Congratulations to the 2019 San Diego 3-Day Milestone Award Winner, Betsy Sears

Please join us in congratulating our 2019 San Diego Milestone Award Winner; Betsy Sears! The Susan G. Komen 3-Day® Milestone Award is given at each event to a walker or crew member who has an outstanding history of participation in the Komen 3-Day. At the San Diego 3-Day camp show, we presented Betsy with this special honor.

Betsy has been walking in the 3-Day since 2005, most often alongside her friend and team captain Lindsey Bock. Lindsey captains their team, The Ta-Ta’s from KC, and says the whole team is “blessed” to have Betsy on their team.

Lindsey says, “Betsy is so deserving of this recognition for her contributions and commitment to the 3-Day because she is SO busy with her job (she travels all of the time), visiting New Jersey to see her sweet granddaughters and spending time with her adorable Corgi dogs and husband, she STILL makes it a priority to fundraise for the 3-Day. She is an inspiration to all who know her and a loving, caring, sweet, funny and amazing person!”

Their fellow teammate, and Lindsey’s mom, Caryn Firebaugh echoes Lindsey’s love for Betsy, saying, that she “is such a special person and important part of our team. She blesses us on each step of our 60-mile adventure!”

Now let’s hear from Betsy in her own words…

What was your inspiration to do your first 3-Day?

My inspiration was friend and current team captain Lindsey Bock. She was moved to join the walk after an aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer. She invited me to walk with her. I walked that first 60 miles in memory of my mother-in-law who died of breast cancer many years ago.

What has brought you back to the 3-Day year after year?

The diagnoses of friends and family members continues to motivate me – and the desire to make even a small difference with the funds our team raises. I am so inspired by the hundreds of other walkers “all in” for the same reasons.

What is the secret to your 3-Day fundraising success?

I have the most incredibly supportive and generous friends, family and clients . . . AND my employer, Quest Diagnostics, that has a phenomenal matching program.

What is your best advice to anyone walking the 3-Day?

High quality socks and good walking shoes are very important components of a successful blister-free 60 miles. But the most important element is the camaraderie with amazing team members who love and support each other (and like to talk about food, recipes, and fun facts for 60 miles!)

What’s a fun fact about you?

Early in my career in the clinical field, I drew blood from both Bess Truman and Faye Dunaway.

What are the most important lessons you’ve learned on the 3-Day?

You can persevere through any pain and discomfort; it’s not cancer. Despite any hardships in life we might endure, there is always someone worse off who needs our support and encouragement.

Meet Your San Diego 3-Day Coaches

Before we head to the West Coast for the start of the San Diego 3-Day tomorrow, we wanted to make sure you are well acquainted with your local coaches! These are the amazing women who support the walkers and crew members all year round, answering phone calls and emails, hosting community events, assigning crew captains and juggling dozens of other tasks to make sure that the 3-Day is the best weekend of the year. If you don’t know Coaches Jen and Staci, Crew Coordinator Amy and Event Planner Meredith yet, you’re missing out! They are everything that is amazing about the 3-Day family, all wrapped up into one dedicated, supportive and loving team.

Before you lace up your shoes for this weekend, let’s meet your San Diego team, and hear why the 3-Day means so much to them (in their own words) …

What are you most excited for this year?

Coach Amy: Seeing the smiling faces of my sweet crew. It is a magical feeling when you are surrounded by people who desire nothing more than to give all that is asked of them and so much more. That includes the whole 3-Day community, too. The 3-Day is a beautiful example of what happens when you allow love to rule over everything you do!

Coach Staci: I am so excited to welcome participants from afar to my beautiful hometown! Seeing the 3-Day friends I’ve known for years and finally meeting new participants face-to-face is always amazing. I also love watching the 3-Day route come alive with community support.

Coach Jen is at left

What can walkers and Crew look forward to over this weekend?

Coach Meredith: The views, the hills, and the community support. What can I say, there are many reasons why San Diego is “America’s Finest City!”

Coach Jen: The breathtaking natural beauty of Torrey Pines, the newly added Quince Street Bridge on Sunday, and our Closing Ceremony at Waterfront Park, in the shadow of downtown San Diego. It’s going to be the time of our lives!

Coach Amy: So much beauty! The Top of Torrey Pines hill, waves crashing along Sunset Cliffs and sunrise at Mission Bay.

What is your advice for any San Diego 3-Dayers?

Coach Meredith: The 3-Day is an emotional journey as much as it is a physical one. Take a few moments before the walk begins to mentally prepare for the love, support, and emotional connections that are the foundation of the 3-Day community.

Coach Jen: Make time to make new friends. Laugh a lot, but know that it’s okay to cry, too. Be proud of every step you take, every dollar you raised and every minute you volunteer — you are making a difference in the fight to end breast cancer!

What does the 3-Day mean to you?

