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20-Mile Walkers
Packing
All-Crew Kick-Off
Day One
The Route
Sweep Vans
Meals and Snacks
Safety
Weather
Medical
Alcohol Restrictions
Cheering Stations
Camp Life
Merchandise
Day Three
Important Policies
Top Tips video
View a Map of the Route
Route Card
If you are registered as a 20-mile walker, you’ll notice that some of this information will not apply to you. However, we encourage you to read it over anyway to give you a full picture of the Susan G. Komen 3-Day® experience.
Plan to arrive at the Sheraton Novi on Sunday between 6:00 a.m. - 6:30 a.m. and check in at the 3-Day Concierge table in the lobby. Breakfast will be served between 5:00 a.m. – 7:15 a.m. The route will open at 7:00 a.m. and all walkers must be on a bus to the route by 7:30 a.m.
Parking at the hotel is available for free. If you park at the hotel, you will be responsible for your own transportation from the Closing Ceremony back to the hotel. We will not have a shuttle for 20-mile walkers.
Your gear bag should weigh no more than 35 pounds. Easily toted bags with wheels are the best choice.
Please avoid bringing any valuables with you. The 3-Day assumes no liability for the replacement of lost items. So mark your bag clearly with your name and Participant ID number ( Please log in to see your participant ID number).
We will provide hydration in large dispensers, not in individual bottles, so you must bring your own water bottle to the event. Thank you for helping to make our event gentler on the environment.
Packing Checklist: Walkers & Crew
Packing Checklist: 20-Mile Walkers
Here are some miscellaneous items that you don’t want to forget:
The following items should be carried with you while you’re on the route:
Do Not Bring:
Stay Informed and Connected
If you haven’t already, please subscribe to 3-Day Text Alerts. In case we need to announce important information during the event, 3-Day Text Alerts will be the best way for you to get the information you need quickly. So if you are planning on having your cell phone with you on the 3-Day, we recommend that you subscribe. Additionally, if you subscribe to text alerts, you’ll receive a link to the next day’s online route card each night.
Also, follow the 3-Day on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and post your own updates and photos using the hashtag #The3Day and #MI3DAY.
The All-Crew Kick-Off will be a little bit different than you may have experienced in previous years. This year, the All-Crew Kick-Off will begin with your crew team meeting where you will get to know the other members or your team, receive your crew T-shirts and learn about your team’s specific responsibilities.
Your arrival time and meeting location will be determined by your Crew Captain. Please confirm these important details with your Crew Captain.
Following your team meeting, your team is invited to join the rest of the Crew as we gather to celebrate the launch of another great event. This celebration will be held at a local restaurant or bar. It will be casual, and your attendance is optional, but it promises to ignite your enthusiasm for the weekend of fun (and hard work) ahead!
The All-Crew Kick-Off will last approximately 3 hours, from 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Select crew teams will need to arrive earlier on Thursday to begin their crew responsibilities or help with Crew Late Check-In. Crew members who did not complete Online Check-In and those who need to re-print their credentials must come to Crew Late Check-In at the Sheraton Novi between 2:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. to complete the check-in process. Crew assigned as event drivers will also need to come to Crew Late Check-In between 2:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. to complete driver’s training.
Please contact your Crew Captain to confirm your scheduled arrival time and location before finalizing your travel plans. There will be no shuttles on Thursday between the All-Crew Kick-Off site and the host hotel. If you need a ride, please contact your fellow crew members or use rideshare options like Lyft or Uber or take a taxi.
Please bring:
Here’s the play-by-play of how the day will go.
The day’s mileage will vary, from 15.3 to 19.5 miles. You should aim for a pace of about 3 mph, spending approximately 10-15 minutes at each pit stop and 30 minutes at the lunch stop.
