2016 Michigan 3-Day Wrap-up

The start of a new Susan G. Komen 3-Day® season is always exhilarating, and this year’s kick-off was no exception. The 2016 Michigan 3-Day’s determined walkers gathered to face the challenge of walking 60 miles in 3 days toward a world free from breast cancer. This Michigan event was especially exciting because it also marked the 150th Komen 3-Day walk. A milestone like that can’t go uncelebrated, and so walkers and crew members who gathered at Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi early on Friday morning and were treated not only to a beautiful pink sunrise before the Opening Ceremony, but also some special swag that Komen rolled out to mark this memorable 150th event year. The rest of you upcoming 3-Dayers, don’t worry; we’ll be celebrating this huge 150 occasion at every 2016 3-Day walk.

At the Opening Ceremony, participants recognized some familiar elements (Promise Ribbons, ceremony participants, Survivor’s Circle) as well as some brand new parts to the ceremony celebration, which we look forward to sharing with our walkers and crew members in each 3-Day city. Chrissy Mathews from Susan G. Komen® and Dr. Sheri Prentiss, back for another year as national spokesperson, encouraged and inspired the walkers from the stage, then the route was opened and the Michigan 3-Day walk began!

This year’s Michigan walk included a brand new Day 1, so even participants who have been with the Michigan 3-Day since its beginning were treated to a refreshed route and new stops. The walkers journeyed through Novi and were rallied on by the always entertaining Boo-bees at pit stop 1. From there, it was north to Walled Lake, where everyone was grateful for the beautiful waterfront views at the Grab & Go, the friendly residents who came out and cheered, and any hint of cool breeze coming off the water (have we mentioned it was really hot and humid on Friday?). A little farther up the route, Pit 2’s crew, who was “demolishing breast cancer,” kept the walkers nourished and safe, and before long, the walkers arrived at the lunch stop where they were welcomed by the Walled Lake cheerleaders (varsity teams from two local high schools) and an updated menu. Yum! The second half of Day 1 took walkers through more of Novi’s residential areas before returning to Suburban Collection Showplace, which was also the site of the 3-Day camp.

To give everyone a little burst of nostalgia as we celebrated our 150^th walk, we created a 3-Day Museum in camp where people could walk around and view some “artifacts” from the past 3-Day events in Michigan. This will be a “living” museum that will be a little different in each 3-Day location this year, showcasing unique memorabilia from each event. On Friday night, we gathered in the dining tent for the camp show. We heard an uplifting speech from Cindy, a long-time 3-Day walker and survivor, and we were fascinated by the Komen grantee who talked about his company’s innovative no-compression mammography (which he termed, “the boob spa”). The Michigan 3-Day Youth Corps also joined us from the stage, sharing their inspiring reasons for participating.

Day 2 started out beautiful and, thankfully, a bit cooler as the route headed out from camp. 3-Dayers who walked in Michigan last year may have noticed that Saturday’s route was mostly the same as 2015, except reversed. Firefighters from the Novi Fire Department’s Station 3 came out early to cheer the walkers starting out, which is always a great motivation. After that it was onto a portion of Hines Drive into the lovely city of Plymouth. Walkers enjoyed a cool break at the Lunch Oasis, and from there, it was just a few blocks to the Kellogg Park cheering station, which was in full swing with its welcome signs, photo backdrops, and the famous pink fountain. Down the road a bit, pit stop 3 had snacks, shade and imaginary gold medals for all of the “Olym-pink” 3-Day champions. After Plymouth, walkers headed back up into Northville, where the Buy Michigan festival was also happening in the quaint downtown area. At pit stop 4, walkers refreshed before heading into the Survivor Stretch, the last section of the route before camp, where walkers are encouraged to reflect on the journey that breast cancer survivors have gone through and celebrate their strength and courage. Supporters from Komen Detroit and Komen Michigan had a big cheering station along this stretch, giving the walkers that last little burst of inspiration to fuel them back to camp.

