If you have a specific question that is not answered below, please contact us. (Registered Participants: Please log in to access our participant FAQ.)
1. What is the Susan G. Komen 3-Day®?
It’s a 60-mile walk that’s making a real difference in the fight against breast cancer.
It began in 2003 as the Breast Cancer 3-Day®, and since then we’ve raised more than $902 million to save lives and make huge strides in breast cancer research.
The 3-Day has also changed the lives of thousands of people who through the 3-Day experience were transformed. You’ll find strength, you’ll find purpose, and you’ll find a community of people who will restore your faith in the world as a place of kindness and joy.
The net proceeds raised by the Susan G. Komen 3-Day help Susan G. Komen® build a world free of breast cancer. Since its founding in 1982, Komen has funded more than $1 billion in research and provided more than $2.3 billion in funding to screening, education, treatment and psychosocial support programs serving millions of people in more than 60 countries worldwide.
Our shareable infographics will educate your donors, teammates, family and friends about how 3-Day funds transform into life-saving work.
2. When and where does the 3-Day take place?
New England (hotel lodging), August 23-25, 2024
Denver (hotel lodging), September 27-29, 2024
Dallas/Fort Worth (hotel lodging), November 1-3, 2024
San Diego (camp lodging), November 15-17, 2024
Click here for information about the 2025 Susan G. Komen 3-Day events.
It’s a 60-mile walk over the course of three days. We stay together as a community on Friday and Saturday nights. It includes meals, a 3-Day lounge, massage chairs and lots more!
The route is fully supported by an experienced and energetic crew who will keep you safe and cheer you to the finish line! Bring your determination to have an impact, your walking shoes, and an open heart.
3-Day walkers raise $2,300 to help end breast cancer. It may be hard, but it’s not as hard as breast cancer. We’ll match your commitment by taking care of your food and sleeping arrangements over the course of the weekend. Now’s the time to step up and commit to this challenge—for this mission, for those you love and for yourself. You can do it and we are here to help!
If you’d like to participate in a different way, you can register as a 1-Day Walker and raise $750. Or register as a 2-Day Walker and raise $1,800.
3. Before You Register: The Important Things to Know
4. How do I register for the 3-Day?
Go to the Register page, select your 3-Day location and complete the form. You will be guided through the registration process. Once your transaction is complete, you will receive a confirmation email receipt. If you don't wish to register online, click here to print a registration form to mail in. Or call 800-996-3DAY and we will be happy to take your 2024 registration over the phone.
Click here to register for the 2025 Susan G. Komen 3-Day events.
5. How far do we walk?
The 3-Day route covers approximately 15-22 miles each day for three days in a row, totaling approximately 60 miles. It’s the greatest distance you can go in the fight against breast cancer®.
1-Day Walkers walk on the final day (Sunday) of the event on a route that is approximately 15-18 miles. 2-Day Walkers walk on the Saturday and Sunday of the event, approximately 15-22 miles each day.
6. What if I can’t walk that far?
On the 3-Day, if you are unable to continue walking while out on the route, one of our support vehicles will transport you to the next pit stop, or ahead to camp, where you can rest and get medical attention if you need it. Your safety is always our first concern. How much distance you cover isn’t the most important part of the event. So don’t worry if you’re not able to walk all the miles! You’re already a hero in our eyes!
7. Where do we spend the night?
You’ll spend the evening with your fellow walkers and crew members.
The San Diego 3-Day is hosted at an outdoor camp and the others are hosted in a hotel.
For the San Diego 3-Day, camp includes a dining tent, where you will eat a catered dinner and breakfast, and shower trucks for washing up. There will be a “3-Day Lounge” for relaxation and socialization, a stage for nightly announcements and entertainment. You’ll retire for the night to your 3-Day tent. Or, if you don’t wish to sleep at camp, we will provide information about nearby hotels which include shuttles to and from camp, though you will be responsible for the cost, and for making your own reservations.
