“How far is it from the downtown Colman terminal to the Vashon ferry dock in Fauntleroy?It’s 13 miles, says Cookie Gaulding of Bainbridge, matter-of-factly. She knows – she walked the route as part of her training for the Avon Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk, which begins in Enumclaw on Aug. 10 and concludes in Seattle, Aug. 12.Gaulding, Vivian Burnett and Faith Stabbert are three of about 20 islanders who will participate with well over 3,000 other walkers. More than 500 volunteers will provide support with a Mobile City that will accompany them, including tents, hot meals, snacks, showers, nightly entertainment and two-person tents. The event is a pledge walk to raise money and awareness for breast cancer programs nationwide, ranging from medical research to community health programs. The three women have raised a combined $17,000 to date, with more coming in. We’ve worked hard at raising money, Stabbert says. The three have cultivated extensive lists of contacts, with money coming from as far away as Canada, the East Coast and even Saipan Island in the central Pacific.My hope is that my daughter and daughter-in-law won’t have to fear breast cancer, says Stabbert. I already have 14 friends and relatives who have breast cancer, so I hope to motivate the people supporting me financially and emotionally to get mammograms early, because that’s the key to breast cancer survival.Stabbert learned of the walk from her friend and training partner, Vivian Burnett.I have a different motivation, Burnett says. I wanted to get fit and help a worthy cause.Though differing schedules often preclude them from training together, Dwyn Dithmer-Schreck and Theresa Torseth will join Stabbert and Burnett during the actual event. Gaulding and two colleagues from Windermere Realty – Carolyn Leigh and Diane Hooper – had been walking regularly for about two years when they learned of the walk.One of our dearest friends at Windermere has inflammatory breast cancer, she says. But she’s battling and winning.All three of us are walking with our daughters. But they haven’t trained and we have. We’ve got them worried.The only scary thought is sleeping in a tent and then getting up and walking. But by the third day we should be really pumped.Walking is a new departure for us, Stabbert says, yet she and Burnett estimate that they’ve logged in excess of 500 miles since March and just completed the most rigorous part of their training, the required back-to-back walk. Last week, the pair did 19 miles Friday and another 18 Saturday.I’m excited, especially now that the two-day back-to-back is over, she says. Our training’s pretty well done, though we’ll still do about 30 miles this week.All three agreed that finding the time for training, rather than the training itself, has been the most difficult part of preparation.We’ve all struggled with finding the time, Gaulding says. I’ve often found myself out at five in the morning.I’ve let some other things go to carve out the time, Stabbert says, thanking all of Bainbridge Island for its patience, especially the drivers who have gone around us.Burnett quickly adds: And I’d like to thank understanding husbands, as well as the contractors who have let us use their porta-potties.Walking three or four times a week, the three have enjoyed their time on the roads.We walk a little, chat a little, eat a little, Gaulding laughs. On the walk to Fauntleroy, we had a huge shake and burger. And I’ve really learned to enjoy what I see while walking because I’m not driving.Do they have any concerns about finishing? As Burnett says, None of us have any athletic background, and all of us are grandmothers.I have no doubts, Gaulding says firmly and without any hesitation.We’re set, Stabbert says. And there’ll be a lot more adrenaline in the actual event than just with our training.Burnett says The 3-Day will be a snap. With 2,000 tents, the biggest challenge will be to find ours each night. “