Tag Archives: San Diego

Meet Your San Diego 3-Day Coaches

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Coach Marianne and friends

If you’ve been following along with your San Diego 3-Day coaches on social media, you already know they’re a pretty fun group (who know how to work it for Facebook Live)! But there’s so much more than a cute profile picture to Coaches Marianne Masterson, Amy Schwager and Staci Roos! Before our California 3-Dayers arrive at our final Opening Ceremony on Friday, here are some things you need to know about your coaches.

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Coach Amy at right

They Are More Than Pink

Each of the coaches has a deep and long-standing connection to the 3-Day. Staci and Amy both began walking in 2002, Staci in honor of her mother-in-law, who had been diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer that year.

After her first walk, Amy was hooked.

“After 60 long miles and a few blisters, I can truly say it was an unforgettable journey that I will cherish forever. It was after that experience that I knew I had to be involved in this event any way I could.”

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Coach Marianne at left

Marianne also has a very personal connection to the cause.

“All six of my sisters have had breast cancer, every one of them.  I lost my sister, Sheila, four years ago to this disease; two of my sisters have had reoccurrences. All of them continue to live with the fear of reoccurrence.

When my sisters’ breast cancer diagnoses began materializing, one after the other, I felt helpless against this disease.  I worried about the toll it would take on our family.  I feared the impact it would have on our children and whether our daughters would also carry this burden, as my sisters have.  So, I laced up my shoes and began walking towards a cure!”

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Coach Staci

They are each other’s cheerleaders

Staci says her fellow coaches are “inspiring to a T. They work tirelessly in pursuit of an incredible experience for all of our amazing participants; walkers, crew and volunteers alike.”

Amy describes Staci as someone who “always always always finding the time to support our participants to make sure they are successful with their fundraising and training, so they ultimately end up having the opportunity to experience the magic of the 3-Day.”

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Coach Amy at right

When asked about Coach Marianne, Amy says, “Marianne is always ready for whatever challenge is presented to her. She has an easy-going personality that makes you feel comfortable instantly. Her enthusiasm for the 3-Day is contagious and she has sprinkled the San Diego community with her love all season long.”

Marianne rounds out the group, speaking glowingly of her teammates.

“I knew Amy and Staci were amazing already, but now that I work so closely with them, I absolutely worship them!  Not only do they have a wealth of knowledge about the walk, they are incredibly dedicated. I love Amy with her trucker hats and sweet smile, and Staci with her easy confidence, and that she’s a dog lover!”

Talk about sharing the love!

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Coach Amy

They have a sweet tooth

Coach Amy’s favorite food is “any flavor” of cupcakes!

Marianne loves ice cream almost as much as she loves spending time at the ocean with family, and her favorite flavors “will have nuts and chewy chunky goodness.”

When we asked Coach Staci for a food, she asked “Is candy corn considered food…?”

So, if you see them on the route, feel free to share a sugary snack!

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Coach Marianne and family

You want them in your book club!

Recommendations from the coaches for books to read this winter are…

  • “I Know This Much is True” and “She’s Come Undone” from author Wally Lamb are favorites of Coach Marianne
  • “Tell the Wolves I am Home” by Carol Rifka Brunt was “Just. So. Good.” according to Coach Amy, although she is a dedicated reader whenever she can find the time, so it was hard for her to pick just one option!
  • Coach Staci is a huge fan of Isabelle Allende (“The House of the Spirits” is a favorite) and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. She’s also been known to binge-read from Oprah’s book list.
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Coach Staci

Learn more about the coaches, and ask them for more book recommendations, on their Facebook page! Or, ask them when you see them this weekend!

2017 San Diego 3-Day Route Preview

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Our final 3-Day of the year is next weekend, and we are so excited to be heading back to the West Coast for the 2017 San Diego 3-Day. As the date fast approaches, we are giving a sneak peek at our amazing 60-mile route, which will have walkers immersing themselves in the many beautiful sights and locations of San Diego.

Event Manager, Merideth Parker walked her first 3-Day in San Diego (she’s now a three-time walker!) and so is very happy to welcome all our participants next weekend.

It will all begin at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, which was just home to the Breeder’s Cup race, and is a source of great local pride and excitement.

Merideth enthuses, “It’s also the home of the Del Mar Fair every summer! It’s just a great, festive location that’s home to a lot of iconic events for the city. It’s a big, open space that’s perfect for us!”

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After the Opening Ceremony, walkers will make their way along the coastline and through Torrey Pines State Beach. Also, keep an eye out for a fun cheering station at En Fuego Cantina Restaurant!

Other highlights involve some local sea life! The seals and the tide pools at La Jolla cove are always a high point on the day.

Merideth also says to look out for the Bird Rock section of Pacific Beach.

“I used to live there, and it has had a resurgence and become its own little village in recent years. It’s very cool and hip!”

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Then we will arrive at our camp site at Crown Point Shores, which has been such a wonderful location for the last few years.

Merideth says, “It’s along the shoreline of Siesta Bay so you’ll get beautiful views of the bay, and the little islands there! We’re so grateful to be coming back! The residents of Crown Point have been so welcoming us for more than a decade, and we can’t wait to bring our sea of pink back to the park.”

It’s the perfect nice, quiet spot nestled in the nature of the park that will be a great camping grounds for a great night’s sleep.

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Day Two will take walkers through Ocean and Mission Beach, which holds one of Merideth’s favorite spots on the whole route!

“Get ready for Sunset Cliff as you go through Ocean Beach. There’s a turn onto Ladera Street, where you go down a hill, and the views are just spectacular. It’s a great coastline view!”

There will also be lots of local cheering stations to keep spirits high and smiles on everyone’s faces!

