Men With Heart

As if fighting breast cancer wasn’t challenging enough, Mom Nature decided to test the mettle of 1,600 walkers during the recent Boston breast cancer 3-day. She hit us with her best stuff, from chilling rains to searing heat. But, just as we will in the larger battle, we prevailed.

Day One

Ask any breast cancer walker what they want most after 20 miles on the road, and a shower will usually top the list. (OK – a stiff drink is often up there too!) But the showers that we got at the tail end of day one weren’t exactly what we had in mind. As the temperature plummeted from the high 80s to the low 60s, the rain, which had been threatening much of the day, began in earnest. Hundreds of walkers were still on the course when the sprinkle became a shower became a downpour. The wind picked up. T-shirts turned into chilly wetsuits. Sneakers became swampy. A pleasant hike turned into a difficult slog …

Twenty miles and some eight hours earlier, the 1,600 walkers and 300-plus crew kicked off the Komen 3-Day for the Cure in Framingham. The enthusiasm was infectious as the crowd, many clad in pink from their bunny ears (courtesy of event sponsor Energizer) to their painted toenails, went through stretching exercises and listened to inspiring words. We had veterans and newbies, survivors and supporters, women and (relatively few) men. The Pink Angels fielded a huge team; the Cup Crusaders and Wild Women were back in force. Some walkers started alone. (Nobody finished alone.)

We came out of the gate with a spring in our step, a smile on our face, and energy to spare. Through Framingham and Natick and Wellesley and Newton we trekked, sharing inspiring stories of those who survived and poignant memories of those who did not. Every few miles a strategically placed rest stop would appear, filled with maniacally energetic volunteers and cheering supporters, where we would relieve and refuel ourselves.

At the end almost 20 hot miles, the MWH team lined up just before the finish line, creating a cheering, applauding, high-fiving, serenading gauntlet. The clouds thickened and the rains came, but we stayed at our post. It’s a point of pride and mission for MWH to greet and cheer all the walkers as they complete the day’s route, down to the very last straggler. The downpour intensified and the wind whipped up. We stayed out. We stayed upbeat. We gave every walker the reception they deserved.

The weather was tough, but we – all 1,600 of us – were tougher.

Day Two

The rains diminished overnight, and the brand new tents (due to Boston being the first Komen walk of the year) held up nicely. As we hit the trail on day two, the Komen folks handed out route cards listing all the pit stops and cheering stations ahead of us. After hiking a 21.1 mile circular route, we’d find ourselves back at the same camp we left. (Much as one might dislike walking in circles, not having to knock down and re-set-up the tents is a real bonus!)

Day two of a three-day can be tough. You’ve lost the adrenaline that carried you during day one and haven’t yet mustered the-finish-line-is-near enthusiasm of day three.

The humidity battled with the thermometer for supremacy throughout the day, as we hiked through Arlington, Woburn, and Lexington. Members of the Men With Heart team carried backpacks overstuffed with medical and comfort supplies. We gave out candy and buttons and sunscreen and duct tape. We led sing-a-longs – and nobody seemed to care that the MWH singers were the worst of the bunch! What we lacked in musicality we made up in enthusiasm.

Supporters and volunteers were everywhere. Our ID tags became festooned with stickers, our hats with pins, our wrists with bracelets, and our necks with beads. We ate frozen grapes and gulped pink lemonade. Ice pops and cooling mists were welcomely received.

We chatted with lots of folks along the way, sharing our motivation for walking. The stories we heard were poignant and sometimes hearbreaking. But no matter how tragic the tale, the person doing the telling refused to yield to despair. To a one, they were selfless, compassionate, optimistic, fearless, determined, even combative in the face of a deadly foe. One walked away a true believer that this battle could be won.

We created our yellow cheerleading line at the finish once again, this time fighting sun and humidity instead of rain. We applauded the final walker, saluted the safety crew that followed, and entered camp for the night.

Day Three

Day three is the beauty day. Nothing can stop us! Blisters and aches are as bad as they are going to get. The heat and humidity were back, but nobody seemed to care.

The organizers save the best part of the route for last. We walked through Harvard Square, wended our way through the MIT campus, and headed across the Mass Ave. bridge from Cambridge into Back Bay. Countless walkers posed for team photos with the river and Boston skyline as a backdrop.

The leafy Commonwealth Avenue Mall and the stunning Public Garden provided respite from the heat. As in the two days prior, supporters were out in force, cheering with rabid enthusiasm at several stops along the route.

We formed our final MWH gauntlet just shy of the 60-mile mark at the UMass Boston campus. Setting up shop next to us were our friends from the Pink Angels, who pleasantly surprised the MWH team by distributing a toast of pink (of course!) bubbly!

As teams approached the finish, many were giddy with euphoria. Several walkers broke from their teams and ran screaming through our gauntlet, high-fiving with such force you couldn’t believe they had just finished a 60-mile trek. Some teams performed elaborate cheering and dance routines. Other walkers became choked up and teary as they passed through. We embraced them all as family.

After the last walker and crew passed our cheering squad, we fell in behind, tired, limping, but happy. We marched single file into the UMass gymnasium and entered into a riot of walkers — stomping, cheering, yelling, hand slapping us every step of the way. We smiled so hard it hurt.

One cannot participate in a cancer walk without feeling hopeful for humanity. So many good people. So much desire to help others. So much willingness to endure pain and suffering in order to end pain and suffering.

We shall prevail.

Send Us Your Thoughts and Your Pictures!

The 2010 3-Day is in the book! We’re busy uploading our pix and writing down our thoughts about the walk.

You can do the same! If you want to post a message, click on the “Comments” link, above.

If you’d like to send us photos to be posted on our site, email them to jack@menwithheart.org.

More to come!