Blog Posts

At Planet Fitness^®, PF^® franchisees and team members look for ways to encourage their members to be the strongest and healthiest versions of themselves. Spartan races are known for being incredibly difficult obstacle course competitions, as they include 10 training stations and a 5K. The races take a lot of grit, strength, endurance and determination to complete.

Planet Fitness franchisees IGNITE Fitness Holdings, Eclipse Fitness Group and Ohana Growth Partners became the official sponsors of the Spartan/DEKA race at the World’s Fair Exhibition Hall in Knoxville, Tennessee. The race, held on Oct. 18, brought in thousands of athletes and fitness fanatics to compete and watch the competition.

As sponsors, the Planet Fitness franchisees received high-visibility exposure to thousands of race participants and spectators. Event sponsorship included onsite activation and engagement in the race’s Festival Area, the PF logo and information in pre- and post-race participant emails, exclusive race weekend offers for participants and attendees, and much more.

The franchise groups witnessed first-hand the power of community and helping members reach their fitness goals. This race sponsorship aligned perfectly with PF’s mission of empowering more people to move, improve and belong. IGNITE Fitness, Eclipse Fitness and Ohana Growth Partners offered club open houses in their locations during the race weekend, welcoming in race participants to warm up, rest and recover before and after the race in the gym and Black Card Spa.

“The Knoxville DEKA activation was a significant success, generating strong brand visibility for Planet Fitness and reinforcing our commitment to accessible and diverse fitness options. A key focus was using this opportunity to inform the local fitness community about the updated strength and functional equipment implemented in our Knoxville area gyms, showcasing that we truly can power any workout for any fitness level. We extend our sincere thanks to our fellow franchisees, Eclipse Fitness Group and Ohana Growth Partners. Our group efforts focused on collaboration and were crucial in bringing the Judgement Free Zone^® experience to life for every athlete and spectator in attendance. This partnership is just the beginning for advancing our community presence, and we look forward to future collaborative milestones,” said Vice President of Field Operations at IGNITE Fitness Holdings Mike Shapiro.

Excel Fitness is never running out of ways to give back. During the fall, the franchise group was involved in several races and community walk events to give back to its local communities and support mental health and physical health organizations.

On Aug. 30, Excel’s Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, teams sponsored the Move for the Beat 5K, a race created to raise awareness and save lives from preventable heart disease. This event promoted free heart screenings, early detection and vital heart health education. While cheering on and supporting runners, Excel’s staff also set up a tent at the event to share how working out at Planet Fitness^® can lead to a healthier life for everyone. The team members also handed out giveaways, such as ChapStick, phone wallets and flyers.

Additionally, Excel’s Early, Texas, team worked hard to support the Disco Dash 5K, a race on Sept. 27 that benefitted the Center for Life Resources. This organization provides important mental and behavioral health services in the county. Six of Excel Fitness staff members ran in the race, showing their support for the cause and their love of fitness. The Excel Fitness team was proud to support this organization during September, which is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, as they were able to raise awareness for the organization while getting in a workout.

Lastly, Excel’s staff in Draper, Utah, joined the Out of the Darkness Community Walk to raise awareness and support for suicide prevention in mid-September. About 1,700 people came out to the walk to show their support for the cause. Thanks to Excel’s and the local community’s support, the event raised $288,365 to fund suicide research and provide support for those suffering with mental health problems.

Thanks to Excel Fitness, several food banks in the Southeast are well stocked. The staff at Excel Fitness put together two separate food drives to support their local communities.

Excel’s South Central North Carolina team came together to support the Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina with a region-wide food drive. The group set up collection boxes at every club in the region. With the help and generosity of their members and staff, the group collected 1,178 pounds of food, which provided 981 meals for families in need in the area.

This September, the franchise group’s North Dallas Region participated in a region-wide peanut butter drive for the North Texas Food Bank. Eight of Excel’s clubs had donation bins for the peanut butter. This annual peanut butter drive helps kids with food insecurity in the North Texas area.

Due to the hard-working staff at Excel Fitness, they were able to donate 1,290 pounds of peanut butter. Its Sherman club collected a whopping 337 pounds at just that location. In total, 85,128 pounds of peanut butter were collected. These contributions helped the North Texas Food Bank provide nutritious options for more than 254,000 children facing hunger in North Texas.

“The peanut butter drive is about more than jars collected. It’s about coming together to make sure children in our community don’t go hungry,” said CEO of North Texas Food Bank Trisha Cunningham.

On Sept. 27, Excel Fitness’s Colony and Farmers Branch clubs sponsored the Bow Wow Luau at Hawaiian Waters Water Park in The Colony, Texas. Once a year, the Hawaiian Waters Water Park opens its doors and allows dogs and their owners to cool off and enjoy the waterpark. Admission is $25, and a portion of the proceeds goes toward The Colony Animal Shelter’s Injured Animal Fund, giving animals a chance at a fulfilling life.

As a sponsor for the event, Excel Fitness gave a donation to the cause. The franchise group also had a booth set up to inform people at the event about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle as a member at Planet Fitness^®. There were approximately 1,000 people there, along with a lot of dogs with wagging tails. This event allowed the franchise group to give back to a great cause, join in the community fun and share the perks of being a PF^® member.

“Giving back to our communities and being able to make a positive impact is something that we strive for each and every day! We take pride in building communities through fitness, and it gives us a sense of purpose by allowing us to connect with our community members in a meaningful way. I am so proud and grateful for the amazing leaders and managers that represent the North Dallas region,” said Julie Carney-Ayala, regional manager at Excel Fitness.

EPIC Fitness showed support for its local Detroit clubs by partnering with the Kirk Gibson Foundation. Kirk Gibson is widely known in the Detroit, Michigan, area for his role as a Detroit Tigers baseball player where he helped the team win the 1984 World Series. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2015, which led him to expand his foundation to include Parkinson’s awareness and quality of life improvement for those suffering from the disease.

This October, the foundation opened the Kirk Gibson Center in metro Detroit, which serves as a wellness center with programs for Parkinson’s Disease patients. EPIC Fitness gladly donated equipment for the new facility. This helped save the foundation money on fitness equipment. The donation included four treadmills, two bikes, two rowers, two ellipticals and free weights.

EPIC Fitness didn’t stop with its involvement in the worthy cause there. The franchise group also sponsored Kirk Gibson Foundation CEO Steve Annear on his climb up Mount Kilimanjaro, a hike in northeastern Tanzania that can take up to 10 days to complete. While the hike itself is difficult, Annear is an amputee, who was able to accomplish this challenging hike in nine days.

As a sponsor of the hike, EPIC Fitness donated money to the Kirk Gibson Foundation and provided Steve and his wife PF^® memberships to use to train for the hike. Through the hike, Annear was able to raise over $1,040,000 for the Kirk Gibson Center.

“Planet Fitness^® has been a wonderful partner in our climb of Mount Kilimanjaro. Not only has their sponsorship of the climb been important to our fundraising success, Planet Fitness’s donation of equipment to the Kirk Gibson Center assists us in providing free programming to the Parkinson’s community in Southeast Michigan. The people at Planet Fitness have been so supportive of both the Kilimanjaro climb and the opening of the center, and we are very grateful for all they have done to assist us,” said Annear.