During Saturday’s camp show, Victoria Wolodzko, Susan G. Komen’s Vice President of Research and Community Health Program Operations (in other words, Head of Mission) was on stage to praise the great things that have already been done with the funds raised by the 3-Day, and to encourage everyone to keep walking, since there is still work to be done. The Saturday camp show was also where we recognized the Michigan 3-Day walkers and crew members who led the pack in fundraising, and we presented the Milestone and Local Impact Awards (read up on all the Michigan 3-Day award winners here). The atmosphere was full of joy as the Michigan 3-Day family was treated to a big group toast, delicious cupcakes, and brand new “bubbs” for the 150th walk celebration. Cheers!

On Sunday morning, walkers climbed onto waiting buses that took them to a drop-off location in Livonia, and within a couple of miles, they came upon block after block of local cheer teams forming a tunnel of spirit. 2014_3DAY_MI_JF_2198 The route moved through Livonia, including its historic downtown district, and from there, they ventured southeast into Dearborn. The residents of York Street pulled out all the stops again this year with their festive cheering station.

Walkers were treated to another surprise at the lunch stop, where every walker was given their very own pink Hero cape to wear for the rest of the day. Feeling extra super, walkers took in the sights of Historic Dearborn before hitting the final stretch up to Ford Headquarters, the site of the Closing Ceremony.

The victory march into the Closing Ceremony arena is always an emotional experience, and Michigan’s walk was no exception. Chrissy and Dr. Sheri joined us again from the stage and announced to the 600 walkers, 300 crew members and all the gathered friends and families that the 2016 Michigan 3-Day raised another $1.6 million dollars toward the fight against breast cancer. Our circle of survivors stood at the center, a beautiful reminder of the power of the 3-Day family, and we raised the final flag to close the 2016 Michigan 3-Day.

2016 Michigan 3-Day Opening Ceremony Speakers—We Are the 3-Day

The 2016 Susan G. Komen 3-Day® began this morning in Michigan with a beautiful and stirring Opening Ceremony. Walkers, crew members and supporters joined their hearts and hopes in the shared promise of bringing about the end of breast cancer, one footstep at a time.

As part of the Ceremony, we were honored to welcome some special 3-Day participants to the stage, where they shared their own inspirations—both heart-warming and heartbreaking—for being part of the 3-Day. #WeAreThe3Day

“This morning, I carry the ‘My Father’ flag in memory of my dad, who I lost last week. I inherited so much of my character and drive from him, so while I walk in remembrance of those we have lost to breast cancer and in honor of those who have survived, I dedicate this 3-Day to my dad. I’m Cathy and I AM the 3-Day.”

“This is my sixth 3-Day. I walk in memory of my friend Jenny and my mom’s friend Kathy. I walk to continue the battle our friends have lost, and to honor all the friends everywhere who have traveled the same journey. I’m Heidi and I AM the 3-Day.”

“My aunt. My mom. My aunt again. My cousin. My mom again. Then my cousin again. I can’t stand the thought of the next generation of my family going through this and losing more than they already have. My cousin’s 48^th birthday would have been last Friday and that is why I am here today. I’m Amy and I AM the 3-Day.”

“I walk for those who can’t walk. I walk for my coworker, a breast cancer survivor of 17 years. I walk for the sister of a coworker who has breast cancer. I walk in memory of my cousin, who passed away at 37. I walk to bring awareness to women and men, young and old, everywhere I go. I’m Charmaine and I AM the 3-Day.”

“When I was young, I promised my mother that when I was old enough, I would join her on the 3-Day. This year is that year! The 3-Day has been a big part of my life for as long as I can remember. Now I can finally take part in this incredible journey as her teammate. I asked to carry the My Children flag today, in the hope that one day, any children I might have can live in a world without breast cancer. I’m Logan and I AM the 3-Day.”

“I am walking this year because my mom passed away on March 19^th. I’m walking to honor her strength and grace and to raise money to help others. I’m Blake and I AM the 3-Day.”

Together, we are strong. Together, we can defeat breast cancer. Together, we are the 3-Day.

Twin Cities 3-Day – 2016 Route Update!

Last year on the 3-Day® blog, we shared some detailed “Insider’s Peek at the Route” posts with you. We pulled the curtain back on the overall process of planning and executing a 60-mile route, and then got even more in-depth with each individual 3-Day walk’s route.

This year, we don’t need to dive quite so deep, since most of what we shared last year still applies. But we definitely wanted to keep you looped-in with the updates and changes that have been made to the 3-Day routes for 2016. We’re also bringing in members of the 3-Day Advisory Council to share their thoughts about the 2016 changes. These participants stand as the “voice” of the 3-Day community and their input has been instrumental in strengthening the communication and camaraderie between Komen and the 3-Day family, so we’re thrilled to have their insight here on our route updates.