Every 3-4 miles along the route, you will have an opportunity to stop, stretch, use the toilet, grab a snack and refill your water bottle. It’s important that you drink as much as you need along the way, to avoid dehydration. The Medical Crew will be available at pit stops to help you with any medical problems you may encounter during the day. A grab & go is a smaller pit stop, which has toilets and drinks only. The midday pit stop will be your lunch stop. You can rest, relax, eat a healthy bag lunch and visit the Medical Crew, if necessary.
All pit stops have designated opening and closing hours, timed to keep you moving along the route at a safe pace and to ensure that you complete your walking while it is still light out. If you reach a pit stop before it opens, you will be asked to stop and wait. If you reach a pit stop after it closes, you will be transported to the lunch stop (or camp, if you have already passed the lunch stop). A “caboose” will be following the last walker on the route. If you are falling behind schedule, you will be given the option to take a sweep van to the next pit stop if you cannot increase your pace. This is to keep everyone moving along the route at a pace that ensures traffic support and sweep vans are available and ready to assist if needed. Read more about cabooses, sweeps and route hours on our blog.
Remember, it’s not a race. If your pace has slowed to the point where you are not making it to the pit stops before they close, you will be transported to lunch or camp (depending on the time of day) for your own safety. We don’t want to leave anyone on the route after crew support and signage have been removed. There will be a staff member on a bicycle (who we lovingly call the “caboose”) at the back of the pack making sure that no one gets left behind or ends up on the route after it has closed.
The route is well marked with arrows and instructional signage so all you need to do is follow the signs and the walkers in front of you!
The route will open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 7:00 p.m., other conditions permitting. Exact mileage per event varies according to a number of factors such as pit stops, camp, as well as Opening and Closing site locations. The amount of daylight hours also impacts the total event mileage as it dictates the amount of time the route can be kept open safely.
Here's a general description of what you will experience along the way below.
Friday: Approximately 19.5 miles
The Michigan 3-Day will begin with an emotional Opening Ceremony at the Sheraton Novi. We'll enjoy a beautiful residential walk through Walled Lake and Novi. We will spend a good part of the morning walking through the quaint business and residential area on Walled Lake, as well as the shoreline of the lake itself. Then it's back to the Sheraton Novi, our home away from home for the weekend.
Saturday: Approximately 19.1 miles
On Saturday morning, we'll rise and shine, ready to hit the trail. We will walk through scenic Hines Park in the morning, then Downtown Northville and Plymouth in the afternoon. Get ready for more hills than Day One. You can do it! Then it's back to the Sheraton Novi for another evening of community, camaraderie and fun.
Sunday: Approximately 15.3 miles
The final day of our journey will begin with a short bus ride in the morning to Livonia. We will walk down beautiful Hines Drive and end at Ford World Headquarters for our celebratory Closing Festival.
Please be courteous and follow instructions of safety monitors, crew and staff at all times. They are here to make sure you have a safe and enjoyable experience. Abusive behavior will not be tolerated under any circumstances.
If you get injured, or are too exhausted to finish the day’s mileage, one of our “sweep vans” can pick you up and take you to the next pit stop, where you can get medical attention, if you need it. If you are still unable to walk, a Lunch & Camp Shuttle will take you to camp. As the day comes to a close, sweep vans will pick up any walkers who have fallen far behind and take them forward to the next stop, so that they arrive before that stop closes. This ensures that all walkers make it to camp before dark. Please note: Sweep vans do not pick up walkers at pit stops or other route stops. Sweep vans may only pick up walkers while they are out on the route.
At each pit stop there will be an assortment of snacks including clementines, bananas, potato chips, carrots, peanuts, pretzels and more (as supplies last). To drink, there will be water and sports drink provided (you must bring your own water bottle to fill). About halfway through each day’s mileage, you will have a nutritious lunch. Each morning and evening at the hotel you will enjoy a hot catered meal.
You must show your 3-Day credential in order to receive all meals and services. If you prefer a vegetarian meal, please update your profile when you go through online check-in, and then let us know when you select your meal on the event. (If you have other special dietary needs, give your coach a call in advance at 800-996-3DAY so we can discuss your options.)