For events hosted in a hotel (Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, New England), one main hotel will serve as our host for the event with meals, main street, 3-Day lounge and participant lodging. This format allows for the same ceremony, community and camaraderie as usual on the 3-Day, or as our veterans call it, “The 3-Day Pink Bubble.” 3-Day Walkers and crew members will be provided two nights at the host or nearby hotel and rooms will be assigned to double occupancy. 2-Day Walkers will be provided with a hotel room for Saturday night. 1-Day Walkers will not be provided with a hotel room.
8. Is there a minimum age requirement to register for the 3-Day?
Walkers must be at least 16 years of age by the end of the year the event takes place in order to participate. Registered walkers who are under 18 years of age must provide a minor consent form signed by a parent or guardian and be accompanied by a parent or guardian who is also a registered walker for the duration of the 3-Day event and on any official training walks. Crew members must be 18 years of age at the time of the event in order to participate as a crew member in the 3-Day.
The Youth Corps is a specialized team that allows 10-16 year olds to participate as crew members on the event. Youth Corps members will attend the entire 3-Day event (accompanied by a small group of Crew Captains), tent at night in camp with the participants and complete a multitude of important tasks both on the route and in camp. Each Youth Corps member also must agree to raise a minimum of $500 for the 3-Day in order to participate on the Youth Corps team. Click here to be notified when Youth Corps registration opens.
Day volunteers must be at least 10 years old in order to volunteer for the 3-Day. Minors under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult while volunteering on the event (no more than 5 minors per adult for ages 10-16, 10 minors per adult for ages 16-18).
9. Is there an insurance requirement to register for the 3-Day?
Yes. You must provide proof of medical insurance on the medical form in order to participate. This applies to all registered participants, including walkers and crew members. Though the 3-Day provides emergency medical services without charge, personal health insurance is needed to cover the cost of any medical care received away from the event. For example: if emergency room or ambulance transport is necessary, insurance coverage may apply. Check with your insurance company for the terms of your individual policy. If you do not currently have insurance, we suggest you obtain temporary insurance.
10. Do I need permission from my doctor in order to participate?
No, but if you have significant medical history, we strongly suggest that you discuss your participation in the 3-Day with your primary health care provider and get his or her approval for you to participate. Click here to download an informational sheet about the event to show your personal physician.
11. Do I have to carry all my gear while I am walking?
No. For the San Diego 3-Day, the 3-Day Crew will transport it from the Opening Ceremony to camp on Friday, and then to the Closing Ceremony on Sunday afternoon. the weather forecast is favorable on Saturday morning, you can leave your gear in your tent, since you’ll be returning to your home away from home that night.
For events with hotel lodging, your gear will stay at your hotel, and be transported by the Crew to the Closing Ceremony location on Sunday.
12. I live outside the United States. Can I participate in the event?
Yes. You do not need to live inside the U.S. to participate in the 3-Day.
13. Where can I find information about the financial results of the 3-Day?
Visit Komen.org/AboutUs/FinancialInformation.html for Susan G. Komen®'s financial reports. Our shareable infographics will educate your donors, teammates, family and friends about how 3-Day funds transform into life-saving work.
14. Can persons with disabilities participate in the 3-Day?
Yes. The 3-Day is committed to addressing the needs of all of our participants, including those with disabilities, in order to provide a safe and successful event experience. Coaches and tools are available to support every participant through registration, fundraising and training. Click here to read our entire disability policy.
15. Is the event held in bad weather?
Whatever the weather, the 3-Day usually continues. So please be prepared for walking and camping* in inclement weather. If the weather gets too severe, we always have a back-up plan for evacuating camp or the route and relocating to make sure that everyone is housed safely. (*For the San Diego 3-Day.)
We will make every effort to hold the 3-Day events at the times, dates and locations specified. However, 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 (walkers, crew and volunteers) of such cancellation or change as soon as possible by email and/or phone and posting announcements online at the participant center at The3Day.org. All registration fees and donations submitted to the 3-Day are non-transferable and non-refundable, even if the event is cancelled or changed. 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.
