Congratulations to the 2019 Twin Cities 3-Day Local Impact Award Winner, Kim Williams

For the 2019 Susan G. Komen 3-Day® season, we’re pleased to be continuing the Local Impact Award. This award is being given to participants who have been instrumental in strengthening the 3-Day® community throughout the year. Local Impact Award honorees have gone above and beyond in their efforts leading training walks, attending 3-Day community events, supporting the 3-Day staff year-round at meet-ups and workshops, and in general, making a difference by building lasting relationships and showing commitment to the 3-Day in all they do.

Please join us in congratulating the 2019 Twin Cities 3-Day Local Impact Award Winner, Kim Williams!

Kim has become a vital part of our Twin Cities 3-Day community, going out early to mark the route for training kick-off events as well as assisting with street team day and being an active training walk leader for years. She has also served as a member of the 3-Day Advisory Council for two years.

Her friend Sue Norling says, “Kim and I started our 3-Day adventure way back in 2009. We became friends during those training walks that first year, and the rest they say is 3-day history.

It is now 11 years later and I count Kim as a close friend all year round. We have had a lot of memories to laugh about over the years. I can always count on Kim to help me lead an 18-mile training walk even if she’s going to be on the crew, and does not need to train. She will even fly across the country to crew with me. Through, heat, rain, re-locations, and travels. She is very deserving of this award, congratulations, my friend.”

We were honored to talk to Kim about what the 3-Day means to her, and what she has learned over the years…

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

I had started walking in the Komen Race for the Cure in 2002. In 2008 I found out my mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer. I felt I had to do something bigger. I ended up going to a 3-day Get Started meeting on a snowy day and have been participating every year since 2009. At the end of 2019, I will have participated in 15 events.

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

Besides raising funds for Komen, I have met and worked with a wide range of great people. A handful of them will be lifelong friends. Because of this, I would look forward to my summers on event in MN.

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

Honestly, I am not successful at fundraising. I have been fortunate to have friends and co-workers who are VERY generous.

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

Make sure you train and follow one of the two training schedules. It is also important to allow time for life and family. When you are on your event, it is okay if you cannot walk all 60 miles. The people driving the sweep and shuttle vans are awesome. We want you to enjoy the 3-day experience and not end up in the medical tent or getting red carded!!!

What’s a fun fact about you?

I was given the nickname of “Falcon” on the 2011 San Francisco 3-Day. If you are afraid of birds, I will shoo them away for you. Also, I was excited to volunteer at camp, crew on a sweep van and finish the 2018 San Diego 3-Day as a 20-Mile walker.

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

Be proud to wear your 3-Day gear (finisher shirts, hats, buttons, pins etc.) You may run across a stranger who is a breast cancer survivor or has family/friend who has battled this disease. Strangers will thank you for what you do (walking or crewing) and they may even what to give you a hug or a donation. Participating on the 3-Day is not easy and can be exhausting, but it’s a great experience.

2019 Twin Cities 3-Day Route Preview

The Twin Cities 3-Day is coming up next weekend, and as you get ready for the event, we have a preview of what to expect! For those who are familiar with the route, you will see a lot of our favorite sights of the Twin Cities. However, we made some big changes that we are thrilled to share, including our new hotel camp and an extra special Closing Ceremony location! Read on for more excitement from Event Production Manager Eileen Barnick.

Our 3-Day experience this year will begin at the Hyatt Regency on Nicollet Mall. This will be our hotel camp, and the location of our Opening Ceremony. It’s a beautiful large hotel, and we have all the fourth-floor event space so there will be tons of room for our walkers as well as any spectators. The Opening Ceremony will be very emotional and a wonderful start to our weekend.

Eileen says that this hotel is a perfect home for the weekend because it is in “a really trendy and fun area of downtown Minneapolis. This area was under construction for a while, so we were able to walk through there for the first-time last year. And now we’re staying right in the middle of it! It’s closed to vehicle traffic, and there are lots of cool shops and restaurants right nearby.”

