The founder of 24 Hour Fitness, Mastrov is one of the pioneers of the modern gym movement. He also helped create an organization that’s raised over $100 million for ALS research
Many people at the top are hated. Or at the very least they divide opinion. That isn’t the case for Mark Mastrov, one of the fitness industry’s most highly respected and well-liked figures.
You’d be hard-pressed to find someone in the industry with a bad word to say about Mastrov, who founded 24 Hour Fitness in the 1980s and turned it into one of the world’s largest and most successful gym chains upon his exit from the brand in 2008.
Mastrov will be honored with the first-ever Augie Nieto Fitness Legacy Award at this year’s Augie’s Quest BASH fundraiser, to be held October 22nd at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas as part of the 12th annual Fitness Technology Summit.
The award is more than deserved, both for Mastrov’s achievements in the fitness industry and for the integral role he played in the creation of Augie’s Quest to Cure ALS, a nonprofit organization that’s raised over $100 million for ALS research in the name of the late Augie Nieto, the founder of Life Fitness who passed away in 2023 after an 18-year battle with ALS.
BASH Is Born
Shortly after Nieto was diagnosed in 2005, Mastrov convinced his longtime friend and industry colleague to team up with him to create the first-ever BASH event, which raised $2.4 million for ALS research and set the stage for many millions more to come.
Mastrov tells Athletech News he got the idea for an ALS fundraiser after being put off by the somber tone of an event honoring Nieto right after the Life Fitness founder was diagnosed.
“I sat at the table with him, and as everybody came up and talked about Augie that night, they all talked as if he wasn’t going to be here very long,” Mastrov tells ATN. “It was kind of like a send-off night, and it just struck me as not appropriate and not the right way to look at it.”
A couple of days after that event, Mastrov called Nieto to arrange a meeting at Nieto’s house that would forever change the course of ALS fundraising. There, Mastrov told Nieto of his plan for a charity event to be held at the fitness industry’s annual IHRSA trade show, one that would be more optimistic in outlook.
“Augie is a hard-charging, super-high-intellect winner,” Mastrov says of his mindset at the time. “I just felt like if he got behind it with his name, his energy and his connectivity, he would help raise awareness and capital.”
It wasn’t a hard sell. Nieto agreed, and the pair got IHRSA’s leadership on board to stage the fundraising event at that year’s trade show in 2006.
“We created the BASH and we invited the whole industry to come and raise awareness around ALS. We sold tables, had auctions, all kinds of cool stuff,” Mastrov recalls. “We raised north of a couple of million bucks on the opening night – I was able to convince Lance Armstrong, who at the time was one of the highest-profile athletes in the world and is a cancer survivor, to come.”
The inaugural BASH event also featured the late Robin Williams, who delivered a very funny recorded speech to introduce Armstrong to the crowd, as well as Bob Saget, who stayed in touch with Nieto until Saget’s death in 2022.
BASH then became an annual event, raising over $18 million for ALS research between 2006 and 2019 (the pandemic caused the 2020 edition to be canceled, although the event is now back in full force).
The birth of BASH helped encourage various industry fundraising efforts – Orangetheory Fitness leads the way with over $10 million raised for ALS. Zumba and Newtown Athletic Club have each raised over $1 million, while Life Time, LA Fitness, The Atlantic Club (now part of Genesis), Bay Club, Crunch Fitness, CR Fitness and Life Fitness have all raised over $500,000.
This year, the fitness industry is projected to raise over $1 million for ALS research as it continues the fight started by Nieto and Mastrov in 2005 and carried on today by Lynne Nieto, Augie’s wife, Shannon Shryne, who together lead Augie’s Quest, which stages BASH and other philanthropic initiatives. Gretchen Simoneaux, Kelly Campbell, Angel Moser and Kelsey Storter also play key leadership roles.
As of today, Augie’s Quest has raised over $100 million for ALS research. Together with its research partner, the ALS Therapy Development Institute, that number grows to over $200 million, funding critical science that may one day help bring an end to the disease.
“They’ve done phenomenal work,” Mastrov says of Lynne Nieto and Shryne’s stewardship of the organization. “I honestly believe that, with all the breakthroughs in medicine and things that are going on in the world, we’re going to find a way to cure this terrible disease.”
The Ultimate ‘Point Guard’: A Look Back at Mastrov’s Career
Mastrov’s role in creating the BASH fundraiser would be reason enough to honor him with a Fitness Legacy award. But his impact goes further still: Mastrov is one of the pioneers of the modern gym movement and one of the fitness industry’s most influential people.
Mastrov got into the gym business in 1983 at 22 years old, borrowing $15,000 from his grandmother to become co-owner of a California gym he’d been working at part-time. Over the next two decades, Mastrov grew that single location into an empire, expanding 24 Hour Fitness across the country, then across the globe. In 2005, Mastrov sold 24 Hour Fitness in a deal worth over $1.6 billion, a watershed moment for the fitness industry, showing that gym chains could become billion-dollar businesses.
After staying on for a few years in an advisory role, Mastrov left 24 Hour Fitness for good in 2008. He then began investing in and advising brands including Crunch Fitness and UFC Gym, two of the fastest-growing brands in fitness today.
Perhaps even more importantly, Mastrov has influenced the careers of many of the industry’s current-day leaders: barre3 founder and CEO Sadie Lincoln, Crunch CEO Jim Rowley and UFC Gym CEO Adam Sedlack, among others, are all former 24 Hour Fitness employees.
