How a 3-Day Training Walk Saved Burt’s Life

Burt L. and his 3-Day training walk group in New York,

At 81, Burt L. has walked the Susan G. Komen 3-Day® 35 times. A longtime training walk leader from New York, he’s spent years helping others prepare for their 60-mile journey. But a few years ago, Burt’s training group found themselves looking out for him.

“The last couple of years, I’d get an uncomfortable feeling in my chest when we started to walk,” Burt explained. “It would go away, and I felt fine.”

As the training walks continued around New York, the chest pains kept coming.

“At that point they told me they would not walk with me again unless I go see a doctor,” he said. “And by God, I needed it. They were right. They saved my life.”

Burt soon learned he needed a heart valve replacement and later, a pacemaker. These two procedures have allowed him to continue doing what he loves—walking in support of the 3-Day.

Burt L., a longtime walker of the Susan G, Komen 3-Day, during a heart procedure.

“If it hadn’t been for them yelling at me to go see a doctor, who knows where I would be today,” Burt said.

Today Burt is feeling good and plans to keep walking the 3-Day for as long as he can. He began walking 22 years ago in honor of his cousin, Judy, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1999. When her cancer metastasized (spread), she faced it with courage until her death in 2004.

“I need to do all I can to make sure Judy did not die in vain,” Burt said. “I need to do all I can to help bring about the day when no other man or woman, no other family, loses a person they love to breast cancer.”

In the early years, he walked with Judy’s daughters. And this year, in what he calls “a delicious demonstration of the circle of life,” Burt will walk his 36th 3-Day alongside Judy’s grandson.

“We are JuJu’s Boys,” he said. “On his first 3-Day and my 36th, we will continue the fight against breast cancer together.”

Over the last two decades in the Pink Bubble, Burt has raised more than $300,000 for the 3-Day. Each month, Burt and his training groups strive to meet and walk 10 to 20 miles in preparation for the 3-Day. While many of them participate in different 3-Day cities, they take care and motivate each other through every step of training.

To learn more about the 3-Day visit the3day.org.

Training Walk Talks: Stories from Training Walk Leaders

With 20, 40, or 60 miles of walking on the horizon, training is critical to ensuring a successful and joyful experience at the Susan G. Komen 3-Day®. To help you along the way, not only do we have suggested training schedules, but we have a training walk leader program where participants just like you guide other walkers. With plentiful resources and support from the Komen 3-Day team, training walk leaders are prepared to provide a consistent, supportive environment for walkers to train, meet, and learn from others in the 3-Day® community.

The best part? Each leader gets to make their walks unique! Demarie B. has been leading training walks for the past few years and describes her experience as fun and adventurous. A five-time 3-Day walker, she holds most of her training walks with lululemon in Huntington Beach, California where she is an ambassador, taking her attendees along a beautiful beach path then loop back to the store for donuts and raffles. She has also hosted in unique locations such as Catalina Island, Crystal Cove, and taken the Palm Springs Tram to walk in the snow. She strives to make each walk special, always hoping to leave attendees with a feeling that they can’t wait to come back, even if it was hard. With thorough resources provided by the 3-Day team, Demarie loves being able to educate walkers on proper gear and nutrition while taking them on new expeditions.

Since 2015, nineteen-time walker Marci H. has hosted training walks, recognizing that she couldn’t be the only one in her area in need of training. Marci typically leads her adventurous walks bright and early to catch the sunrise as they set out to conquer a few miles. From Truckee to Lake Tahoe, to San Francisco for a walk across the Golden Gate Bridge, Marci puts in effort to ensure that each route contains beautiful scenery and is an experience in and of itself. Her walks consist of all types of terrain including hills, sidewalks, dirt trails, and more! Besides the adventure and beauty she finds on these walks, her favorite part of being a training walk leader is getting to meet new people. In fact, this is how she found her team, Hands Up for Hooters! When training together, she and the attendees share their stories, discuss why they walk and fundraising, and often find themselves laughing, playing games, and taking pictures to commemorate the experience.

