A few things before I begin.
- The Breast Cancer 3-Day is a 60-mile walk over a 3-day period.
- Each walker MUST raise $2200 to walk. (NOTE: Click the link to the top right side of this blog's screen and donate to a VERY worthy cause.)
- Anyone can walk. But you have to sign up for the event first. There are survivors. Family members and friends of loved ones who have survived. And of those who have died. Even people who feel a sense of solidarity with attempting to eradicate breast cancer but who have not been personally affected by breast cancer.
- Walkers usually create teams composed of friends, family members, co-workers, and acquaintances.
- The walkers walked 20 miles today on the East Side (Bellevue, Redmond) and will then continue with 20 miles both Saturday and Sunday. They will finish at Seattle Center (where the Space Needle is) on Sunday afternoon. Each night - tonight and tomorrow night - they sleep in tents at Marymoor Park.
- Every 2-3 miles the walkers must stop at 'pit stops' to eat, drink, refill their bottled water, and go to the bathroom. If each walker doesn't do each of these things at each pit stop, it means there is most likely a problem.
- During those 2-3 mile 'hikes' there are white vans available to 'sweep' people who are unable - for whatever reason - to make it to the next pit stop. Those people are therefore transported to the next pit stop and can decide if they'd like to continue walking or be transported to the following pit stop.
- In addition to all the volunteer staff working at the pit stops and in the vans, there are Walker Stalkers. These Walker Stalkers are engaged in any assorted number of activities throughout the day including, but not limited to, honking and cheering from the car, refilling water bottles during the 'hikes', carrying team members who would like to rest for part or all of a given 'hike', run to the supermarket for requested items, playing loud inspirational music... well, you get the idea.
With that information, some of what I will tell you will make more sense. So, without further adieu...
The Team: The team I coached this past year was named the Buzz. (And yes, that story will come, but not tonight.) On the Buzz there played a woman named Julie, who happens to be a Breast Cancer survivor. Well, because the team was so close, a core of them decided to do the walk together as a team. They call themselves the Pink Buzz. Who else is on the Pink Buzz? So, some of these names may mean nothing to you, but here they are anyway... Elaine, Twiggy, Tara, Ashley, Fernando, Katrina, and Joseph. Yes, my partner Joseph. They are, as I type, slumbering down in their tents in Marymoor Park. There are two full time Walker Stalkers - at least there were today - Julie's sister, Maggie, and me.
The Day: Joseph awoke at 4 a.m. He left at just before 5 and made his way to West Seattle - where Julie lives - and took a limo with the Pink Buzz walkers to the East Side. I tried to sleep in, but the dogs were up and so was I. I had breakfast and surfed the web until about 8:15 when Maggie arrived. With the pink and white window paint as well as with the other accessories, we decorated her mini van. And off we went. At Safeway, we got water and gas. And we were on our way. We finally arrived at the first or second - I don't remember - pit stop and found the team at approximately 10.
We found them in the midst of some morning angst, that anticipation of a grueling, but emotionally fulfilling day. After a short talk and after they unloaded some of the items they didn't need, they were off. And we proceeded on down to the next pit stop honking and flailing pom-poms along the way. Can you imagine me with a pink pom-pom? Well, it was for a great cause so I didn't care.
We drove to the next pit stop. Then to the lunch spot - a beautiful park. We doubled back and cheered the walkers. Then we turned around again - a lot of that today - and set up in a random spot about a mile before the next pit stop. We offered water and Tootsie Pops to appreciative passersby - including our team members. It was at that stop that a volunteer - who was monitoring crossing at a smaller intersection - came up to us and asked us to take a gentleman to the next pit stop. Sure, we said and we began to rummage through the items in the back seat, making room. Then the volunteer asked Maggie to call it into Command 1. Huh? Aren't you a Pick Up Van, he asked. Oh, no, we're not, but we can take him. Oh, he said, you can't. I thought you were a sweeper van. The flushed gentleman retreated to the shade as the volunteer aplogized. Maggie and I traded glances and shrugged. Must be the liability, we agreed.
We met the team at the next pit stop. They ate, drank, refilled, and went to the bathroom. Just as they were supposed to do.
They started again. And we continued doing what we were doing. Tootsie Pops and water. In addition, every once in a while, we saw, as we passed walkers, people giving us the thumbs down signal. Did they want us to stop hooting and hollering? Maggie and I weren't sure. So we continued on.
Then we started to get it. They weren't turning their thumbs down at us because they were upset. That was the signal for a ride. They, like the volunteer and the flushed man to whom we spoke earlier, thought we were a sweeper van. But there was no way we could tell all of those people that we weren't a sweeper van. Maggie and I wondered if we should just go park somewhere and cheer. Or if we should just go to pit stops. But, no, we agreed, we were Walker Stalkers and we were going to stalk.
So we did. We met up with the team as well as some of Julie's co-workers, friends, and even her father at lunch. The walkers weren't particularly impressed with their lunch. Julie's friend, Beth, had supplied lunch for Maggie and me, which I must say was rather good. I felt a little bad. But Maggie and I agreed that we would provide better lunches tomorrow. The job of the Walker Stalker.
After lunch, Katrina decided that she needed a little time away from walking. We took her in the car and continued our stalking. Still, we saw multiple thumbs down. We didn't stop. We let Katrina out to meet back up with the walkers and then set up shop passing out Tootsie Pops and water yet again.
Back in the car. We needed more water. Ten gallons from Safeway. And gum. Julie and the team wanted gum. So we got gum. We met back up with them at another pit stop. Fernando and Ashley wanted to join us in the car. So they did and off we went to scope out the next pit stop. On our way, we saw a group of women turning their thumbs down at us. There had to be at least 15 women sitting there. No shade around. No pickup van in sight. We traveled a bit more down the road talking about how that was just a travesty. And after we had worked ourselves up enough, we agreed that we were going to help, if only a little. Maggie turned the car around and we went back to the group.
We took three of them. We explained that we weren't really a sweeper van, and they couldn't have cared less. Just help us out. Okay, then hop in, we said. And away we went.
That next pit stop, we later discovered, would be our last for the day. We took pictures and ate Uncrustables. (They're rather good.) We then loaded Ashley, Fernando, and Katrina into the car and headed for the next pit stop. But we were right by Microsoft. And it was Friday. And it was 4:30. Imagine 95 in southern CT or the 91-95 interchange at rush hour - for those of you in CT - and you'll understand what happened. We doubled back and stopped for the last time. Tootsie Pops and water. With the three walkers in the car, we all made an executive decision to bring them to Marymoor Park, where they would be sleeping for the night. And so we did.
With traffic only getting worse, we called up the rest of the team and told them that we were going home. And so we did.
I will leave you with some of my favorite t-shirts, stickers, and slogans of the day:
- T-shirt: Help Save These! Ask How!
- Slogan: I Fight Like a Girl
- T-shirt: Help the Beaver. Save Her Two Friends!
- Team T-Shirts: Breast Friends
- T-Shirt: I'm Here for the Boobs
- Slogan: Save the Ta-Tas!
And finally, my favorite:
- Save Second Base
More tomorrow...
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