16. Will there be any policies in place on the 3-Day in response to COVID-19?
The health and safety of all our participants are our top priorities. We are following all national and local health department requirements and will provide guidance prior to the event, if necessary. Participants will need to complete a health questionnaire prior to accessing their credential. You can always access the latest information and guidance about COVID-19 from the CDC here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.
17. What is a 1-Day Walker?
We invite those looking for a taste of the 3-Day, or who are unable to commit to three days and 60 miles, to join us for one day, 20 miles, and our biggest celebration and survivor tribute of the weekend—our Closing Ceremony.
Important Notes:
There is also an option to participate as a 2-Day Walker. This includes two full days of walking, on the Saturday and Sunday of the event.
1. What is a crew member?
A crew member is a registered Susan G. Komen 3-Day participant who attends the event in a service capacity. Crew members do not walk the 60-mile route, but are onsite during the entire event (plus an additional half-day prior to the event for check-in, teambuilding and training) performing a specific job. The crew is the backbone of the Komen 3-Day!
All 3-Day crew members, except medical crew members, will have a $100 fundraising minimum requirement in order to participate. We hope you’ll understand how critical it is that we all raise funds for the fight to end breast cancer and how your support is needed in this. The Susan G. Komen 3-Day is a unique large-scale event, and having a fundraising minimum allows us to provide a good experience and still send the maximum amount of funds to Komen’s mission to end breast cancer.
We provide the same fundraising tools and support to crew members that we provide to our walkers. We are confident that our crew members can easily meet and exceed their fundraising goal. In 2023, crew members raised more than $500 each, on average.
2. What do volunteers do?
Volunteers are needed on the 3-Day to help with single-day commitments. It’s a way to stay flexible and still contribute your time, expertise and ideas to help make the 3-Day® a success. From outreach and recruitment, to training and motivating participants, to on-event roles and responsibilities, there is a volunteer opportunity to fit your schedule, skills and passions.
Learn more about volunteer opportunities.
3. What’s the difference between volunteers and crew?
Crew members are onsite to support the walkers during the entire 3-Day event. Volunteers help the 3-Day for a single day or a few hours, either at training and recruitment events before the 3-Day, or on-event at camp or the Participant Finish Area. If you can give us a few hours or a day, you should consider being a volunteer. If you can commit to the full four days of the event (crew meetings on Thursday, plus the 3 days of the event) you should register to be a crew member.
Learn more about crew opportunities.
4. Can I volunteer if I am already registered as a walker or crew member?
Yes, in certain capacities. Getting involved as a volunteer is a great way to stay connected to the 3-Day throughout the year and really become a part of our community. Because 3-Day walkers and crew members will be participating in the 3-Day, they will not be available to register for the on-event volunteer opportunities at camp and the Participant Finish Area. 1-Day and 2-Day Walkers may be able to volunteer on Friday or Saturday.
5. How do I register to become a volunteer?
Click here to search for volunteer opportunities for the 3-Day.
If you would like to be notified when new volunteer opportunities become available, please subscribe to the Volunteer Bulletin. It’s a newsletter that delivers important volunteer information and will keep you aware of new opportunities as they are announced. Subscribing to the Volunteer Bulletin places you on our email distribution list to receive the bulletin. It does not sign you up for a particular volunteer opportunity. Once volunteer opportunities are listed in the bulletin, you will need to sign up for a specific position.
If you are a registered participant interested in volunteering to lead training walks, update your profile (Additional Information tab) to check “I am interested in becoming a training walk leader” and we will email you instructions and next steps.
6. Are there volunteer opportunities for groups? How do we register a group?
Yes. We welcome groups of volunteers for our street teams, local events and Ceremonies. Please contact a 3-Day Crew & Volunteer Coordinator to learn more.
