Jens3-dayExperience - jens3dayphotos

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The starting line for Days 2 and 3. Walkers get their credential badge scanned as we head out onto the route and also get the day's ROUTE CARD which gives details about the stops & mileage along the way, as well as the evening activities and the next day's start time.

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Campers getting ready to walk. White tents in background is where all the group activities are.

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View of campers pink tents in Maplewood (north of 36 at English Street). I didn't camp overnight, but heard some interesting stories!

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If it was any cooler overnight there would've been frost! Temp down in the mid to upper 40's. The course officially opened at 6:30 a.m.

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Pitstop 1 on Day 2.

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Crowded pit stop as we all load up on snacks & beverages.

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Beverages included various flavors of Gatorade and water (in the yellow coolers). Ice was also given away to anyone who wanted it.

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Usually always a line at the portapotties. Never EVER pass up a portapotty. I learned that on Day 1.

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Don't know her, but love the outfit!

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Biker dudes were a hit all 3 days, riding along the route, honking and cheering for us with pink bras on their heads.

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No Helmets, but i think their bras were padded.

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Day 2, heading into the first Cheering Station at LaBore Road and Cty Rd E. My old stomping grounds, as I lived a mile to the left on Labore Road less than a year ago!

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Crossing LaBore Road.

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Loved the cheerleaders at the Cheering Station!

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This cheering station was very crowded for being so early in the morning (around 8a)

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Slow-going on the sidewalks through the cheering stations, as people see friends/family, and people load up on food/candy and other freebies that spectators give away (stickers, buttons, pins, etc.).

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Some spectators really get into these Cheering Stations! The Boobettes?

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This was a big and long cheering station.

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More experienced spectators, with great outfits!

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the view from the top of the "hill"

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Vadnais Heights firefighters showing their support!

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I heard that last year they had lots of bras hanging from the ladder, like garland.

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More experienced spectators who know how to show their SUPPORT.

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Heading into Pit Stop 2 on Day 2.

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Gotta love the Energizer Cheerleaders at Pit Stop 2.

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Slightly out of sync, but I loved their enthusiasm and energy!

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not many pit stops had shade. Too bad it wasn't hot out yet.

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Gatorade Refills, anyone?

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Medical Tents became more popular as the miles were accumulated. The portapotties were also popular, and sometimes too far away.

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Food tents had the same selection on pit stops: Animal Crackers, pretzels, bananas, oranges, peanuts, Uncrustables (small PB&J sandwich things), granola bars, and string cheese. All healthy food. If you wanted junk food, you needed to get it from the spectators along the way who provided bowls of candy, gum, popsicles, Flavorite Freezys, and other assorted goodies.

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Nature Park Path in Shoreview.

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Bonnie & I stopped for some foot-maintenance, somewhere along the way after lunch.

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Saw a large number of men on the walk, which was surprising. And wonderful.

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Bonnie found her teammates!

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Unknown walkers in the late afternoon of Day 2, suffering with everyone else but with smiles on their faces.

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Me & Bonnie. We walked from lunch on Day 2 together into camp, and made plans to connect the next morning.

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A beautiful sight ... finish line at the end of Day 2 which was 23 miles, and took me 11 hours to complete. Day 2 was the hardest, most brutal day, with perfect weather from start to finish.

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Bonnie and THE CRUSHERS celebrating the end of Day 2 together!

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all great reasons to walk

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Bonnie, Jen, and Christina on "Jody's Couch" around 10:45a on Day 3.For the history of Jody's Couch, check out: www.rowekamp.com/The3DayTravelingCouch_Updated.pdf

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the Pit Stop along 61 that we drove past earlier that morning on my way into camp (and to the medical tent).

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The volunteers seemed to keep their cheers and enthusiasm higher on Day 3 when we needed it the most.

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This was an emotional pit stop for me on Day 3 once I realized where I was. My feet were in pain, my poison ivy itching, and then the sudden realization that I had walked much of this route before, I knew how close I was to finishing and it brought tears of joy that I knew it was almost done.

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Ahh, the familiar path north along Hwy 61 that I see every day. Suddenly it doesn't seem so long anymore.

