Twin Cities 3-Day – SATURDAY WEATHER UPDATE!!

UPDATE, 5:15 p.m.

The 3-Day event staff has made the decision to relocate the sleeping area of camp to an indoor location (North High School, 2416 – 11^th Ave., St. Paul MN). The weather situation in the area for the next several hours has escalated to the point that we feel it would be safest and most comfortable to move our campers indoors to sleep. Doing this proactively means we can avoid a middle-of-the-night move, should the weather become severe later.

Here’s what 3-Day campers should know about next steps:

If you are NOT going to stay in camp tonight, you may leave at any time. It is not necessary to check out with crew members or staff members.
Buses will transport participants from Harvest Park to North High School on a loop starting as soon as possible. We will run the buses between locations for as long as it takes to transport everyone.
Camp Show for tonight has been cancelled
At this time, we do not recommend that family members and friends come to the 3-Day camp. Supporters who are already at camp will be informed of the relocation; they will not be able to visit participants at the indoor location, however, they can pick participants up from the high school if they wish.
Food service at Harvest Park (the current outdoor camp) will continue until approximately 5:45 p.m., (this could change at any time if weather conditions become severe). We strongly encourage campers to eat before relocating to the indoor location.
The shower area of camp has been closed. We’re sorry!
There will NOT be food service or showers at the indoor location.
You will not set up a new tent in the high school gym (it will be one big slumber party!). There are indoor bathrooms at the site.
Regarding participant gear, campers have two options:
- You can grab your most essential sleeping items (sleeping bags, pillows and air mattresses; essential toiletries; pajamas and clothes/shoes for tomorrow), and leave the rest of your gear inside your tent in camp. Please be sure to leave enough to weigh down your tent (you can also weigh your tent down with gallon jugs of water, which you can grab from camp hydration tables). Do not take more than you need for one night of sleep. We can provide you with plastic bags to carry your stuff to the indoor site if needed. You can return to your tents and gear in the morning.
- You can grab your most essential sleeping items (sleeping bags, pillows and air mattresses; essential toiletries; pajamas and clothes/shoes for tomorrow), and load your remaining gear onto the gear trucks. You should be able to access your bags again in the morning; once camp closes on Sunday, all gear on the trucks will be moved ahead to the Participant Finish Area, where you can retrieve it Sunday afternoon.
ON SUNDAY MORNING – Buses will begin shuttling crew members back to Harvest Park at 3:45 a.m. on Sunday morning. Breakfast service for CREW will begin back at Harvest Park at 4:00 a.m.. Breakfast service for WALKERS will begin at 4:30 and camp medical service will begin at 6:00 a.m. The last bus back to Harvest Park will leave North High School at 5:30 a.m.
Route operations for Sunday are expected proceed as normal. The route opens at 6:30 a.m., and all walkers must be on the route by the time camp closes at 7:00 a.m.

2:30 p.m.

With as beautiful as it was on the route earlier today, it’s hard to imagine that the weather might give us any trouble tonight, but unfortunately, it is looking like that doozy of a summer storm is going to find its way to us this evening and stick around into the night.

Here’s where we stand with how this will affect the Twin Cities 3-Day:

We are monitoring the changes very closely and adjusting plans accordingly. We know that the weather can change minute by minute, so we’re watching it minute by minute.
At this point, we do not plan to relocate to an indoor camp site for the night. We will update you promptly if that changes.
We will have buses standing by at camp where participants will take shelter should the storms become severe during the night (i.e., if lightning is present and/or winds become hazardous.).
Family & Friends Night and the Saturday Night camp show are scheduled to proceed as planned.
If you choose to leave camp to stay elsewhere tonight, the gear trucks will be available to take and store luggage until Sunday at the walker finish area, where it may be retrieved.
If you will be sleeping at camp tonight, we strongly recommend that you keep all of your luggage and belongings in plastic bags, and if possible, you sleep close to the center of your tents.
Please continue to check Facebook and Twitter for updates throughout the evening, and come to the Saturday camp show, where we will also announce any updated information.
Finally, if a relocation should become necessary at some point, please follow all staff and crew instructions.

We at the 3-Day have weathered weather issues like this before, and we’re confident with our plan for tonight. Our number one priority is keeping our participants safe. If you have questions, please ask a 3-Day staff person.