7. Can crew members choose which type of job they do on the event?
During the registration process, crew members will choose their crew team from a list of crew teams with open positions. Crew teams are first come, first served upon registration and some crew teams fill up very quickly.
8. Is there an insurance requirement to register as a volunteer?
While the 3-Day does not require volunteers to carry personal health insurance while on event, we highly recommend that you do so. As a volunteer you may sustain injuries, which may require medical treatment. Any costs associated with injuries sustained on event, would be fully and solely your own responsibility. The 3-Day will not reimburse you or be financially responsible for any costs associated with your medical care while on the event or thereafter.
1. How do I find a participant's personal fundraising webpage?
Click on Donate and search by their first or last name.
2. Why is the “Donate” search not finding a participant that I know has registered?
Try entering just the first few letters of the participant's name. If you have a problem locating a participant that you are sure has registered, please call a coach at 800-996-3DAY.
3. Why is the "Donate" search returning more than one listing for a participant?
A participant has separate fundraising accounts for each Susan G. Komen 3-Day® event they are registered for. So if someone is registered for more than one Komen 3-Day, all of their fundraising accounts will be listed in the participant search.
4. I am using a Mac and having technical difficulties with this website.
The platform on which this website is built, Convio, does not support the Safari browser. If you are navigating this site with a Mac, please download Mozilla Firefox or Chrome.
5. Is it secure to enter my credit card information on the 3-Day® website?
Yes. We use industry accepted encryption for transmission of credit card information to ensure we keep your information secure, accurate, current and complete. We do not store credit card information in our system, which means it cannot be stolen from us. Our website's donation processing capabilities authorize credit cards in real time, and then immediately discard the card number. Follow-up transactions, including refunds or monthly donations, are processed using one-time reference codes that are tied to the nonprofit's account and useless to a hacker. Card numbers are only stored by the payment gateway, or the system that manages transactions and connects the Internet to banking networks, whose systems are highly secure.
1. Is a portion of the registration fee a donation?
No. Your registration fee does not apply towards your fundraising minimum, nor is it tax-deductible.
2. If I can't participate in the event, what happens to the donations that I have raised?
All donations submitted to the Susan G. Komen 3-Day® are non-transferable and non-refundable. If you are unable to participate in the event, your donations cannot be refunded nor can they be transferred to another participant. Your donations will go directly to the cause as if you had participated, and we hope your donors will appreciate supporting Susan G. Komen® regardless of your participation in the actual event.
3. What if I haven’t met my fundraising minimum in time to check in for the 3-Day®?
You will need to have the minimum required amount ($2,300 for 3-Day Walkers, $1,800 for 2-Day Walkers, $750 for 1-Day Walkers, $500 for Youth Corps, $100 for crew members) in your fundraising account in order to receive your official Komen 3-Day credential and participate in the event. If meeting the fundraising minimum is of concern to you, please reach out to your 3-Day coach. If you haven’t met your minimum requirement, you can still complete online check-in, however, and use the time between check-in and the first day of the event to finish your fundraising.
For events with hotel lodging: You must complete your fundraising requirement 6 weeks before your event in order to select your roommate and receive a hotel assignment. For these events, 3-Day and 2-Day Walkers may choose to make a delayed donation. Your credit card will only be charged if you participate in the 3-Day event, and only for the difference between your fundraising total (as of the Monday after the event) and the fundraising requirement.
4. How does Komen utilize the contributions?
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 $1 billion in breakthrough research and more than $2.3 billion to support people and communities most at risk through programs to provide access to screening, treatment assistance, patient navigation and education. For more information about Komen, breast health or breast cancer, visit komen.org or call 1-877 GO KOMEN.
See your research dollars at work.
Click here for Komen financial reports.
5. Why do you require a minimum fundraising requirement?
There are several reasons:
6. Aren’t you discouraging people from participating by requiring the fundraising minimum? Can you lower the minimum fundraising requirement?