This year, we have something fun planned for the new halfway celebration on Saturday. Get ready to rock with us by checking out this video of our Halfway Celebration flash mob dance.
Our first priority is always a safe event. To keep it safe, we need your cooperation. You must take responsibility for your own safety. In the spirit of kindness, please keep an eye out for the safety of others as well. Walking in a group is different than walking alone—you must be particularly aware of your movement and behavior to ensure that you are not endangering yourself or others.
Please observe the following safety policies on the event and on all of your training walks.
You should be drinking about 4-5 oz. of fluid per mile while on the event. Drink a bottle of water AND a bottle of sports drink between each pit stop to maintain your sodium levels. Re-read the information on nutrition and hydration on the Training page. This will help you to know the symptoms of dehydration and hyponatremia to watch for in your body. Please note: you must bring your own water bottle on the event. We will not be providing individual bottles of water, but will provide water to refill your own. Please assist us in making our event gentler on the environment.
Stretch! Make sure you stretch five minutes every hour. It’s an easy way to stay injury-free and comfortable on the route. Visit the Training page for more information on stretching.
Safety monitors will be present on the route to help enforce safe walking practices. These are walkers—just like you!—who have volunteered to help keep everyone safe. You will be able to identify them by their distinctive orange safety monitor badges.
Whatever the weather, the 3-Day generally continues. So please be prepared for walking in inclement weather. If the weather gets too severe, we always have a back-up plan for evacuating and relocating to make sure that everyone is housed safely.
We will make every effort to hold the 3-Day events at the times, dates and locations specified. However, Susan G. Komen® holds the right to cancel or change the date or location of any 3-Day event, in its sole discretion, due to circumstances that may compromise the health or safety of the participants, including without limitation, unusually severe or extreme weather, fire, natural disaster, epidemic or riot. In the event that a 3-Day event is cancelled or changed, we will take active steps to inform registered participants of such cancellation or change as soon as possible by email and/or text message, posting announcements online in the Participant Center at The3Day.org and on our social media channels. All registration fees and donations submitted to the 3-Day are non-transferable and non-refundable, even if the event is cancelled or changed. That means that once a donation is posted to a participant’s account it cannot be moved to another participant’s account for any reason, regardless of whether or not you’re able to participate in the event. Your donations will go directly to the cause, and we hope your donors will appreciate supporting Komen regardless of the cancellation or modification of the event.
As with any emergency, call 911 first, if possible. Then, immediately report any medical emergencies to 3-Day staff (the 3-Day event hotline phone number will be clearly marked on your credential). We have a full crew of volunteer medical professionals along the route and at camp to assist you as well as access to local emergency facilities for more serious injuries.
Medical Insurance
All registered walkers and crew members must have personal health insurance during the time the event takes place in order to participate. Although the 3-Day provides certain emergency medical services, personal health insurance may be necessary to cover costs of other medical care, including care received away from the event. For example: if emergency room care or ambulance transport is needed, insurance coverage may be necessary. Check with your insurance company for the terms of your individual policy. If you currently do not have health insurance, either purchase a temporary policy that covers you for the duration of the 3-Day or contact your coach for an insurance waiver.
The 3-Day and all of the cities we travel through work together to help create a safe and enjoyable experience for 3-Day participants and supporters. As the 3-Day route is on public property, it is subject to local laws. Local jurisdictions will be enforcing open-liquor laws in neighborhoods along the route. The safety of our participants is our number one priority.
Please discourage your family and friends from driving along the route, as it can create a safety hazard. Instead, encourage them to show their support at a Cheering Station. The following Cheering Stations are safe, recommended places for your supporters to cheer you on along the route.
