Tag Archives: San Diego

Thoughts From the Top of a San Diego Hill

Anyone who has walked in the San Diego 3-Day knows of the route’s infamous population of hills. The peaks treat San Diego walkers to some really breathtaking vistas and views of the Pacific Coast, but getting to the top can be grueling sometimes. Yesterday on Day 1, walkers conquered the notorious Torrey Pines hill, and Day 2 has its share of hefty inclines, including a doozy between the 5 and 6 mile marks. We positioned ourselves at the top this little slope and asked walkers how they felt at the top. The positivity of (most of) their answers surprised and delighted us!susan g. komen 3-Day breast cancer walk blog thoughts from the top of a hill san diego

“It’s a beautiful hill.”

“Way to wake us up!”

“Best hill of the day.”

“Was that the best you guys could do?”

“Not bad! I don’t mind hills.”

“Awesome, love it every year!”

“Not long enough!”

“I loved it, we need more!”susan g. komen 3-Day breast cancer walk blog thoughts from the top of a hill san diego

“Nice hill! We’re from Seattle, that was a nice hill.”

“Fantastic. Can we have another?”

“We love it! Good one!”

“You’re the devil…” (But she was smiling when she said it, so we take that as a positive!)

“Loved it! Same as last year. Still steep.”

“Can’t wait to do more in a few minutes. I’m thinking about going back down and doing it again.”

“Better now that we’re at the top!”

“That was a good little warm up.”

“The down side is worse than this.”

“We rocked that hill!”

“What hill?”

“I did not feel anything, I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”

“I’m gonna hitch a ride down with a sweep and do it again!”

“As long as we don’t roll back down, we’re good!”

“Bring it on!”

“Whoever put this on the route, we’re gonna hurt…” (Can we just put that down as a good-hearted, harmless threat?)

“Easy peasy, lemon squeezy!”susan g. komen 3-Day breast cancer walk blog thoughts from the top of a hill san diego

And finally, an adorable couple approached, holding hands, and we asked if they held hands the whole way up. “A good part of it. We were kind of dragging each other.” Sounds like teamwork at its best!

Congrats and thank you to ALL of the San Diego walkers on all of the peaks you’ve conquered this weekend. Can’t wait to do it all again with you (including more hills…) tomorrow!

Congratulations to the San Diego 3-Day Top Fundraisers!

In the early hours of Day 1 of the Susan G. Komen 3-Day® in San Diego, there was some concern that the weather was not going to cooperate. After a rainy night and early morning, the Opening Ceremony site was covered with puddles and a light drizzle continued to fall. But by the time the Ceremony had begun, the dark clouds had passed, leaving a dazzling blue sky and stunning sunrise. The change from gloomy to glorious was a fitting parallel to what many Komen 3-Day participants experience in their fundraising journeys: a concerning start, followed shortly by a lifting of the clouds and dazzling prospects ahead.

If that analogy is true for the average 3-Day® fundraiser, it’s even more fitting for the top fundraisers for the San Diego 3-Day, individuals and teams who shine through the clouds more brightly than anyone.

Top Individual Fundraiser

Susan G. komen 3-Day breast cancer walk blog san diego top fundraisers individual

Michelle (center), the Top Individual Fundraiser in San Diego

Michelle B., the captain of Team Michelle, has made remarkable strides in her five years as a 3-Day walkers. This year, she earned the distinction of top individual fundraiser, bringing in an amazing $42,212. Across her five events, she has raised a lifetime total of $57,072. In addition to growing her fundraising total, Michelle has grown her team from 14 their first year (2010) to 35 this year, including her nephew, who traveled from Kansas with his mom to participate as part of the San Diego Youth Corps this weekend.

Top Fundraising Team

Susan G. komen 3-Day breast cancer walk blog san diego top fundraisers team Powered by Optimism

Representatives from PBO (left three), including team captain Amy B. (center)

It’s hard to walk around the San Diego 3-Day without seeing the name Powered by Optimism. The San Diego 3-Day’s largest team with 109 members, Powered by Optimism, or PBO as they’re known, was also the top fundraising team in San Diego this year, raising $302,745. The team, led by captain Amy B. (who was also the Top Training Walk Leader in San Diego this year) is in its 5th year as team, and has raised a grand total of $901,291 in that time. Wow!

Top Crew Fundraiser

Susan G. komen 3-Day breast cancer walk blog san diego top fundraisers crew

Top Crew Fundraiser, Carol B. (left)

It’s worth mentioning, in case anyone isn’t aware, that 3-Day crew members, while encouraged to raise moneyas part of their crew commitment, are not required to raise a cent. This reality makes the $15,017 that was raised by Top Crew Fundraiser Carol B., all the more astonishing. Carol, a member of the Traffic Control crew team, is participating in her 9th event over her 8 years with the 3-Day, and is a 10 year survivor.

