Mach983 CrossFit Finds Refuge at Local Pickleball Facility After Halloween Fire Damages Their Gym
Early on Halloween morning, Fred Dayton got a call from his security system, informing him that his gym was on fire.
At 2:15 a.m., Dayton got into his car and headed straight to Mach983 CrossFit in Aurora, CO.
When he arrived, he saw firefighters cutting into his garage door while others were putting out the fire in the building next door. (He later learned the fire started in a nearby shed and then spread to both the neighboring building and his gym.)
- “I had to stay pretty far back for safety reasons. We still had power in the gym, so I did keep checking the [security] cameras. I couldn’t see flames…[but] there was so much smoke in the gym,” Dayton told Morning Chalk Up.
A few hours later, he managed to get into his gym and evaluate the damage.
- “We have a ton of smoke damage on all equipment. It will take time and professional cleaning. We may need some new equipment. I’m just waiting for a specialist to come next week to check it out,” he said.
Dayton hopes his insurance through CrossFit RRG will cover the damage. Still, he’s aware he’s added equipment over the years without increasing his coverage, so time will tell if the insurance payout will be enough to cover all his losses.
Finding a Quick Solution
Knowing he wouldn’t be able to host classes at his gym for a while, Dayton wasted no time looking for a temporary space so his members could keep training.
It didn’t take long. On the same morning as the fire, a local pickleball business – Mile Hi Pickleball – offered to let the Mach983 community train at their facility.
Over the next few hours, more than 60 of Dayton’s members helped clean, sanitize, and move equipment to Mile Hi, where many of his members also play pickleball.
- “It was truly inspirational. We only missed Friday and Saturday classes, and were back up with most of our classes by Monday,” Dayton said.
He added, “We have the best community. We also received more than 100 messages from members and local Denver CrossFit gyms offering their support. Most even offered free memberships until we are back up and running.”
And while Dayton hopes to return to his facility soon, he and his community are making the most of their temporary home.
- “Classes are going great. And we even had two drop-ins this week, and they were totally fine with the location and modified equipment. We also had two people try out a class and sign up for a membership,” he said.
The Big Picture
Dayton’s mission when he opened Mach983 has always been about giving back.
- “It has been our sole purpose,” he said.
This has led him to form partnerships with various nonprofits to offer fitness opportunities to at-risk youth, prison inmates, and veterans. More recently, it encouraged his members to create their own nonprofit, the Mach Community Foundation, enabling them to have an even greater impact on the broader community.
- We highlighted Dayton and Mach983 just a few days before the fire occurred.
Dayton was inspired by their decision to create the nonprofit, and he has been even more touched seeing his community unite since the fire.
- “The power of building a strong community is everything. From the moment there was a problem at the gym, that problem was not something that I needed to figure out on my own, but something that our entire community is helping us navigate together,” Dayton said.
He added, “Our gym is a home to so many people, so it’s more than just me.”
Featured image: Fred Dayton