Catching Up With the Twin Cities 3-Day Coaches

Before last year’s Susan G. Komen 3-Day® Series, we introduced the local coaches from each event city. These are the staff members who support the Komen 3-Day 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® participants make it to their events excited and well prepared.

Since we gave you the coaches’ full profiles last year, we’ll delight you with just a fun update before each event this year. We checked in with the Michigan 3-Day coaches earlier this month, and today, the Twin Cities coaches—Stephanie, Eileen and Amy—are in the spotlight (you can read last year’s “Meet the Twin Cities Coaches” here)!

First Up…A New Team Member! – We’re happy to welcome new Crew & Volunteer Coordinator, Amy Schwager, to the Twin Cities 3-Day team. Amy is new to the Twin Cities event, but not new to the 3-Day, having been a staff member for many years. Since we didn’t “meet” her in last year’s blog post, here’s a little more detailed insight into Amy:

Describe your job in 10 words or fewer. – Magical, inspirational, and rewarding. I heart my crew!

We’re a few weeks from the Twin Cities event. What’s a typical day like for you these days? – My days (and some evenings) are spent doing whatever I can to support my crew captain leadership team. They are my fuel, my inspiration, and I want to do whatever I can to make their jobs easier on-event. The next couple of weeks I will send out final event documents, re-adjust crew teams based on our needs, finalize our day volunteer deployment, and finish checking off all of the pre-event items. And in just a few weeks all of our efforts will culminate on an incredible 3-Day weekend. Challenging in its distance, profound in its intensity and life changing in its scope. I am confident it is going to be empowering journey in an indescribable way!

Thanks, Amy! Now, let’s check in with Stephanie and Eileen too!

What was your favorite memory from the 2014 Twin Cities 3-Day?

Stephanie (Twin Cities Local Events Coach) – I love the spirit and energy of the 3-Day weekend. Every mile along our route is filled with stories, laughter, hope and inspiration. Everyone is so nice and genuinely cares about each other. I always enjoy standing near finish line and watching the walkers celebrate their 60 mile journey!

Eileen (Twin Cities Participant Coach) – My favorite part of the 2014 Twin Cities 3-Day was finally getting to meet all of the participants I had been working with throughout the season. It was fun putting faces to names and remembering all of the conversations throughout the year. I love getting hugs from new-found friends. I am hoping to get many more this August!

Fun Facts About the Twin Cities Coaches – Can you guess which fun fact is true about which coach? (There are 3 facts about each coach; find the answers at the end of the Seattle coach catch-up, coming next month!)

I have two delicious little boys (Brooks 7, Bryn 2) and a sweet golden retriever (Newton) who keep me smiling every minute of the day.
My new favorite TV show is Scandal. I have watched the entire first four seasons since June.
Bring me a coffee in the morning and you’re my friend for life.
I recently got re-married and have discovered the delights and craziness of a blended family–including the joy of becoming a “GRANDMA” at the young age of 45!
I love long driving vacations. We once drove 40 hours straight to San Francisco. Our favorite family vacation is a 22-hour drive to Myrtle Beach.
I am always freezing. Even living in California, you can rarely catch me without my winter wool hat on.
Besides being a 3-Day coach, my life revolves around keeping up with my three kids (ages 16, 13 and 10) and their very busy schedules. I know these days won’t last long, so I love every minute of it.
I will be staffing six 3-Day events this year, and I am looking forward to seeing many of the Twin Cities participants in other cities too. Please stop and say hi!
In college I did Semester at Sea—traveling to 14 different countries over 3 months. That experience left an imprint on my heart and I will forever love traveling and experiencing new cultures.

Looking for answers from the Michigan Coaches’ Fun Facts post? Here they are!

1) Ann; 2) Gina; 3) Ann; 4) Jennifer; 5) Jennifer; 6) Gina; 7) Jennifer; 8) Ann; 9) Gina.

The Insider’s Peek at the Twin Cities Route

In February of this year, we treated our readers to The Insider’s Peek at the 3-Day Route, where we gave you a detailed look at the planning, work and execution that goes into creating the routes for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day® events. While that two-part Insider’s Peek was full of tasty details, it was still kind of broad in the sense that it didn’t explicitly address the particulars of any specific Komen 3-Day location.