(Side note: In addition to Carol, there are two other crew members who have raised more than $10,000 in San Diego this year. Our heartfelt thanks go to Lori O. and Sandi S., both members of the sweep crew team, who each raised $10,102.01, more than 3 times what is required of individual walkers. Amazing!)

Congratulations to all of these extraordinary members of the 3-Day family, and every San Diego 3-Day participant who raised money this year. With you, we are all that much closer to our goal of ending breast cancer in our lifetimes.

Meet the San Diego 3-Day Coaches

Every Susan G. Komen 3-Day® event has a core team of three coaches, each of whom plays a different role in helping our walkers and crew members prepare for the Komen 3-Day. For months, these dedicated staffers have been having personal conversations with walkers to help them with their training and fundraising, have hosted dozens of local events to bring participants together and build a community of encouragement, and have organized and inspired the amazing team of crew captains and crew members.

Let’s meet the coaches for the San Diego 3-Day®!

Kim Collings – San Diego Local Events Coachsusan g. komen 3-Day breast cancer walk 60 miles blog meet the coaches san diego kim collings

Describe your job in 10 words or fewer. – “Inspiring people to participate in the 3-Day and helping them believe they CAN! #thisisnotworkitsapassion”

We’re about a week from the San Diego 3-Day. What’s a typical day like for you these days? – “There are so many fun last minute preparations for a great event. I am assigning private cheer stations, finding and confirming entertainment, working with camp angels, acquiring goodies for camp, calling participants to ask them to be part of the ceremonies and making daily trips to the post office to pick up camp mail. I feel a bit like Santa every day at this time of year.”
What are 3 things that we didn’t know about you? – “1) I was one of the kids that got to test the Atari games before they were released to the public. Yes, I got to play Pac Man and Donkey Kong first!; 2) I have to start my day with a cup of coffee and peanut butter on toast or I go a little bonkers; 3) I am actually very introverted and being in front of large groups or attending crowded events makes me nervous.”

 

Staci Roos – San Diego Participant Coachsusan g. komen 3-Day breast cancer walk 60 miles blog meet the coaches san diego staci roos

Describe your job in 10 words or fewer. – “Empower, motivate, inspire, reassure and troubleshoot; all alongside fantastic participants!”

We’re about a week from the San Diego 3-Day. What’s a typical day like for you these days? – “A typical day is spent doing everything I listed above. In this week leading up to the event my days are heavy on reassure and troubleshoot. 😉 The greatest thing? Knowing, without a doubt, that the promises I’ve made about how incredible the experience is going to be will all be fulfilled. I’ve enjoyed making a lot of virtual friendships this season; we have participants coming from across the United States to walk in San Diego and many of them have promised me a hug or handshake. I intend to take them all up on it!”

What are 3 things that we didn’t know about you? – “1) I grew up in San Diego and have lived here most of my life, but I’ve also lived in New York (Long Island) and San Francisco for extended periods of time; 2) My running playlist includes everything from Led Zeppelin to the Black Eyed Peas, Guns n’ Roses to Eminem, and The Beatles to the Scorpions. (And for those of you coming from Boston – OF COURSE!); 3) My motto: There is nothing wrong with candy corn and coffee for breakfast.”

 

Nanette Schlarmann – San Diego Crew & Volunteer Coordinatorsusan g. komen 3-Day breast cancer walk 60 miles blog meet the coaches san diego nanette schlarmann

Describe your job in 10 words or fewer. – “Leading an extraordinary 3-Day Crew to awesomeness.”

We’re about a week from the San Diego 3-Day. What’s a typical day like for you these days? – “My inbox is creating a beautiful song from the notifications it’s receiving on a daily basis. Needless to say, I’m fielding many last minute questions, and am eyeball deep into spreadsheets (have to stay organized, don’t laugh…I’m trying here!), and numerous phone calls to make sure that I share information with my team. Needless to say, it’s VERY busy. ”

What are 3 things that we didn’t know about you? – “1) If I could do anything in the world, I’d sing on Broadway; 2) I was a cheerleader back in my younger days. Eons ago; 3) I’m a Harry Potter fanatic. All 7 of my Harry Potter books sit proudly on my bookshelf. The kids are not allowed to take them without asking. My patronus is a cat. BuzzFeed told me so.”

 

Going to be at the San Diego 3-Day? Come meet coaches Kim and Staci at two special meet-and-greets, on Friday and Saturday in camp, 5:30-6:30 p.m., in the 3-Day Lounge.