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These "Stop Here and We'll Rub Your Feet" people were along each day's route. I think by Day 3, everyone's feet hurt so much that any rubbing would be painful. At least that's what I thought.

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Bonnie has been looking for Mr. April for 2 days now. Their team apparently did a calendar for fundraising efforts.

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Jody's Couch ... the second appearance on Day 3, overlooking downtown St. Paul. Ahhh, the end is so close, yet still so far.

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Christina & Bonnie could motor faster than I could at the end of Day 3 ... especially down hills, as those hurt my toes the most.

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You can see the capital from here ... that's where we have to get to by 4p for the start of the closing ceremonies.

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Bonnie still has a song in her step, and is dancing her way through the cheering groups. One of the signs ahead says "Your blisters will be gone before her cancer is". Another sign "Blisters Don't Need Chemo" puts it all into perspective.

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this guy with the banner ceremoniously marched across the finish line each day with the "last walker" as the other walkers cheered & clapped. I heard he does every walk, in every city, every year. Ouch, my feet twinged just now just thinking about that.

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Jen with some of the Biker Bra dudes. I don't know who they were, but it was uplifting to see them everywhere along the routes all 3 days. At the end of Day 2 they were lined up giving out hugs. We needed every one of them.

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Heading out for one more pass along the route.

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The final pit stop. We're all too exhausted to be hungry, but we grab some nourishment anyway so that we can be sure to have enough energy for the last few miles.

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There it is, the capital grounds and the finish line. I made it.

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The cheering crowds at the start of the receiving/finish line.

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The "holding area" is very crowded as we wait for all walkers to arrive and to start the celebratory march up to the stage where the spectator crowds await our arrival.

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Christina comes through the Victory Shirt tent to get her shirt, pink rose, and 0-60 sticker.

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Bonnie's Team THE CRUSHERS makes it with us too!

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Bonnie receiving her 'finisher' gifts.

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Crowded and hot, but some shade available in the holding area.

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The cheering line as people are welcomed across the finish line.

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Christina and her teammates upon completing the 3-Day!

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Another motorcyclist that I called "the joker" rode the course all 3 days cheering for everyone.

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The receiving line waiting to welcome the 'last walker' which should be arriving any minute now. I think I was only 15-20 minutes ahead of the last walker.

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There they are, the 'last walkers' being enthusiastically welcomed by the crowd, and escorted by the dude with the huge banner.

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Quite a crowd! 2500 walkers with their loved ones await the final closing ceremony. I was amazed at the sheer number of walkers, as I hadn't seen everyone together like this until now. Even in the open ceremony, it was raining and I was toward the front, so couldn't see the magnitude of the crowd.

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Four by Four we marched up to the capital as the crowd cheered our accomplishments. Walkers are wearing the white shirts we received at the finish line.

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The line behind us, as we were not too far from the front.

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The other 4-some line as we wait for the beginning of the procession to the stage.

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The spectator crowd in the background.

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Jen & Christina, ready to march to the finish. I completed the 4-some with Christina's team and we walked arm in arm together.

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The final procession to the stage.

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Banners were given to some walkers to carry along the way.

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What a great walk to the stage.

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It's amazing to see us all together, as this is the first time that I realized how many people were on the course with me, feeling the same pain and joy.

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Walkers were in the outermost circle, the crew (blue shirts) will be in the next inside ring, and finally the survivors (in pink shirts) will be brought into the inside circle.

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I'm still amazed at how many of us there are!

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Waiting for the crew and survivors to arrive.

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The tradition is that the walkers take off a shoe, and when the survivors arrive in the procession, we kneel and raise a shoe to symbolize that we did this for them.

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The survivors are arriving (pink shirts) and we are all raising a shoe to honor them. Crew was 400 strong and they are in blue shirts in front of the walkers.

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the final ceremony.

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8 survivors carry banners to the survivors' circle and raise a flag to celebrate our accomplishments.

Monday following the event I slept in and took the day off of work. I spent a little time in the hammock with a book, keeping the feet comfy and resting the fatigued body. Overall, I was thrilled that my body, from the ankles up at least, didn't give me any problems during the 60 miles. My lower back and knees, which I often have problems with, didn't hurt. My muscles were fatigued but not painful or strained. I was certainly one of the fortunate ones.

