From 5th to 7th October 2012, the amazing Frank McSorley, from our Burlington office, took part in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure® 60 mile walk in Philadelphia. Participants walk 60 miles in three days and help raise millions of dollars for breast cancer research and patient support programs. CSR were more than happy to contribute to this charity and to support Frank.
Frank wrote this blog about his experience.
Once again I had the time of my life on the walk and strongly encourage anyone who wants to experience a real life changing event to join me next year.
Starting on Friday 5th October 2012, the “City of Brotherly Love” did itself proud. Every single school we passe
d, we were greeted by hundreds of school children that cheered us on, gave us candy and water, and put smiles on all our faces. Most of the day Friday was spent winding through Philadelphia’s northern suburb neighborhoods. Many that we walked through had 3-day decorating contests with everything decorated in pink and hundreds of bras hanging over the streets. Wherever we walked we were greeted and cheered by the smiling faces of Philly!! The day finished off with my run up the stairs, made famous in the “Rocky” movie, before heading to the convention center, where we ate and camped that night.
On Saturday, after spending a night in our little city of pink tents, we headed out this time to the western suburbs of Philly. The weather was just about perfect for a long walk, mid 70s and a little cloudy. On this day we were greeted by cheering stations bigger than I’ve ever seen before on any walk. The people of Philly, literally lined both sides of the sidewalk for blocks cheering us all on. It was extremely difficult to make it from one end to the other without a constant smile on your face and tears running down it, from the overwhelming outpouring of love. We finished the day walking by the Philadelphia Zoo before returning to the Convention Center for dinner and another night in our pink tents.
Sunday, after tearing down our tents, packing our bags and eating a great breakfast, we headed out for the last day of walking. Today we stayed mostly right in Philly winding through much of the downtown area. We started in Chinatown and headed into some of the older historic areas of Philly. One of the great things about doing these walks is you get to see so much of a city in a relatively short time. I am a history buff, so being in some of the same places that Benjamin Franklin visited was pretty cool. We also went by the Liberty Bell on this day. Since it was raining, instead of eating the normal lunch, the group I was with, decided to try some local food (Cheesesteaks). We found a restaurant that was formerly the birthplace of Larry Fine (of the
three Stooges fame) and had a great meal and got out of the rain for awhile. One of the highlights of the day was while walking through a neighborhood, a couple of college students had a sign in front inviting all the walkers into their house to get a drink (water or beer) and use their bathroom. The tiny house was just packed with walkers. The day finished with us walking by the famous Geno’s and Pat’s Cheesesteaks before heading to the Philadelphia Navy Yard for the Closing Ceremonies. The closing was amazing as always. All the walkers line up and march into the field surrounded by friends and family. Here we raise one sneaker overhead in salute to all the survivors and those that are no longer with us.
It is not easy to put into words the incredible feeling that one comes away with after doing one of these walks. I wish I could bottle it up and share it with each of you. The best I can do is put out this offer. If any of you would like to have the time of your life and a truly awe inspiring experience, than please join me on this walk next year. If you’d like to join a team, there are many options. Two that I would recommend are my own team “Men with Heart” http://www.menwithheart.org/ or the “Pink Angels: http://www.thepinkangels.org/ . They are both great teams filled with some really fun people. Please let me know if you would like to learn more before committing.
This year the Philly Komen walk raised close to five million dollars. Once again I had the time of my life on the walk and strongly encourage anyone who wants to experience a real life changing event to join me next year.
All my best
Frank