We will leave the Opening Ceremony via an escalator and then head out onto Nicollet Mall. It will make for some great photos to celebrate the start of your 60-mile journey.

From there, walkers will make their way along Loring Greenway, which is a beautiful park walkway that leads us over the pedestrian bridge and into Loring Park and finally into the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. Eileen notes that these sights are usually at the end of the day on Friday, so we are excited to start our journey this way now.

Overall, Eileen says that “this Day One route is our best and my most favorite Day One route yet. It has everything in it! You’ll get a great feel for downtown Minneapolis without having to deal with too much traffic and craziness, plus you also will experience the natural beauty of Minnesota.”

After walkers journey through a few more tourist sights, we will then head to the Chain of Lakes. You’ll see Lake of the Isles, Lake Harriet and other breathtaking sights.

Eileen thinks this balance is what makes the Twin Cities walk so unique!

“It’s crazy that these lakes and parks are so close to the city, so you can still get that balanced experience as you walk.”

After Chain of Lakes, we will travel along Lake Minehaha Boulevard, an older part of the city with phenomenal houses and photo opportunities.

But Eileen’s favorite part of the route is after lunch, when 3-Dayers go to Minnehaha Regional Park and Minnehaha Falls, which is a 50+ foot waterfall.

Eileen enthuses, “It’s this stunning waterfall in the middle of the city, and we have not walked there before to my knowledge. So, this will be a whole new experience for the people who have been walking with us for a while!”

After that, we will walk on a trail along the Mississippi River and head back into the city section of Minneapolis. We’ll pass U.S. Bank Stadium where the Vikings play, which will be a great treat for football fans. There’s even a Viking ship you can take photos in!

In the final steps of Day One, we’ll walk through Nicollet Mall and there will be an art fest going on at the mall that weekend, too! You can for sure see it on Friday evening, as we will walk directly through the art fest on your way back into camp after Day One. There will be lots of fun photo opportunities!

But Eileen wants to make sure that everyone is back at camp in time for games and fun activities at the end of the evening! She and the Twin Cities team are so excited about the updates to both Friday and Saturday night at camp and can’t wait to bring everyone into that experience.

Day Two will have walkers leaving Minneapolis to some of our favorite suburbs and smaller cities in the Twin Cities area. That includes White Bear Lake, which everyone loved last year. The community is so excited to host the 3-Day again, and after all the great feedback from walkers last year, we knew we had to come back.

We’ll also be returning to Little Canada, where the community is ready to greet us! The fire department there is already planning fun ways to support our walkers as they continue their journey.

We will have lunch in Central Park in Roseville, which will be nice and relaxing. We’re going back to our favorite places that have supported us in the past. It is a little longer route on Saturday, but Eileen promises it will be lots of fun and well worth it when you make it home to the hotel! Don’t miss our special new Honor Ceremony on Saturday evening, which will take place in the dining area as soon as the last walker arrives.

Before you know it, we’ll be taking on Day Three and coming to the end of our 60-mile journey!

Sunday will start with a walk from Minneapolis and over the Stone Arch Bridge, which goes over the Mississippi River. From there we will walk through the University of Minneapolis area to head towards St. Paul.

In St. Paul, there will be amazing historic houses, plus we will be walking past the St. Paul Zoo. The zoo is free, and though we won’t be walking through the zoo, it is a great place to visit while you’re in the city.

From there, we have a beautiful route into lunch at the Como Regional Park Baseball Pavilions. After lunch, we will spend more time in St. Paul, including a walk down historic Summit Avenue. We will be passing the Governor’s Mansion on that stretch of the walk!

We will pass the St. Paul Cathedral and look down at the Capitol as we walk towards our finish line. It’s a really pretty day of walking that ends with so many historic views!

“It’s all in the city for Day Three through beautiful neighborhoods that give a really good taste of St. Paul,” Eileen says.