Friday, August 2
7:00 a.m. – 7:30 a.m., Opening Ceremony
Sheraton Detroit Novi
21111 Haggerty Road
Novi, MI 48375
8:10 a.m. - 9:15 a.m., Mile Marker 3.2
Novi Ten Shopping Center
(Grassy area along Meadowbrook Road)
41820 W 10 Mile Rd.
Novi, MI 48375
11:15 a.m. - 4:15 p.m., Mile Marker 14.8
Novi Road
btwn. 10 Mile Road and Algonquin Drive
Novi, MI 48375
Saturday, August 3
9:05 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., Mile Marker 8.1
Kellogg Park - downtown Plymouth
Ann Arbor Trail & Main Street
Plymouth, MI 48170
11:00 a.m. - 3:15 p.m., Mile Marker 14.9
Oaks Pointe Shopping Plaza
22240 Novi Road
Novi, MI 48375
Sunday, August 4
10:15 a.m. - 2:40 p.m., Mile Marker 12.9
Garrison Street btwn. Monroe & South Brady Streets
Dearborn, MI 48124
Closing Festival
Ford World Headquarters
One American Drive
Dearborn, MI 48126
The Closing Festival will begin at 12:00 p.m. The Closing Ceremony will start when the last walker arrives, approximately 3:45 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.
The camp experience will take place entirely at the Sheraton Novi, with participants sleeping in that hotel as well as other nearby hotels as needed. 3-Day Main street, the Remembrance Tent, medical services, meals and all of the ceremony you expect on the 3-Day will be hosted at the hotel.
Then Saturday night (4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.), you can invite your friends and family (but please, leave the pets at home). We’ll have games, community entertainment, a special ceremony to honor the reasons why we commit, and a dance party to end the night. Dinner in the hotel is for participants only and visitors will not be able to bring outside food into the dining area, so if visitors wish to eat dinner while visiting, you may purchase food at NoVI Craft House in the Sheraton. All visitors must depart camp by 8:00 p.m.
Parking at the hotel is available for free.
Camp Hours: Camp opens at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, and all camp services (except dinner) are available from 1:00 p.m. 8:30 p.m. Dinner is served from 4:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m. There will be activities throughout the evening, so please pay attention to the signs and announcements informing you of the schedule of activities.
On Saturday, breakfast will be served between 5:00 a.m. - 7:15 a.m. and the Breakfast of Champions for those who have been invited to celebrate their extraordinary commitment and fundraising will be held at 6:00 a.m.). All camp services will be open from 6:00 a.m. - 7:30 a.m. Morning Camp closes and all walkers must be on the route by 7:30 a.m. Afternoon camp opens at 12:00 p.m.
On Sunday, breakfast will be served between 5:00 a.m. - 7:15 a.m. All camp services will be open from 6:00 a.m. - 7:15 a.m. Morning Camp closes and all walkers must be on a bus to the route by 7:30 a.m.
Leaving the Event: When you arrive at camp each afternoon, the Check-In team will scan the bar code on your credential to indicate that you have checked in. If you plan to leave the event for the evening, please check out at the information table in the lobby. When you return in the morning, we will scan you back in as you step onto the route for the day. If you plan to leave the event permanently, please check out with the Support Services team at the Command Center located in the St. Clair room at the Sheraton.
Main Street: Kick back and relax in the 3-Day Lounge brought to you by Amgen. Enjoy cookies & milk while socializing with your new friends, relax in a comfy chair, and win some great prizes. At the Pick-Up Point, you can check to see if you’ve received mail from a loved one at home and pick up a Sweet Treat if you see the icon on your credential. The Pick-Up Point is also where you pick up any legacy pins or your lifetime fundraising vest (if you’ve raised $50,000+ and haven’t already received it), or your thank you gift if you’re an official training walk leader.
If you meet any of the following criteria, please stop by the Pick-Up Point to pick up the legacy pins you have earned:
A Message from Bank of America
Bank of America is proud to join you at the 3-Day as Presenting Sponsor and Official Fundraising Partner. All 3-Day participants will be invited to the Bank of America® Breakfast of Champions on Saturday morning to celebrate your accomplishments. During the breakfast we will recognize Top Individual, Team and Crew Fundraisers. This year we will add recognition categories for the Top New Fundraiser and Top Small but Mighty Team.