Coach Amy: It is magical. On the 3-Day, you will experience something that defies explanation. You will be challenged, inspired, pushed harder and appreciated more than you have ever before. It is a magical thing and I wish I could bottle up this magic and sprinkle it all year long!

Coach Staci: People from all walks of life coming together with a common purpose and determination. Yes, we’ll have fun (and lots of it), but the underlying mission of our time together is the unbreakable thread of connection that comes from a desire to make the world a better place.

Tell us about your fellow coaches!

Coach Meredith: I get to work with the DREAM TEAM in San Diego. My fellow coaches are dedicated, have a rich historical knowledge of the 3-Day and are just plain fun to be with!

Coach Jen: The most compassionate and committed women I know! Whether it’s assisting a new local walker, finding the perfect position on our crew or creating the safest and most memorable route for our San Diego 3-Day walkers…they are always ready to help!

Coach Staci: I’m incredibly lucky to work with the most compassionate and smart event professionals there can possibly be. Being able to also call them friends is the icing on top!

2019 San Diego 3-Day Route Preview

Our final 3-Day of the year is coming up this weekend, and we are so excited to be kicking off the 2019 San Diego 3-Day. As Friday fast approaches, we are giving you a sneak peek at our 60-mile route, which will immerse everyone in the stunning sights of San Diego and celebrate the final walk of the year.

Event Manager, Meredith Parker walked her first 3-Day in San Diego years ago, so she (along with all your San Diego coaches) is very happy to welcome all of our participants next weekend. She has big plans for a great weekend ahead!

That starts with our Opening Ceremony, which will once again begin at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. This spot has become a favorite for participants and supporters alike, and we’re excited to once again kick off our journey here.

Day One is very similar to last year, which means that participants need to lace up their shoes for the infamous Torrey Pines hill at the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve!

“Anybody who has ever spent time in San Diego or Torrey Pines knows it’s the most serene piece of coastline. When people I know are visiting the city, I always recommend Torrey Pines. It’s just breathtaking,” Meredith enthuses.

We will also be making our way through Del Mar, which is always so welcoming to our walkers! After lunch at the picturesque Kellogg Park, we will enter La Jolla and spend Friday afternoon walking through the area, including passing Pacific Beach.

Meredith loves that part of the day, saying, “I love walking through La Jolla and going past La Jolla Cove and the tide pools. It’s another spectacular piece of coastline.”

We will finish the day at our outdoor camp site at Crown Point Shores, which has been a wonderful location for the last several years.

“Where else can you camp and get a water view?” Meredith smiles. “It’s the cheapest and greatest waterfront view you can get in San Diego. It’s just so beautiful and a wonderful environment for us all to be together.”

It will make for a cozy spot to spend the night after our first 20 miles. ?

Walkers can then expect some changes on Day Two. After listening to participant feedback from last year, we have worked very closely with the amazing San Diego Police Department to make some updates to Saturday afternoon that we think people will really enjoy.

Because of these updates, our lunch location is now in Bonita Cove! We are very excited about this spot, but Meredith wants to make sure that walkers know that lunch will now be a little later in the day on Saturday. So, be sure to fuel up at breakfast and at the Pit Stops throughout the morning on Day Two.

After lunch, walkers will start seeing those changes as they go along Ocean Front Walk, which will take them through South Mission Beach. In years past, we have stayed along Ocean Front Walk for much of the afternoon, but instead, we will be finishing up Saturday with a walk on Sail Bay. This provides new views and more excitement throughout the afternoon before we come back to camp.

Meredith is most excited for our final Honor Ceremony of the year when we all return to camp on Saturday night. This impactful experience is a new part of the 3-Day this year, and everyone from coaches to participants to family and friends have really appreciated the addition.

“It brings us back to the heart of why we all participate in the 3-Day together,” Meredith explains.

Sunday morning will dawn bright and sunny, bringing walkers to the Northern section of Ocean Front Walk as they make their way through Mission Beach. The boardwalk will be a fun and exciting way to kick off Day Three!

Other highlights include the Juan Street hill, which always leaves walkers with a great feeling of accomplishment — and some serious selfie views — when you reach the top!

In addition, walkers will have the option of crossing the Quince Street Bridge before entering Balboa Park. If you’re scared of heights, we will have shuttles on hand to drive you around, but we really encourage everyone to take advantage of this new portion of our walk!

Our Finish Line and Closing Ceremony will bring our 60-mile journey to a close, once again at Waterfront Park.

We will still be on the West side of the park, which gives us beautiful views of North San Diego Bay. Meredith loves the updates we have made to this final celebration for 2019.

“We have been making changes to make sure this is as an immersive and engaging and intimate Closing Ceremony as possible. We want to close out the year as one big 3-Day family!”

We are so excited to celebrate with San Diego all weekend long and end our 2019 3-Day season making committed strides together towards a cure for breast cancer. Let’s go!