Until now!

It seemed like a natural progression to go from an expansive overview of 3-Day® route-planning in general, to a more pinpointed look at each of the seven 3-Day events individually. So I’ve been picking the brains of the event planning team and local coaches, to get the skinny on what walkers can expect. Sharing this information early in the year will help walkers prepare for their events, train for what’s to come and have a few exciting high points to look forward to.

We’ll be publishing one of these location-specific peeks for every 2015 3-Day event (we kicked off the series with the Michigan peek a couple of weeks ago), and today, the Twin Cities 3-Day is in the spotlight. Here’s what the Event Planning Manager Kendra and Local Events Coach Stephanie had to say:

Will there be any major changes to the route from last year? Kendra shared, “No major changes to the route from 2014. However, walkers can expect a direction reversal on Day 2.” Stephanie added, “There’s also a new Closing Ceremony site this year.” (Click here for a recap of the 2014 Twin Cities event, including route highlights, as well as the 2014 Twin Cities Journey Map.)
What, if any, geographical challenges does the Twin Cities route present (i.e., are there hills? Sections with no shade? Portions of the route that sweep vans can’t access easily?) Stephanie, who you will often find joining local Twin Cities 3-Dayers for training walks, said, “The Twin Cities 3-Day route, for the most part, is pretty flat, but there are a few hills after lunch on Day 2 and again on Day 3 towards the end of the route. You will definitely want to include some hill training over the next few months.” But she’s extremely confident in her walkers’ abilities: “Nothing too major though that tough Twin Cities 3-Dayers can’t handle!” Kendra agreed on all points, and added, “We’ve experienced some hot 3-Day weekends in Minnesota over the last couple years, so walkers should come prepared with a hat and sunscreen and drink plenty of water throughout the weekend.”
Any specific highlights/locations that walkers can look forward to seeing along the way? From Stephanie: “Day 1 will take our walkers around some of the beautiful lakes that Minneapolis has to offer. They’ll pass by a favorite Twin Cities attraction, The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden – a great photo op! Here you’ll also find gorgeous views of the Minneapolis skylines and the Basilica of St. Mary. Lunch is served in downtown Minneapolis at Loring Park and it’s always fun to see all the pink walking through the heart of the city.” Kendra continues, “Day 2 swaps the action of the city for the quietness of the suburbs. There are some great trails and neighborhoods to take in. Day 3 is a good mix of suburban and rural as walkers make their way into downtown St. Paul, for a Closing Ceremony on the shores of the Mississippi River.”
Any other information you can provide about the overall “essence” of the Twin Cities route? Stephanie and Kendra, who both live in the Twin Cities area, are quick to brag about their community: “The Twin Cities 3-Day has a reputation for having tremendous community support along our route, and we are very proud of this. It’s a great showcase of two vibrant metropolitan cities and the natural beauty that surround them.”

The Bottom Line: Twin Cities walkers should plan on working a few hills into their training, and should prepare themselves as much as possible for walking in hot weather (and meanwhile, we’ll continue to keep our fingers crossed for a mild weekend forecast). Aside from that, they should be sure to free up lots of memory on their phones and cameras so that they can capture the picture-perfect beauty of the Twin Cities.

The Insider’s Take: Yes, Kendra and Stephanie, as the local experts on the Twin Cities route, are the ultimate insiders, but I’ve walked in the Twin Cities, and my biggest take-away was that it was the most naturally beautiful route I’ve seen. It seemed like we didn’t turn a corner without coming head-on with another gorgeous lake, park, or riverfront pathway (There were bald eagles along the Mississippi, people. Bald eagles!). Was it hot? Heck yeah it was, but there were also wonderful supporters around every corner handing out popsicles, frozen grapes or cool face wipes; and the Twin Cities 3-Day was where we discovered the Orange Shirt Drinking Game, a guaranteed way to stay hydrated. The route didn’t strike me as particularly hilly, especially compared to other 3-Day routes I’ve walked, but I could see how someone might be in for a shock if they didn’t do any training on hills.

Still have questions about the Twin Cities 3-Day route? Call your Twin Cities 3-Day coach Eileen at 800-996-3DAY (select option 8 for Twin Cities), or email twincitiescoaches@the3day.org.