The Susan G. Komen 3-day, a 60-mile walk to support breast cancer research and programs, kicks off today at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.
The event is one of seven scheduled by the nonprofit this year and one of two on the West Coast. Each year, participants across the country commit to raise a minimum of $2,300 to support the Komen organization's efforts and walk an average of 20 miles per day for three consecutive days, according to the foundation.
The 2,600 walkers in San Diego last year raised $7.6 million.
Walkers this year will begin their journey at the fairgrounds at 6:30 a.m. and continue to Torrey Pines State Beach, La Jolla Cove and through Bird Rock before spending tonight at Crown Point Shores on Mission Bay. There, they'll experience what the organization calls the community feel of ''glamping,'' or glamorous camping.
One of several cheering stations will be set up in Del Mar Village along Camino Del Mar between 15th and 11th streets from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m.
Walkers will continue Saturday morning through Mission and Ocean Beaches and make their way through Point Loma.
The route on Sunday winds through Balboa Park, Hillcrest, Mission Hills and Old Town. A closing ceremony will take place Sunday at 4:30 p.m. at Waterfront Park in Downtown.
Aside from some forms of skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among women in the U.S. It's the most common form of death from cancer among Hispanic women and the second-most common among women of other races, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It also affects men. In 2014, 236,968 women and 2,141 men in the U.S. were diagnosed with the disease. That year, 41,211 women and 465 men died from breast cancer, according to the CDC.