There are endless ways to make your training walks special no matter where you might be. Some training walk leaders live in an area where they are the only 3-Day walker and others live in an area that is highly populated with the Pink Bubble. Regardless of where you live or how many times you’ve walked, we are seeking leaders to guide training walks throughout the country! You don’t need to be an experienced athlete, an expert walker, or even a fast walker to lead training walks. In fact, you shouldn’t be too fast; consider this a journey and not a race. We need leaders at all paces and abilities because throughout the 3-Day season there are always walkers at various paces and different stages of training.

We will provide you with guidelines, planning tips, and more to make it as easy as possible to host a fun Pink Bubble experience before the event; plus, your 3-Day coaches are always standing by, ready to help! In return for all your efforts, you’ll have the chance to meet amazing new friends, share stories, exchange training tips and brainstorm fundraising ideas with other 3-Dayers. Ultimately, you’ll have helped someone complete a journey they may not have been able to do without you!

Interested in becoming a training walk leader? Contact your coach to let them know or update your profile on The3Day.org to check “I am interested in becoming a 2024 training walk leader.”

Top Ways to Make the Most of Your Next 3-Day Training Walk

The weather is getting warmer. The days are getting longer. It’s training walk season! It’s an exciting time, but training walks are also an important part of your 3-Day experience. They ensure you’re as ready as possible for your 60-mile journey, giving you time to bond with teammates and keeping you moving during these gorgeous spring and summer months. Here are some simple tips to make the most of your next training walk.

Make sure you’re prepared: Our blog is chock full of posts on the best ways to plan your training walk, including this highly informative one from Coach Liz. She recommends using the 3-Day training app, Google Maps and more tools to make sure your walk goes smoothly.
Do your research: Going for a walk may not seem like a scientific endeavor, but with a little research, you can find ways to optimize your walk. Thanks to our ongoing “Healthy Living” blog series with Amgen and American Bone Health, we have learned about the intricacies of getting your feet and legs ready in the right From improving your stance to increasing your flexibility, little changes can make a big difference.

Check the weather: Is it going to rain? How hot is it going to be? Different weather conditions can drastically change how your walk is going to go. Check in advance!
Look at the calendar: There are tons of training walks already planned by your coaches and local training walk leaders, so take advantage of those! Join one of the walks that are already happening, to meet people and get tips for your next walk. Check both our training walk calendar at The3Day.org/TrainingWalks and our local gatherings calendar at The3Day.org/Calendar.
Get some good tunes going: Nothing fuels a walk like some fun music! And we have the perfect playlist for you. Our Music Monday playlist on Spotify is made from songs that you suggested to get you moving when you need inspiration.
Make it themed for extra fun: Who doesn’t love an excuse to dress up and be silly? We have some easy theme ideas to add some flair to your training.
Set up a schedule: This is super easy with the 3-Day Training App, but you can also use your own system. Scheduling training in advance will help you stay on track leading up to your 3-Day and makes it more difficult to skip a day.
Add teambuilding into your walk: Grow your team while you train! Ask every team member to bring someone who’s not yet signed up for the 3-Day to the training walk and use it as a chance to show people the 3-Day spirit. You can also incorporate a teambuilding activity at the start or end of the walk to really get people excited to walk to together…and maybe add some new members to your 3-Day family!

Post about it on social media: Don’t forget to share photos! Use #The3Day and #Commit3Days on all social media so we can see your smiling faces ? Also make sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to get more training tips, alerts about training walks and more cool 3-Day info.
Always stay safe: You don’t have the awesome Safety Crew with you on your training walks, so it never hurts to add an extra safety reminder!

For tips about healthy living, click here for advice and support to keep you on track for the 3-Day and beyond. Thanks to the support of Amgen and in partnership with American Bone Health, the Healthy Living series was designed to prepare your mind, body and bones for the 3-Day.