That includes ending our 2019 Twin Cities 3-Day at The Capitol Building (back by popular demand) in St. Paul. Participants have been asking for this for years, so Eileen and our team are so happy to bring it back!

“Nature. Tourist attractions. The city. There is something for everyone!” Eileen promises.

We can hardly wait! 🙂

Learn from 3-Dayer Catherine Stoch: Commit to the 3-Day in 2019

“To make a difference for someone else. To dispel the myths. For research. For screening. For treatment. To educate people about what Komen does for women, and men. That’s why I walk.”

Why do you walk? Everyone has a reason. This year, we are asking you to find your reason, and commit to the 3-Day. Commit to walking 60 miles in the fight against breast cancer. Commit to joining 3-Dayers like Catherine Stoch, one of our Twin Cities 3-Day survivor speakers in 2018. Commit. You won’t regret it!

Take it from Catherine. She has been walking for a decade, two of those years as a breast cancer survivor, and she’s not stopping anytime soon. In fact, she’s already signed up to join us again on the Twin Cities 3-Day in 2019!

Tell us about your 2018 journey…

Last year was full of a lot of things, like getting body parts removed to prevent cancer’s spread, lots of recovery, and reconstruction. And during ALL of this, I was completely, 100% supported by an incredible team of friends, family, medical professionals, good insurance coverage and my husband who has been by my side every step. And I know not every woman’s story is like this. That’s why I walk.

The net proceeds raised by the Susan G. Komen 3-Day help Susan G. Komen^® build a world free of breast cancer through research, community, care and action. The funds raised have helped Komen‘s mission to save lives from breast cancer, by investing more than $956 million in breakthrough research and more than $2.1 billion to support people and communities most at risk through programs to provide access to screening, treatment assistance, patient navigation and education. How could I NOT walk?

What would you say to someone who is nervous about joining the 3-Day?

I was VERY nervous too, at first. Walking 60 miles and raising $2,300 is a big commitment, but as a friend of mine—who joined me as a first-time walker in 2018 shared, “You pushed me to do more than I thought I could.” I think that is what I have learned over the years of walking this—that you can do more than you think.

What are your top training tips for first-time 3-Dayers?

FOLLOW the training regimen and take it seriously. If you are a runner, you may think, “Yah, I run.” But training your feet for waking, especially a long walk, is different. And another tip: buy your shoes ½ size larger than you usually wear. This was critically important to keeping my feet in much better shape. And…don’t wear NEW shoes on the walk. Your feet will suffer.
Drink more water than you think you should. Over five walks, I’ve seen people be way too casual about it, and run into serious problems. Dehydration is COMPLETELY preventable on the 3-Day.
Walk in all kinds of weather. You never know. I trained in heat, humidity, rain, and because I live in Minnesota, I did train in snow. Then you will be ready for whatever weather comes your way. It’s a long walk, and thorough preparation will get you ready both mentally and physically for the elements.

Komen has a Bold Goal to reduce the current number of breast cancer deaths by 50% in the U.S. by 2026. Why is this goal so important?

On a larger scale, women’s overall health is important to me, and all my life, women’s health has been under fire, with too much interference, and not for the better. Fewer women dying from breast cancer means more healthier women globally. And there’s still such a cultural stigma about breasts, just saying the word in 2018 still makes too many people squirm. By continuing to call out breast cancer deaths raises awareness that women (and men) still DIE from this. Totally unnecessary.

What are some of your personal goals for the New Year?

Be mindful of my good health and do my best to not just take up air space on the planet, but use my time, energy and talents well. A hero of mine is John Muir, who was exceptionally passionate about the natural world stated, in part: “Most people are on the world, not in it.” I want to remain very IN, and given I have a new job in the health care sector, it’s incredibly exciting for me to utilize my job-related skills as a grant writer to promote healthy living for ALL!

What are YOUR goals for the New Year? Have you already committed to walking the 3-Day in 2019? Tell us your story in the comments!