Blog Posts

Back to school time can be an exciting time for kids, but a financially stressful time for parents. The cost of school supplies quickly adds up, especially when a parent is trying to afford school supplies for multiple children. A survey conducted by Credit Karma in July found that 31% of parents are unable to afford back-to-school shopping for their family.

Several Planet Fitness^® franchise groups partnered to help parents afford school supplies for their children this fall. EPIC Fitness, Impact Fitness, Pinnacle Fitness and Red Mountain Management Services all participated in the school supply drive, in which they collected school supplies for local Boys & Girls Clubs. In total, Impact Fitness had 52 clubs participate in the drive, while EPIC Fitness had 64 clubs; Pinnacle had 57 clubs; and Red Mountain Management Services had 10 clubs participate. The franchise groups collected donations from July 29 to Aug. 9.

On top of the school supplies drive, EPIC Fitness made a $20,000 donation to the Boys & Girls Clubs at the yearly Strike Out Bullying Day with the Detroit Tigers. This generous donation helped fund anti-bullying programs, and further strengthened PF^®’s efforts to remain a Judgement Free Zone.^®

“It blows my mind every year to see how deep our members’ hearts are for their continued support of the BGCA initiative. The overwhelming love we have for our youth is inspiring, and to donate such large quantities of school supplies/items yearly shows the positive generational impact the BGCA has on our community. It is a blessing to witness,” said General Manager at Pinnacle’s Byram, Mississippi, PF location Cedric Crowell.

Each new Planet Fitness^® club opening is exciting for not only the staff members, but also for local community members. Eclipse Fitness opened a new PF^® location Sept. 17 in Kennesaw, Georgia, about 40 minutes north of Atlanta. The group celebrated the grand opening on Oct. 18 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. As part of the celebration, Eclipse Fitness donated $1,500 to Team Red, White and Blue, a veteran service organization.

The franchise group didn’t stop there – Eclipse Fitness has also teamed up with Team Red, White and Blue to allow all veterans to exercise for free in its Planet Fitness^® clubs in Georgia on the first Friday of each month. During the month of November, the franchise group held a fundraiser in its clubs for Team Red, White and Blue to raise as much money as possible for the organization.

The new club is located close to Town Center Mall and Kennesaw State University. Nearby competitors to the club include LA Fitness and Crunch Fitness. The 20,000-square-foot club features a Vicki vending machine, massage chairs, tanning beds and more. With the new club opening, local community members, including local veterans, will be able to stay fit.

Eclipse Fitness Group said goodbye to summer with the Farewell to Summer 5K, 10K and 15K on Sept. 2 in Kennesaw, Georgia. Between 300 and 400 runners showed up at the start line, ready for some friendly competition. To show its appreciation for first responders, Eclipse made the race free for all police, firefighters and EMTs.

Staff at Eclipse Fitness Group worked hard at the race by setting up a tent and table at the event. Runners had the opportunity to spin the wheel for prizes. Additionally, the runners who won first, second and third place received a swag bag full of goodies.

Around the same time as the race, Eclipse Fitness Group opened a new Planet Fitness^® location in Kennesaw. The club has 19,000 square feet and features an array of Black Card Spa amenities, including tanning beds and HydroMassage chairs. This race was the perfect way to get the community excited about the new club opening. 

Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI) had more than 20,000 cyclists participate in this year’s event. The race, which was held July 21-27, included eight overnight destinations across Iowa. The participating cyclists biked 434 miles and climbed 18,375 feet throughout the event, making it the hilliest ride in the event’s 51-year history.

Baseline Fitness helped the cyclists cross the finish line with a bang by being the entertainment sponsor for the last stop of the ride in Burlington, Iowa, where the group has a Planet Fitness^® club. The sponsorship included the PF^® logo on the event website, as well as on the volunteer T-shirts, event signage, the RAGBRAI map and in its newsletter.

This was the group’s second year being involved with the cycling event. In 2023, Baseline Fitness worked with three towns on the cycling route and had staff set up a table and hand out PF-branded water and swag to the race participants. Similar to 2023, this year’s event was successful in helping fitness fanatics, and the participating cyclists were grateful for Baseline’s support.

“Burlington RAGBRAI was a huge success. It was amazing to welcome thousands of unique visitors to our riverfront and watch them dip their tires in the Mississippi River after trekking across the state on their bikes. The feedback and interactions from RAGBRAI riders and organizers were outstanding. Thank you for your support of the event,” said Melissa Jones, interim business engagement manager for the Greater Burlington Partnership.

Baseline Fitness partnered with Duluth Running Co. to put together another successful event. The Duluth Pike Lake Races in Duluth, Minnesota, included a 5K, 10K, a half marathon and a Kids Run. On June 1, around 2,000 race participants showed up with their game faces on to compete.  

Baseline Fitness didn’t have anyone on-site at the event, but they did donate a pallet of PF^®-branded water to be handed out at the finish line, ensuring runners were well hydrated. The franchise was a supporting sponsor of the event. It was the group’s first time supporting the event, but it was not its first time supporting Duluth Running Co. Previously, Baseline Fitness worked with Duluth Running Co. on the Gobble Gallop race during Thanksgiving. The franchise plans to work with the organization again on future races.