walking is just secondary to the experience and that you need to listen to your body. If you’re having struggles, it’s OK to get in a sweep van.”

Although many participants are hesitant to ride a sweep van because of their determination to complete all 60 miles on foot, Donna encourages walkers to view the vans as tool to help them succeed.

A Different Way to Give Back

Donna and Denise behind the wheel of their 3-Day sweep van dressed in costume.

Denise is no stranger to the 3-Day. Inspired by her mother’s breast cancer diagnosis, she participated in the event for years and completed approximately 15 walks. But last year’s Denver 3-Day marked her first time serving on the crew.

Crewing alongside Donna in the sweep van gave Denise a new appreciation for the support crew members provide to walkers.

“I think one thing I would like people to know is how good it makes the people in the sweep vans feel when somebody comes in our van,” Denise said. “We are there driving the vans and we are there hanging around to help when they need us. And it felt good when we were able to do that.”

This year, Donna and Denise will be back behind the wheel of their Wizard of Oz-themed sweep van at the Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day. Their message to walkers is simple: Don’t be afraid to accept support.

Taking a sweep van doesn’t mean your 3-Day journey is over. Sometimes a quick break is all you need to keep moving toward the finish line.

Denise and Donna outside their sweep van on the yellow brick road they set up.

To learn more about the 3-Day, visit the3day.org.

Carl B.’s Journey to His 40th 3-Day

Carl B. and his fellow 3-Day walkers in Dallas.

When Carl B. first signed up for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day® in 2006, he had a deeply personal reason for participating. Nearly two decades later, he’s still showing up, even though the circumstances that first brought him to the event have changed.

“I did my first 3-Day in Boston two years after my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, but when we separated, I questioned if this was still my mission,” Carl said.

As he thought about that question, he found out that Teresa, a friend he had met through the 3-Day community, had passed away. Seeing her last Facebook post felt like a sign.

“She left this poignant last Facebook post. I still go back and look at it for inspiration every so often. It’s still there, 12 years later,” Carl said. “She told her friends and family about hospice and about trying to keep her comfortable, and she ended it with, ‘I pray for better treatments.’”

Carl B. also creates art inspired by his 3-Day journey.

Carl’s artwork inspired by the 3-Day.

Carl said Teresa’s words reminded him that the mission was bigger than his own story.

“I haven’t looked back since,” he said.

Over the years, his connection with the 3-Day community has only grown stronger.

“After I got divorced, I had a whole new social circle enter my life. And Lord, probably 15% of them are affected by breast cancer and a few of them have died,” Carl said. “It’s such a huge factor in my life, and some of my best friends in the world are people I’ve met on the 3-Day. I just can’t imagine not doing it.”

To honor his friends who have died from breast cancer, many of whom he met through the 3-Day, Carl has a band of pink ribbons tattooed around his arm.

Carl B. with his pink beard at the Boston 3-Day.

Now in his early 60s, Carl is looking forward to walking his 40th 3-Day at the Tampa Bay event in 2027.

“I think that everybody needs to do something to make the world a better place,” Carl said. “So, I’ve been doing this for the past 20 plus years and I really enjoy it.”

Carl said being immersed in the Pink Bubble has also encouraged him to keep a closer eye on his own health.

“I do check myself and I try to be aware of everything going on with my body,” he said. “I think that’s really the best way to detect something early.”

Carl B. and members of the Pink Bubble at the San Diego 3-Day halfway mark.