Anytime Fitness is set to open the first gym in Antarctica

Anytime Fitness is about to make history as the first franchise brand to have locations on all seven continents – yes, even Antarctica.

The gym chain, which has more than 4,500 clubs worldwide, has partnered with extreme tourism operator Antartica21 to open a fitness centre on the southernmost continent.

Chuck Runyon, the CEO and a co-founder of Anytime Fitness, says: “People used to think that our mission – ‘To improve the self-esteem of the world’ – was unrealistic. But we’re very serious about it. 

“And when we reached an agreement last year involving the opening of several dozen gyms in Morocco, we knew that our next destination had to be Antarctica.”

The gym is currently being built on board a new adventure expedition ship called the Magellan Explorer, a luxury vessel custom-built in Chile for Antarctic air-cruises, with a capacity for 69 passengers.

“The treaties and conventions that govern Antarctica, coupled with subzero temperatures during the winter months, make building a fitness club on the continent extremely challenging, if not impossible,” says Francesco Contini, executive vice-president of sales and marketing for Antarctica21.

“However, we were in the early stages of planning the buildout of Magellan Explorer when Anytime Fitness first contacted us last autumn about building a gym in Antarctica. We quickly recognised our shared values regarding the benefits of active, adventurous lifestyles. Building an Anytime Fitness gym on board our newest ship is yet another means of providing our guests first-class facilities and services.”

Life Fitness, a vendor for Anytime Fitness, will equip the gym with state-of-the-art cardio and strength-training machines, along with free weights and other high-tech exercise equipment. 

Chuck adds: “We realise that the guests on board Magellan Explorer will be getting plenty of exercise during their daily explorations. But many people who lead active lifestyles like to begin their days with a workout or a stretching session – no matter what’s on their agenda.

“With Anytime Fitness, if you join one gym, you get to use all 4,500 gyms around the globe. The polar adventurers aboard Magellan Explorer won’t need to be Anytime Fitness members to use the ship’s gym. But, accordingly, we’re brainstorming ideas right now about how we can reward and honour the very first person who works out at Anytime Fitness gyms on all seven continents.”

Magellan Explorer is set to make its inaugural voyage on 28 November 2019.

A typical voyage with Antarctica21 begins with a two-hour flight from Punta Arenas, Chile, to Antarctica, where guests board the ship and start their expedition cruise, bypassing the stormy Drake Passage in the process.

During their time in Antarctica, participants disembark daily by Zodiac boat and explore the landscapes with a team of expert polar guides.

Antarctica21 operates its air-cruises yearly between November and March – the summer months in the southern hemisphere. 

Dave Mortensen, the president and co-founder of Anytime Fitness, says: “We’re extraordinarily proud to partner with Antarctica21. Ever since the first Anytime Fitness gym opened in Cambridge, Minnesota, in 2002, it’s been our goal to foster health and happiness everywhere possible. We’re truly doing that now – plus penguins.”

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