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More than pink: 3-day walk for breast cancer exudes courage

Behind all the fun costumes and the pops of pink are deep-seated emotions that come out as soon as their feet stop - and they think about why they're walking.
A pink cape filled with the names of those who are fighting breast cancer and those who were taken by it commemorates an emotional journey for many women on this crowd-filled walk.

ATLANTA -- East Ponce turned pink as almost 500 people started the Susan G. Komen 3-Day Walk for Breast Cancer.

The 60-mile walk began at Stone Mountain Friday morning and will end at Suntrust Park on Sunday.

11Alive caught up with teams at their first pit stop.

It's hard to miss the pink bras, the tutus, and the cheers of support going down the streets of Atlanta.

But behind all the fun costumes and the pops of pink are deep-seated emotions that come out as soon as their feet stop - and they think about why they're walking.

A sea of pink fills the sidewalks as breast cancer survivors, their friends and their family walk from Stone Mountain to Sun Trust Park to raise awareness of the disease.

“We have a close friend who's a survivor,” one participant said. “I lost my mother-in-law to breast cancer. My current mother-in-law is a survivor. My current sister in law is a survivor.”

This team is called the Bra Street Brigade, a nod to their hometown of Philadelphia that decorates a street with hundreds of bras for their walk.

But beneath their “blinged-out” brassiere is a heart full of pain.

“I have a daughter. I don't want her to end up like her grandmother,” one said crying.

Amanda Guy found out last night one of her friends has cancer.

“Maybe Clarisse, if you see this, I'm actually out here walking for you today,” she said.

With each step, there's hope they're moving closer to a cure. And they said that's a thought to celebrate. Sixty miles in 3 days - it's big, it's bold, it's more than pink.

Since 2005, this walk has raised more than $59 million to fight breast cancer. In 2017, the youngest walker is 16 and the oldest 75.

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