3 Days out of the month

Starting on their 60-mile march, the participants of the Breast Cancer three-Day Walk endured three days of intense running. Beginning at Potomac Mills Mall and completing their final leg of the journey in downtown D.C., the participants of the Walk raised money for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund. “It’s an incredible amount that you walk,” said Counselor Alana Reyes. “I started training for [the three-day walk] but I wasn’t able to do it; it didn’t fit into my schedule because of the weekend it fell on.” Because of the intense ability it takes to run such a large distance over three days, the participants must train and become accustomed to the conditions. In order to walk, the participants are required to reach a minimum of $2200 in donations. There are stops along the way for the runners to rest at and tents for overnight stay. “It’s a three-day commitment,” said Reyes. “It’s all about camaraderie [and] working together. It’s all about the strength [of women]. I just think it’s great. It’s a community event.” On the way the runners receive support from their friends and family who cheer them on and hold signs for them. “I went to the walk on Sunday [because] my boyfriend’s mother walked in race,” said Math teacher Jan Austin. The 3-Day Walk is a huge event that takes place in major cities around the country, not just in D.C. Though chemistry teacher Nancy Kaegi did not run in the Susan B. Komen Race for the Cure, her husband organized the first one in Cheyenne, Wyoming. “I manned the station [though] because my husband wasn’t able to do it. The participants collected pledges and there were routes marked through town. There were [even] people who walked with strollers,” said Kaegi. These walks for breast cancer, for some, are more fulfilling than just donating money. “My best friend’s mom died of breast cancer, so I [did the] Susan B. Komen Walk with her,” said biology teacher Samantha Kreshover. “It was a humbling experience; all these people come out and support us. It was a great memorial for all the people who have died [from breast cancer] and are affected by it.” The walks give the participants a sense of satisfaction that they are supporting family and friends who are or have been affected by breast cancer and are facilitating the research of it.