Press Release Source: 24 Hour Fitness On Tuesday September 21, 2010, 2:04 pm EDT

SAN RAMON, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–24 Hour Fitness, the largest U.S. fitness chain and a leading health club industry pioneer, proudly congratulates the winning schools and 1.3 million participants of the 2010 Governor’s Challenge – a core initiative of the California Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. Winners were announced on September 17, 2010.

“At 24 Hour Fitness, we believe that incorporating more physical activity into a child’s day is an important step towards raising healthy children,” said Randy Drake, senior vice president, 24 Hour Fitness.

A Governor’s Challenge partner since 2006, this year 24 Hour Fitness offered free 30-day memberships to every high school participant in the Governor’s Fitness Challenge and 90-day memberships to those who completed it. Combined, more than 100,000 passes were downloaded by youth participants and coordinating school administrators.

“Over the past five years, we’ve grown participation in our Governor’s Challenge from 10,000 students in 2006 to a record 1.3 million students last year. Our success in getting kids active is thanks in large part to forward thinking corporations like 24 Hour Fitness that recognize how important physical fitness is both to our children’s health and well-being, and to the future of our state’s economy,” said Jake Steinfeld, chairman for the Governor’s Council. “The complimentary memberships from 24 Hour Fitness are a fantastic way of helping our students fulfill their challenge requirements of being active 30-60 minutes each day, at least three days a week, for a month.”

Aligned with other organizations that promote physical activity among children – such as KaBOOM!, Playworks, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s MyPyramid and the Ad Council’s Coalition for Healthy Children – 24 Hour Fitness is firmly committed to addressing the childhood obesity epidemic. In addition to granting free access to high school student athletes through the Varsity Workout Program and hosting third-party youth basketball skill development programs and swim lessons, 24 Hour Fitness has representatives available in select areas to speak with community groups about the importance of youth and family fitness. Speaking engagements are free of charge and focus on simple steps that parents can take to help children lead healthier lives. Those interested in scheduling a speaker can email speaker@24hourfit.com for speaker availability and more information.

2010 Governor’s ChallengeGold Medalists and other Honorees:

Principal – Jason Romero, Sunset Elementary, San Ysidro

Teacher – Seth Martin, Tahoe Valley Elementary, South Lake Tahoe

Non-Profit Organization – 100 Mile Club, Norco

Event – Summerfest 2010, Ventura

Park and Recreation Program – Fun on the run – City of San Clemente

Parent Association – Overland Avenue Elementary Parent Teacher Association, Los Angeles

Schools – Franklin Elementary School, Santa Barbara

- Charles W. Eliot Middle School, Altadena

- Katella High School, Anaheim

County of the Year – Orange County

School Districts of the Year

Bay Area – Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District

Central Coast – King City Union Elementary School District

Central Valley – Sanger Unified School District

Desert Sierra – Palm Springs Unified School District

Gold Coast – Oxnard School District

Gold Country – Stanislaus Union Elementary School District

Los Angeles – Temple City Unified School District

North Coast – Fort Bragg Unified School District

Orange County – Anaheim Union High School District

San Diego and Imperial – San Marcos Unified School District

Sierra Cascade – Evergreen School District

A full listing of the gold, silver and bronze medalists, plus the eleven regional award winning schools in the 2010 Governor’s Challenge Competition can be found at CalGovCouncil.org.

About 24 Hour Fitness

Headquartered in San Ramon, Calif., 24 Hour Fitness is the largest U.S. fitness chain and a leading health club industry pioneer, serving nearly four million members in more than 420 clubs. Founded in 1983 as a one-club operation, the company is dedicated to helping members change their lives and reach their individual fitness goals. with convenient club locations, customizable personal training services, innovative group exercise classes and a variety of strength, cardio and functional training equipment – 24 Hour Fitness offers fitness solutions for everyone.

Through its support of the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) and many U.S. National Governing Bodies (NGBs) of sport, 24 Hour Fitness is one of the largest supporters of amateur athletics in the country and will serve as the Official Fitness Center Sponsor of the 2012 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams. The company is committed to being a good neighbor in its communities via charitable and in-kind donations to groups focused on both helping Americans get healthy and improving youth fitness.

About the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports

The California Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to promoting physical activity for all Californians with an emphasis on children and youth. Governor Schwarzenegger is the Honorary Chairman and Council members include Chairman Jake Steinfeld, Vice Chairman Peter Vidmar, and California sports legends such as Tony Hawk, Laila Ali, Misty May-Treanor, and Jerry Rice. Governor’s Council Key Initiatives include the Governor’s Challenge, the Governor’s Council Spotlight Awards Presented by Anthem Blue Cross Foundation, the Governor’s Council Activity Guide, the Live like a Champion Tour powered by Anthem Blue Cross and Exercise is Medicine. Founding sponsors are the Anthem Blue Cross Foundation, and Kaiser Permanente. For more information visit CalGovCouncil.org.