Below the ankles is where my pain was, and I again think I was still one of the fortunate ones. Although I had some nice sized blisters on the backs of both feet, it was the blister under a toenail that proved to be the worst. Early Sunday morning, I went to the medical tent before starting the 3rd day, and a doctor coached a volunteer one what to do. He explained that I WILL lose my toenail, but it'll grow back, and told me how to make it through the last day and also how to take care of it during the next 3 months while it heals. He was a nice guy, in high demand, who said it was "nice to finally practice a little medicine" as this blistered toe was "needing a little minor surgery."  I won't go into details, although I do want to say that it wasn't too bad to endure the needle, and afterward it felt a LOT better the rest of the day. As long as I didn't smash it into anything.

Day 3 was all about damage control and mental determination. With my 2 new friends by my side, we managed to keep each others' spirits up and brains distracted enough to make the day go quickly. So thank you to Bonnie & Christina for all your support, patience, encouragement, and laughs. I don't know how I would've made it without both of you those last 30 miles.

Today, the bottoms of my feet no longer feel like bruised stumps. I can walk pain-free, as long as I don't bump certain toes which are still tender. My toenail is still attached, but we'll see how long it lasts. Maybe by the end of the week I'll be able to wear real shoes again. I'm looking forward to resuming my exercise, as I miss my occasional morning run (when I can drag my butt out of bed early enough).

Oh, and the poison ivy (which I got the week earlier from my yard, not from the 3-Day event) seems to be subsiding now, as I went to a doctor yesterday and got a prescription to help clear it up. Leave it to me to get poison ivy a week before an endurance event.

Thanks to everyone for your encouragement and sentiments. And thanks to all the survivors who motivated me along the way. You know who you are, and you were in my thoughts the entire 3 days.

It all began with an inspiring but rainy Opening Ceremony at Southdale Center in Edina. Despite the cloudy skies, spirits were bright. As we headed out through Edina, the community was out in full force, encouraging us along. We walked around Lake Harriet, Lake Calhoun and Lake of the Isles, then made our way through the Sculpture Garden for a glimpse of Spoonbridge and Cherry before heading over the pedestrian bridge into Loring Park for lunch. After lunch, we walked into downtown Minneapolis where ING cheered in full force, Duffy peeps cheered as I passed our offices in the Mill Ruins neighborhood, and we continued through the University of Minnesota campus and into St. Paul. The punk rock kids lined the path along Mississippi River Road with signs and cheers of encouragement. Our 20-mile day ended at Macalester College where Mike picked me up to return home (I didn't camp with the rest of the walkers).

Saturday's 22.7-mile day brought blue skies and sunshine. Cheering stations were packed with friends and families, and spectators giving out coffee and grilling hot dogs. Beautiful trails provided shade from the sun and the "comfort zone" cooled us down with water sprays and wet wipes. As we arrived at camp the DrumHeart group drummed us into camp and the punk rock kids cheered us in. I visited the Medical tent for advice before finding the Guest Services location to check-out for the evening. Mike picked me again for a hot bath and a good nights sleep.

Sunday was another gorgeous day. We walked down beautiful wooded trails and enjoyed cheering stations at North St. Paul Tap & Grill and Indian Mounds Park. Juicy’s Jugs support crew was out in full force all day on their motorcycles. We kept our eyes on the finish line, the State Capitol, as we walked through downtown St. Paul. After a 17.3-mile day, we rested up on some plush grass before gathering for a celebratory Closing Ceremony on the Capitol grounds.

Approximately 2500 walkers celebrated, as we raised $6.1 million to fight the war against breast cancer. It was a very difficult but rewarding experience, and I challenged my feet and my mental stamina on Days 2 and 3. My 3-Day-BFFs (Bonnie & Christina) helped me tremendously on these days, and adopted me as teammates as we finished the journey together.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way with donations and enthusiasm and words of encouragement and emails. And a special thanks to Mikey, who selflessly dropped me off and picked me up each day, sent me countless email notes every day to keep me motivated and smiling, and pampered me each evening with food, baths, and whatever I needed so that I could stay off my feet until the last possible moment the next morning.