These executives are quick to sing Mastrov’s praises, both for the impact he’s had on the industry as a whole and on them personally (see below for some industry leader’s thoughts on Mastrov’s impact).
But for all his fame within industry circles, there isn’t much written online about Mastrov, who was once a co-owner of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings. It’s fairly surprising for such a successful business person to be able to keep such a low profile. That’s an intentional move on Mastrov’s part.
“I’m not a publicity-seeking, high-profile person. I don’t really care about that stuff,” he says. “I’m very much team-oriented. I believe in the pyramids being upside down. I work for you, you don’t work for me.”
In terms of his leadership philosophy as an executive, Mastrov owes a lot to his basketball days.
“I look at the world through the eyes of a point guard,” he says. ”I’ve always looked at myself as the person that sets the table for everybody else, who gets them involved and lets them flourish on their own.”
Fighting for More
While Mastrov is still involved in the fitness industry as an investor and advisor, he’s no longer on the front lines. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have strong opinions on how the industry is doing.
At IHRSA 2024 last March, Mastrov gave a keynote where he called on industry leaders to work together to continue to fight for better recognition from lawmakers in Washington DC. Mastrov pointed to the infamous pandemic period where gyms were among the first businesses to be closed under government shutdown orders and among the last to be able to re-open, this despite exercise’s ability to help people ward off disease.
Speaking to ATN, Mastrov said he’d like to see the U.S. government implement tax incentives to encourage people to work out.
“I think we do a lot of good for society, and I think our industry has to continue to come together to push the message forward so that at some point, we can get government to step in and recognize that in a future pandemic, gyms need to stay open because they are the cure, not the cause,” he says.
Looking ahead, Mastrov is fairly bullish on the industry’s present and future. However, he notes large gym brands are facing challenges trying to keep membership prices down to a level consumers have come to expect while confronting rising labor, real estate and tax costs.
“To a certain extent, we’re at a crossroads,” he says. “We’ve got to figure out how we’re going to deal with the rising costs to operate and at the same time bring great service and product to our community.”
The challenges confronting the industry are real. But on October 22nd at least, the mood will be joyful, if bittersweet, as fitness leaders come together to honor Mastrov while continuing to remember his dear friend, Augie Nieto.
“I miss Augie, and love him,” Mastrov says. “He did phenomenal work – I don’t think anybody realizes what he went through and what he did for ALS. It’s an amazing story and he was a wonderful human being. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about that guy.”
Industry Leaders Reflect on Mastrov’s Impact
Below, Athletech News offers a collection of excerpts featuring some fitness industry leaders’ thoughts about Mastrov’s impact. This is just a small sample of the many executives, founders and leaders who have positive things to say about Mastrov.
“I am often asked what it’s like to work with or for Mark Mastrov, My answer is and has always been the same: it’s a privilege. From the beginning of my interaction with Mark some 25 years ago until now, he has always been humble and servant-minded whilst driving the business. His example for me to stay centered and focused while also maintaining life balance and driving teams towards success, but also doing so through building a strong community and causes around you, has always resonated. Mark deserves this honor as much as anyone and his impact on not only me but many others over the years is nothing short of Hall of Fame status. Thank you, Mark, for all that you do.”
- Chris Smith, CEO of Fitness World and Chair of the Health & Fitness Association (formerly IHRSA)
“Mark has created countless opportunities for so many people. He has always provided a fair chance for individuals to excel, learn, grow, or even venture out on their own. Many who left went on to achieve remarkable careers and often cite their time with a Mastrov-backed company as the catalyst. Personally, it goes without saying: after years as an employee, Mark saw something in me and gave me the opportunity to become his partner. Professionally, it was the best thing that ever happened to me, and I could never fully express my gratitude for the chance he took on me.”
- Jim Rowley, CEO, Crunch Fitness
“Mark Mastrov is a fitness industry icon. I have had the privilege to work with Mark for three decades. In each decade there were chapters of my personal and business journey, and in both cases, Mark showed a great example of being an icon at work and home. Depending on who you ask, there are so many unique examples of how he has impacted so many. My personal example is around his unparalleled ability to mentor and develop leaders. This focus on leadership development has profoundly influenced my own journey, encouraging me to take ownership of my personal growth while driving business aspirations. In a world where it is tricky to surround yourself with those who can positively impact your life, I am very fortunate to have Mark in my life.”
- Adam Sedlack, CEO, UFC Gym
“When Augie Nieto got diagnosed with ALS, it was Mark who saw the vision for the entire industry to come together to support Augie and specifically, create funding for a cure. It was Mark who got even competitive fitness equipment companies to coalesce around Augie to fund the organization to pursue an independent research cure for ALS. It was Mark who continues to quietly support this direction after all of these years. And it is Mark to whom we all need to say “thank you” for your steadfast commitment to changing – and hopefully, saving – people’s lives”
- Rick Caro, President of Management Vision, Inc., and founder, past president and director of IHRSA.
“If Augie were with us, I believe he’d describe Mark as the entrepreneur’s entrepreneur. Mark did for Augie’s Quest what he did for so many brands – really shared his vision and expertise to allow us to succeed and be relevant. We’re proud to be on the long list of people and organizations Mark inspired and supported.”
- Shannon Shryne, Co-Founder & President, Augie’s Quest to Cure ALS
“Mark and I have been friends for over 25 years. Your friendship is truly defined when adversity happens. Mark was one of the first people to reach out. He has held my hand and helped me have the courage to dream of a day that ALS will be a treatable disease, not a death sentence.”
