Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure Cleveland: Day 3

It’s the third day of the Susan G. Komen 3 Day for the Cure and I’m excited that Energizer picked me as their Keep Going Blogger for Cleveland. They provided my participation fee and I’m sharing my experiences on the 3 Day.

I did it!

I walked all 60 miles of the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure here in Cleveland!

It was an incredible experience and one that has provided memories to last a lifetime.

Day 3 started out bright and early. About 4:45 am walkers started waking up and getting ready for the day. By 5:30 am most of the camp was up and moving and a number of us had already taken our tents down (which thankfully turned out to be much easier than I thought).

After a good breakfast, a line of walkers formed to head out on the route. At 6:30 am the crew counted us down from 10 to 1 and off we went. The route today brought us by a lot of businesses, main roads, and a lot less shade than previous days. Since we started early though we beat most of the heat, so it wasn’t too much of a worry. And instead of having a large number of homeowners out cheering for us, we were greeted by inspiring business signs and lots of horns honking.

The walking portion of the day went incredibly quickly for me. We had most of our mileage in before lunch and only 3 miles to go after. I didn’t feel like I was hustling to get in early, but because I left so early  I ate lunch about 10:30 am, which was actually wonderful because I was starving since I had gotten up at 4:30 am.

Once we finished up that final mile we were led into the holding area. The holding area was where they “held” us walkers until it was time to head out to the Closing Ceremony. Being so early gave me a good 3 1/2 hours to wait.  I entertained myself by connecting with others, enjoying slushies from New Balance, watching a slideshow of the weekend’s photos, and cheering other walkers as they came in (so fun!).

Finally, 4 pm rolled around and we all donned our designated color long-sleeve shirts – Grey for Crew, White for Walkers, and Pink for Survivors. Then we lined up 8 across and walked (some more!) over to Closing Ceremonies. After a few stops, starts, and standing in the hot sun in long-sleeve tees, we finally got moving and it was worth the wait.

The pathway to the Closing Ceremonies arena was lined with our families and friends. It was amazing to see all those who came out to show their support for us. Some of my family members were there including Tired Dad Dave with Kora & Logan. It was so great to see them all and the kids were all smiles as I walked by blowing them kisses (truthfully, I thought they would cry when I couldn’t stop to see them, but I was wrong and instead they happily waved, smiled, & blew kisses back – yay!) .

Closing Ceremonies started out with a party-like atmosphere and then we applauded the Crew as they walked in for their hard work and wonderful enthusiasm. Next, came the incredibly touching Shoe Salute for the Survivors. We all took off one shoe and held it up in honor of the breast cancer survivors who walked with us this weekend. These Survivors then joined hands and held them high as the final 3-Day for the Cure® flag was raised. I don’t think there was a dry eye within 500 feet of the arena.

The mood then lightened a bit as Candy Coburn sang Pink Warrior, an inspiring song about the fight against breast cancer. After the song, Closing Ceremonies ended and we were off to find our families and friends and make our way back to our homes.

It was such an awe-inspiring weekend that I want to share every moment of it with you. However, I know it’s tough to read long blog posts and this weekend I’ve published three very wordy posts with very few photos and I thank you for reading along with me.

Tomorrow’s post will include all those photos and videos I’ve promised. A few future posts will include a Gear Review, Keep Going Participant Award, my Top Ten 3-Day for the Cure Tips and more.

Thanks again for all those wonderful comments, tweets, and re-tweets you left for me all weekend. They really did help me to Keep Going® to the end and those that I shared with other walkers helped motivate them as well. The 3-Day for the Cure couldn’t happen without the incredible support of people like you all. Thank you!

All right. It’s time for me to shower in a real shower, put my feet up, and enjoy some family time before the kids head to bed.

Stay tuned tomorrow for…photos and videos!