Last week, we shared the Michigan route update, and today, TWIN CITIES is in the spotlight.

Need a refresher about what the Twin Cities 3-Day route was like last year? Read our 2015 “Insider’s Peek” post here. 3DAY_2016_Social_CityHashtags_LocalHashtag_TC2

New for 2016 – I got the inside scoop on route updates from Kiki, the Event Planning Manager for the Twin Cities 3-Day, who told me that there are not too many big changes from last year. Day 1 is the same, as is most of Day 2, though “we’ve tweaked the beginning of the route a bit to take walkers off of the Bruce Vento Trail and see a bit more of Maplewood’s neighborhoods.” Day 3 has a couple of changes, including a new location for pit stop 1 (changed due to construction at the old site). Additionally, about one mile of the Day 3 route was cut after lunch; instead of walking through the Battle Creek Trail (which is beautiful trail, but has very limited access for sweep vans), walkers will travel along a street to get to pit stop 3 at Indian Mounds. What’s great about this new route is that it eliminates a long, tedious stretch along a busy highway and a rather steep pedestrian bridge. Kiki shared, “The new route will keep us within neighborhoods which allows us to [have a more visible presence and] spread the word of breast cancer in the community.”

The Participant Finish Area and Closing Ceremony on Harriet and Raspberry Island were new sites to us last year. Kiki said, “There was a bit of confusion for spectators trying to find their walkers at these locations, so this year, we’ll simplify things by having the Participant Finish Area and Closing Ceremony both on Harriet Island. The Victory Walk will be shorter than last year and all walkers and spectators will all be on one site. The layout of the Closing Ceremony will be different than last year too, providing much more scenic photo ops.”

In Their Words – Keep reading to see what Maureen and Kim, two of our 3-Day Advisory Council members, had to say about the 2016 Twin Cities updates:

Maureen (13x 3-Day participant – 10x Twin Cities walker) – “The stretch on the highway and the huge hill to get to the pedestrian bridge at the end of Day 3 were brutal in the heat, so I am a fan of that change! It’s also a good idea to have the walkers out in neighborhoods instead of on the highways. It’s great that we’re doing the whole Closing Ceremony in one area; Harriet Island is gorgeous so I am glad it will be utilized.

The Twin Cities 3-Day walk in general is such a gorgeous route. I love the fact that we can be in urban areas and then pass through amazing parks, then lake areas, then historic mansions all in the same day—three days in a row! A few years ago, we had a walker from out of state, Glen, who walked all 14 3-Days and he was randomly put on our team. He told us at the beginning of the walk that he was going to pick his favorite 3-Day route/team to come back to the following year. He of course chose the Twin Cities 3-Day to come back to. He said the people are the friendliest and the route is the most beautiful!”

Kim (7x Twin Cities 3-Dayer – Event Support Crew for 2016) 2015-c “I like that the route is changing up a bit. Over the years I’ve heard several walkers mention that the route is the same. I’m sure the walkers will prefer the view of a neighborhood rather than a highway view. For the Closing Ceremony changes, I had heard people had issues last year getting around and finding their walkers and parking, so I hope these changes help this year’s event go more smoothly for everyone. As for ‘scenic photo ops,’ yes please! Participants love having these opportunities to create better memory books. The more the merrier!

“I enjoy having an event in my home town. I’m a Minneapolis girl, but it’s nice to walk through my city’s twin, St. Paul, and seeing areas that I’m unfamiliar with. Personal favorites: walking around the lakes, having lunch in Loring Park, walking past the Sculpture Garden (I’m bummed that the Walker Art Center in undergoing renovations so walkers probably may not get a chance to take a picture with the Cherry and Spoon Sculpture) and walking past my college, Metro State University. And how could I forget…I loved having coworkers cheer me on in downtown Minneapolis.

“Since participating in my first event in 2009, I have met some really great people. Some have become lifelong friends and I want to thank the Komen 3-Day for this!”

Keep an eye on the 3-Day blog in the coming weeks when we’ll continue sharing updates about all of the 2016 3-Day routes.