Although it would be raining later, the day started with some sunshine. There were fewer clouds this morning, and it was colder - much colder - but there was some sun and it was another great start to a great day for me and the other 4,000-some walkers on Day 3.
This being the last of the three days, there was one last chance to take a picture in camp before heading out on our last leg of our tour of San Diego. And many people were taking photos! I'm wondering if it's because everyone knew that the rain was coming?
Along the route, we were always helped by volunteers such as Jerry, a local motorcyclist. These riders were there in the heavy rain, just like we were, helping us walkers in the right direction - and keeping us from crossing on red lights. Safety is paramount with this event! And people like this guy made it safer:
I can't stress enough about the volunteers along the way, and what a generous and uplifting crowd they've been - all along the route on each day (even if a few less in the rainy conditions). High school cheerleading squads, neighbors from the route itself, girl scouts, San Diego residents who do or don't have a breast cancer connection but just want to cheer us on, even breast cancer survivors that aren't able to walk 60 miles but want to show their support for what we're doing. Just incredible.
I could have taken about forty pictures like this one:
And I could have eaten about forty of these:
What you may notice about these cupcakes is that they aren't store bought; but that's not all. They were made with pink frosting, and the "running ribbon" trademark of the Komen 3-Day. I mean, some real effort was put into this!
After today's 17 miles and soaked from head to toe, I was ready to get into Petco Park - and complete my walk for Day 3 and for the event itself. Frankly, it was a great personal acheivement for me, especially with so much rain yesterday and today. But it's not the walking that will cure cancer, it's the funds raised by participants like me in events like this that will ultimately find a cure. Walking into Petco Park and getting ready for the closing ceremony, I'm already planning on next year's November. Maybe I can convince a few of you to join me!