The Bank of America staff looks forward to cheering you on this weekend and always take joy in seeing your faces as we present you with your Bank of America finisher medal! Because of you, we are all one step closer to a world without breast cancer. See you at the 3-Day!
There will be limited quantities of official Susan G. Komen 3-Day merchandise for sale along Main Street in the ballroom. This merchandise includes a commemorative city t-shirt, city pin, and additional functional and fun 3-Day items such as postcards (bring your stamps!) that you can send to friends, family, and donors while you are on-site!
This shop will be open on Friday and Saturday of the event, from 12:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. each day.
Sales will be with credit cards only—no cash. Only Affiliates of Susan G. Komen® and national sponsors with written agreements in place will be permitted to sell merchandise on the 3-Day event. No other individuals or organizations may sell merchandise at the 3-Day hotel sites, campsites, ceremony sites, pit stops or any other location for which the 3-Day has obtained a permit.
Kindness Rocks
One of the great things about the 3-Day is the spirit of kindness that we create for three days while on the event. It's like living in a bubble — the world the way we wish it would be. It's a world where every walker, from the first to the last, gets a cheer as she or he enters camp. Where a stranger may help you carry your bag. Where a long line to wait in becomes another opportunity to make a great new friend. One of the most popular phrases around the 3-Day is “No whining!” So carry on that legacy of kindness. Be kind, smile, and lend a hand when you see someone who needs it.
As the sun comes up on the third day, you will re-pack your bag, load it on the gear truck, which will be located right outside the hotel and begin the final day. The crew will transport your gear to the Closing Festival location for you while you’re walking.
Your gear bag can be picked up at the Closing Festival. If you would like a loved one to pick up your gear bag for you, please print out your event check-in confirmation page and give it to them before the event. (A link to your confirmation page can be found on your Participant Center home page if you have completed online check-in.) They must present a copy of this in order to claim your bag.
The Closing Festival will open to participants and spectators at 12:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 4, when we will begin to welcome home the walkers and crew from their 3-Day weekend. Unlike past years, the Closing Ceremony will begin immediately after the last walker arrives at the Closing Festival site. If you would like to see the Closing Ceremony, please ensure that you are there between 3:45 p.m. 4:15 p.m.
We encourage spectators, friends and family to bring your pop-ups, shade tents, chairs and coolers to cheer the walkers in off the route. We will have a designated area for pop-ups that is very close to the walk-in arch for the Closing Festival. In order to allow everyone to see the ceremony, please do not set up pop-up tents near the stage or viewing area.
The Closing Festival will include:
Sunday, August 4
Ford World Headquarters
One American Drive
Dearborn, MI 48126
Parking: Spectators should park on the North side of Ford World Headquarters, South of Hubbard, off W Road.
Taxi Services
Getting There Transportation Taxi Service 313-502-1688
Metro Airport Car Service (Airport Shuttle Service) 248-579-5466
Motor City Cabs, LLC 313-974-2358
PLEASE NOTE: IN CONSIDERATION FOR BEING PERMITTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SUSAN G. KOMEN 3-DAY, YOU HAVE AGREED TO BE SUBJECT TO, AND ABIDE BY, THE KOMEN 3-DAY POLICIES, PROCEDURES AND INSTRUCTIONS. THE LIST OF POLICIES SET FORTH HERE IS A SUMMARY AND NOT AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST OR EXPLANATION OF THE POLICIES APPLICABLE TO YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THE 3-DAY. FURTHER, THE POLICIES OF THE 3-DAY MAY CHANGE FROM TIME TO TIME AND, AS SUCH, THE POLICIES INCLUDED IN THE LIST TO THE RIGHT ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT ANY 3-DAY POLICY, PLEASE VISIT THE3DAY.ORG OR CALL YOUR COACH AT 800-996-3DAY.