2018 Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day Route Preview

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Lone Star State, we are coming for you! We are so excited to be heading to Dallas/Fort Worth this weekend and know that Susan G. Komen’s home city is going to be a great spot for a 60-mile walk. Event Planner Eileen Barnick has been preparing all year to make this coming weekend the best 3-Day possible, and she can’t wait to share the route with all the participants.

But she can’t share everything….

“Throughout the weekend, there will be some surprises and exciting ‘wow’ moments, but I don’t want to give those away ahead of time. They will be a surprise that I know all the participants will love. You’ll just have to walk and see!”

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For example, Day One is almost completely brand new this year! We will be starting at Tostitos Championship Plaza at The Star. This is Dallas Cowboys Headquarters, and Eileen can think of no better place to kick off the 3-Day.

“This is going to be so cool! In my unbiased opinion, it might be the best Opening Ceremony we have all year. The energy is just amazing and it’s going to be so fantastic.”

Our Opening Ceremony will take place in Frisco, which has been booming lately! As we leave the Plaza, we will be walking along the Star Boulevard. There will be lots of coffee shops along the way, so walkers can get their java fix as they leave the Opening Ceremony.

Walkers will then enter Hall Park, which is a sculpture park. It also has water sculptures, which are so cool! The first two miles of the day will have plenty of exciting sights to see and lots of opportunities for photos.

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Later, we will walk by Dr Pepper Ballpark, which is where the RoughRiders play. There will be some special surprises there, but Eileen won’t give too much away! We will also pass the Bank of America headquarters in the morning, so look out for a cheering station there.

Arbor Hills Nature Preserve will be the perfect trail to lead us into lunch at Timber Glen Park.

Pit Stop 4 on Day One will also be Pit Stop 1 on Saturday, so walkers can get nice and familiar with one of our favorite parks: Les Lacs Park in Addison. From there we will head into our cozy camp at Brookhaven College.

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The Day Two route is shorter (yay!) without losing all the beautiful spots in the suburbs around Dallas, like Farmer’s Branch and Addison. We will be walking through Addison over the course of the day, especially Addison Circle Park, which is just beautiful.

Eileen thinks everyone will love the walk on Keller Springs Road, which will take us towards lunch. And we will be arriving at lunch sooner, which is always great!

After lunch at Campbell Green Park & Recreation Center, the afternoon will take walkers through Vitruvian Park, which will have a cheering station and great photo opportunities. After a long day, friends and family (and those Bank of America massage chairs!) will be waiting at camp.23215792_10159599674780392_6172782628111656467_oDay Three on Sunday, we have left untouched and have made no real changes because we have had such positive feedback from walkers from last year.

We will begin the day with a short bus ride, dropping off at Walnut Hill Recreation Center and walk into Dallas through some gorgeous historic neighborhoods. If you love architecture and beautiful homes, you are going to have so many pretty sights to see!

After lunch, we will head into downtown Dallas and see historic sights like Dealey Plaza, the Giant Eyeball sculpture (great for photos!), the Omni and more. Eileen promises lots of photo opportunities all day long!

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The Participant Finish Area and Closing Ceremony will once again be at The Lawn at Reunion Tower. We got such great feedback on this last year, so we had to come back!

If you hang around after the Closing Ceremony as the sun sets, you might see some last bits of Dallas pink support for us, too! It will be the perfect finish to an amazing 3-Day weekend.

 

2018 Atlanta 3-Day Route Preview

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We’re taking the 3-Day down South and heading to Atlanta this week! Our whole team is excited to welcome all our participants and know it will be a great three days (or four days for our amazing Crew!). Before we start our 60-mile journey, Event Manager Melanie Toner is giving us a sneak peek at the route, which will feature some fun new changes in 2018.

The Opening Ceremony will once again be at Stone Mountain Park, which is a picturesque and iconic location to start our weekend. We will start along a paved walking path through the park and continue to utilize path trails as we walk through the smaller towns of Clarkston and Avondale Estates. Melanie is hoping this will provide pretty views as well as being easier on our walkers’ feet and legs as they kick off the 3-Day.

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While there is abundant shade, there are also some hills, so remember to stretch and hydrate whenever you can. In the afternoon, we’ll continue into downtown Decatur and the hilly, scenic neighborhoods of North Decatur, Emory Village, Virginia Highland. In Emory Village, walkers will pass by Emory University, as well as the Winship Cancer Institute. Keep an eye out for local cheering supporters there!

We’ll finish our day by taking to the urban sidewalks of downtown Atlanta, traveling through the Historic Fourth Ward Park and then will weave through the city to camp at the Georgia World Congress Center. We will have a celebratory night full of dancing, fun, and cozy indoor camping after Day One ends. Melanie is excited to be there to welcome all our walkers home at the end of a great day!

The Day Two route continues to provide us with plenty of shade as we walk northeast towards Buckhead and Piedmont Heights. Then the route will level off slightly through the neighborhoods surrounding Buckhead and go to Granite Properties – the home of the Atlanta Komen Affiliate for a route stop with them!

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After leaving Granite Properties, we will begin to walk west through Tuxedo Park and Castle Wood, making our way through the Woodfield and Springlake neighborhoods. Trinity Presby Church will serve as a lunch stop and the point where we walk south towards the Georgia World Congress Center.

Atlanta’s Northside Beltline Trail will surely be an afternoon highlight with its old-fashioned train trestle. Melanie encourages walkers to take time to really soak in the experience of that trail.

As we make our way back into the city via Peachtree Street, we are once again walking in urban Midtown before returning to downtown’s Georgia World Congress Center.

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Day Three is a favorite of Melanie’s and she can’t wait to hear feedback on the new route!

“We heard feedback from our post-event surveys from last year and we created a whole new Day Three for you with a new Closing Ceremony site! And we think people will be really excited about it!”

The Day Three route heads east through downtown Atlanta, past Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Park, his tomb and birth home. Melanie is very glad to be including these highlights again this year.

“We didn’t walk by this area last year, and we wanted to make sure to bring this back. We’re delighted that the new route allows us to walk by these important historic landmarks.”

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Trails then take us through Freedom Park before stopping for lunch in Druid Hills. From there, we head north through Virginia-Highland and then west through the gorgeous neighborhoods of Ansley Park before completing the final steady climb along Peachtree Road. It will be celebratory last hill to end the 3-Day on a (literal) high note.

The route on Day Three also goes past two of Atlanta’s Tiny Doors, a public art installation bringing “big wonder to tiny spaces.”

“Definitely keep an eye out so you don’t miss them!” Melanie says. “It’s so fun and a little bit of Atlanta culture that’s going on right now.”

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The Closing Ceremony this year will be taking place at the Atlanta International School, which is a fun new location to celebrate the end of an amazing weekend.

Melanie says, “We call can’t wait for participants to see the new Closing Ceremony location and I think it will be just the update everyone is looking for. We couldn’t have asked for a better partner in the school. We just can’t wait for everyone to get here!”

We’re counting down the days, Atlanta! Let’s do this!

2018 Philadelphia 3-Day Route Preview

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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.”

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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.

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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.”

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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.

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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!

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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!