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Day Three will kick off with more cheering stations and an amazing photo opportunity at Mormon Battalion. Walkers will then make their way through Old Town, which Merideth says is always a favorite.

“I also love Mission Hills, and walkers will have to be a little quieter here, but it’s known for its craftsman-style bungalows that are just gorgeous. I have a favorite house on every street!”

Your Instagram feed will thank you there, and as our walk ends in Little Italy!

“There’s also a section just before the Closing Ceremony in Little Italy, that rivals many other Italian neighborhoods I have seen,” says Merideth. “You don’t have to get on a plane to enjoy delicious food from Italy! It’s all right there in San Diego!”

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There will be a small change in Day Three’s route that will also make our day a little shorter. Walkers will rejoice over the shorter mileage on the day, as we have made an update near the San Diego River Pathway. Walkers will now stay on Morena Boulevard to keep them safe and make their feet happy.

The day ends at our Closing Ceremony, which for the second year will be at Waterfront Park.

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Merideth explains, “It’s right on the harbor, across the street from Embarcadero, which is a waterfront area that hosts the Maritime Museum and the Star of India full-rigged sailing ship. The spot will make for excellent photos!

The park is relatively new to the San Diego landscape, and is close to Little Italy and the Gaslamp Quarter, which are perfect places to celebrate with friends and family after your 60-mile journey!”

We are so excited to celebrate with San Diego all weekend long, and end our 2017 3-Day season making bold strides together towards a cure for breast cancer.

3-Day Besties, Tracie and Kristin

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We say it often, but the 3-Day truly is better with friends. It’s a journey that we all take together, but having your bestie by your side for the 60 miles makes the journey even more fun. Sunday is International Day of Friendship, so it’s the perfect time to ask a friend to walk with you this year! If you need more reasons to convince your best friend to walk with you, we have two: Tracie Audifferen and Kristin Naour Duvall.

These two ladies have been walking the San Diego 3-Day for five years, and, after meeting on a training walk, they’re now also best friends!

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Tracie began walking years ago, after a sorority sister was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer.

“I had always seen the commercials, but this was someone who made it real for me,” she says.

In her second-year walking, she joined the Powered by Optimism team, where she met Kristin.

Previously, Kristin’s connection to the 3-Day came from supporting her mom, aunts and cousins who all participated. She began walking in 2012, initially planning to only walk for one day. She joined Powered by Optimism and changed her mind one hour into her first training walk.

“It was the most fun day and most fun walk ever! I knew I couldn’t miss out on this, and immediately changed my status from walking one day to all 3 days!”

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From there, both she and Tracie were hooked members of the Powered by Optimism team. So much so that they were both, separately, driving 25 miles each way to the team’s training walks. Until they met each other…

“We were commiserating about the drive to the walks, and both were looking for someone to carpool with! And all this time we were driving the same streets!” Tracie explains.

“We really got to know each other through driving to our training walks!” Kristin echoes. “It was early mornings, and we were all exhausted on the way there, and then on the rides back we would pop a couple Pepsis and be goofy and fun!”

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From there, the friendship grew. Tracie credits her friendship with Kristin for bringing her out from the sadness of losing her sorority sister.

“Kristin is just a light, and I am like a moth to that light. She was instantly engaging and joyful and spirited. It took me out of the sadness of why I was walking to be with this person who is just joyful!”

Tracie continued, “I was blessed to find a brand new friend in the midst in that sadness! Over the past almost 5 years, our friendship has just grown. Komen was always the hub, but outside of that, our friendship grew. Everything else were just spokes to that hub.”

That hub is reinforced every year that they walk the 3-Day together.

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“You have over 2,000 people in San Diego, but if you’re walking with a friend, you can allay any fears and concerns you might have about this journey. And on the other hand, you get to experience everything with someone else who knows you!” Tracie says.

“You’re also celebrating! You celebrate in the evening in your pajamas and in the mess hall tent and when it’s 6 am and you’re crawling out of this pink tent but you’re already laughing. You celebrate dealing with blisters and meeting new people, and getting stickers and treats and fun from people along the route. Those memories are so clear, and you get to experience them with friends!

It also makes the fundraising easier, and those days when you don’t want to train easier. Your friends get why you’re involved, and they understand what you need to keep pushing yourself to be better.”

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It also gives their personal friendship new depth, per Kristin.

“Our friendships because of 3-Day are deeper. We share so much on walks that has transferred into our personal friendship off the walk. Those deep connections that you make on the walk, it makes those friendships so much stronger because you have shared the deepest parts of your soul. You share things that you wouldn’t normally share when you’re out walking and you’re tired and vulnerable.”

Both women are looking forward to continuing to share these emotions with each other, and their team mates, on this year’s 3-Day. One team mate will be especially important for Kristin: her new husband!

“This year is really special for me. My mom’s first year, I had just started dating someone, so his first experience with it was my first experience of the 3-Day. Two years ago, right before the 3-Day we got engaged, and last year we got married! He’s been a pseudo member of our 3-Day team for years, and this year he’s walking with us! This is the coolest thing ever! Our team has been on this journey with us.”

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Of course her husband is a special case, but Kristin says this feeling of inclusivity is at the heart of her 3-Day experience.

“That’s my favorite part of the 3-Day: Sharing it with new people. Seeing them see it for the first time is just amazing.”

Tracie agrees, and invites every San Diego 3-Dayer to join their bestie crew this year!

“My goal for our team is, I want us to be the most joyful and magnetic team! I want people who are walking alone or just walking with one friend, I want them to join us. I don’t want to be a team that’s exclusive of itself.

I want our team to be what Kirstin has been to me. To be that light that others are attracted to.”

Kristin and Tracie are both sources of friendship and light for each other, and all they meet on the 3-Day. We can’t wait to see them out on the trail again this year!

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