The Susan G. Komen 3-Day is the boldest event in the breast cancer movement and is challenging by design. For some the challenge is training; for some the challenge is fundraising. Many participants have told us they are pleasantly surprised by how much they raised when they put their mind to it. With the tools we provide, we believe we will continue to see people meet and exceed the minimum fundraising requirement.
We have done extensive analysis of participation and fundraising trends and determined that, while a lower fundraising minimum could result in an increase in registrations, it would result in a much lower return of funds for the fight to end breast cancer. The increased registrations would not compensate for the loss in fundraising. We appreciate the close-knit 3-Day community and the commitment they have made to fundraising and this challenge.
The fundraising requirement allows Komen to raise as much money as possible for breast cancer research, education and community outreach programs. We want to assure you that you will have all of the resources and support you need to help you reach your fundraising goal before you begin your Komen 3-Day journey.
The 3-Day offers multiple levels of commitment with differing levels of fundraising required, so you can pick the one that is right for you. 3-Day Walkers must raise $2,300. 2-Day Walkers raise $1,800. 1-Day Walkers raise $750. Crew members raise $100.
7. Why is the minimum fundraising requirement for 3-Day walkers $2,300? What is the meaning behind that amount?
The fundraising minimum of $2,300 for all 3-Day walkers allows Komen to raise as much money as possible for breast cancer research, education and community outreach programs while still covering all the costs involved in putting on an event of this size. We have done extensive analysis of participation and fundraising trends and determined that $2,300 is the correct fundraising requirement for our budget and goals.
8. Where should I mail donation checks?
All donation checks must be attached to a donation form and should be mailed to the address listed on the donation form, Susan G. Komen 3-Day, P.O. Box 660843 Dallas, TX 75266-0843. All donation checks must be accompanied by a donation form.
9. Who should I make my check out to?
Please make all checks payable to: Susan G. Komen 3-Day.
10. Are donations tax-deductible?
Yes. All monetary donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
11. Are registration fees tax-deductible?
No. Registration fees are not tax-deductible.
12. What is a matching gift and how do I apply for one?
Many companies (both large and small) offer employee matching gift programs. This means that when an employee makes a donation to a cause or non-profit organization, the corporation will “match” that donation with an equal (or greater) amount to the same group. For more information about matching gift, visit the Matching Gifts page.
13. How will the 3-Day help me fundraise for the event?
We will support you through the entire process in many ways:
14. Can I donate using a Donor Advised Fund?
New on the 2025 donation pages, your donors are able to use our DAF Pay feature for their Donor Advised Funds! If you have questions about donating via DAF Pay, or to donate to a 2024 event via a DAF, please contact 1-877-GO KOMEN or info@komen.org.
1. How do I join or form a team?
If you haven't registered as a participant for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day® yet, you may register online and select “Start a Team” or "Join a Team." To start a team, create your team name and fundraising goal and you’ll be designated as the captain. To join a team, search for the name of the team you want to join and select it. Or call 800-996-3DAY to register and indicate that you would like to join a team. Let us know the team name, and your coach will be happy to get you started.
If you've decided to join or form a team after you've already registered, use the "Change Team Membership" link in your Participant Center (in Profile > Event Options).
2. Can team members share or split donations?
If you are mailing in a check donation of $1,000 or more, the team captain may ask us to divide that donation among team members. Otherwise, the answer is no, in most cases. The purpose of a team is to support each individual in doing more, not less, than they could do on their own, in order to have the greatest impact on the fight to end breast cancer.
3. How many people can make up a team?
Teams can be as small as two members and as big as you can imagine – our largest team has nearly 200 participants! You and a friend can register as a team and then inspire others to join you. Once you register as a team captain, we will send you a team captain handbook full of advice on how to expand and support your team.
4. What is the fundraising minimum for a team?
Each team member (who is a walker) is responsible for their own fundraising minimum requirement. While the team can set a bigger group goal, there is no minimum requirement for a team other than the individual requirement.
5. What is the registration fee for a team?
There is no registration fee per team, other than the individual registration fee for each participant.