To the CrossFit 858 community,
The saying is “All good things come to an end.” Unfortunately, this is one of those times.
After a year’s worth of thought and deliberation, I have decided to close the Miramar location.
Again, it took me about a year to come to this decision. Please allow me to pull back the curtain a bit and tell you a little about behind the scenes factors:
Why we are closing Miramar:
Knowing my own personal strengths and weaknesses, I developed a “law of 2” for myself. I could always handle 2 things really well at the same time. When I bought the second gym in 2015, things were great. When I bought the third gym, things were good, but not great. And I strive for greatness. Consciously and purposefully going back to 2 gyms, things were getting back to the standards I demanded for myself and our members.
Then in 2018, a third priority developed and it was one that supersedes all of my businesses. It was my family. I added the title of Dad to my roles of husband and gym owner.
Once again, I found myself with 3 priorities, not 2. I need great, not good. This time I needed it not just for myself, but for my wife and now two kids. The responsibility to try to be a great father and husband rests solely on my own shoulders. Because of that, I recognize that I need to run one great gym, and be a great father.
Things you didn’t know about/what we overcame:
My son Axton was due to be born on August 31st, 2018. The City of San Diego served me with a notice of forced closure effective August 15th, 2018. That’s right. We were supposed to close 3 years ago. Two weeks before my child was to be born, I was going to lose my livelihood. Why? Simple: In January of 2018, another CrossFit affiliate owner here in San Diego called in egregiously false zoning violations on CrossFit 858. They also called in violations on CrossFit Invictus, KDA CrossFit (successfully closed them) and Code 3 CrossFit (successfully closed them). At the time of the reporting, we had already been in business for almost 8 years. I utilized my own legal counsel to fight this case to no avail for 10 months. I’m sure the gravity of the situation is understandable for all those reading. Adding in the factor that I had to silently fight this battle without the community knowing put additional strain on the situation. The mental toll was high.
In October of 2018, Greg Glassman, the founder and former CEO of CrossFit stepped in and helped me personally. He offered me his own legal counsel, and paid the legal fees from that point forward. The fees were upwards of $60,000. Greg simply did not need to do this. He wanted to. In the end, we beat the claims and won the battle. For his help and generosity, I will always be grateful to Greg Glassman. As controversial as his reputation can be, he single handedly saved the gym that many of you have loved over the years. In the day and age of cancel culture, virtue signalling, and gaslighting, many people wanted to know why I was and still am an ally/friend of his. This is one of many reasons why. I just want it to be finally known.
What I am most proud of:
I am proud of what we have overcome. The dire situation illustrated above, along with surviving a pandemic and mismanagement of said pandemic on the state level are two of the biggest obstacles that we overcame. Many other businesses, gyms or otherwise, were not so lucky.
I’m proud to have left my corporate career over a decade ago and build a business from the ground up. The gym surpassed the 5 year and 10 years milestones that claim a vast majority of small businesses. I’m proud to be shutting down this location on my own terms, and not at the hands of others or similar circumstances.
I’m proud of those examples, but they are not what I’m most proud of.
I’m most proud of the relationships we have forged over the past 10 years at this location. I’m proud of all the people we’ve helped. I’m proud of the people we’ve touched. I’m proud of the legacy we are leaving behind. All of it was possible due to every single person who has ever come through those doors. Those individuals are what make up this living breathing entity.
The location is closing down, but the entity is not.
Moving on:
I’m looking forward into the future. Taking the stories, history, and legacy of the past 10 years and carrying it forward with the lone Mission Gorge location.
I want to go from good, back to great. That also means a renovation. Once the dust settles on this structural change, I will be putting my full efforts into updating the Mission Gorge location in terms of functionality, and aesthetics.
I truly hope, if distance and personal logistics permit, many of the Miramar members will follow us down there.
Details and Specifics:
The Miramar location’s last day of operations will be on Friday September 3rd, 2021. All memberships will be prorated through that date to avoid overpayment.
If you wish to cancel sooner, no problem. No 30 day notice needed. Email all inquiries and requests to info@crossfit858.com and one of us will take care of you.
If you wish to transfer your payment to the Mission Gorge location and retain your membership, please also email us.
If you wish to buy some equipment, stay tuned for a full listing and prices of gear that we will offload, beginning Saturday September 4th.
CrossFit 858 Mission Gorge will be known as CrossFit 858 starting on September 4th.
Thank you
Thank you for your understanding in this decision. Thank you for being members. Thank you for being a part of the community and helping us build this legacy.
As we close this chapter to begin a new one, I thank you for continuing on with us. For those who have their journey end here, I truly appreciate you making us your box.
As always, please reach out if you have any questions or comments.
Sincerely and with much love,
Mark
