GYM owner Leigh Brady said his business partner Daniel Kilpatrick might not talk about it much, but Ronald McDonald House had a big impact on his life growing up.
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When Mr Brady and Mr Kilpatrick found out three of their F45 Ballarat CBD members were training for the annual Ride for Sick Kids, they decided to go bigger than making a donation.
F45's Mair Street base opening on Saturday will be dedicated to awareness for the cause.
"(Daniel) doesn't open up too much about it but I got thinking we may as well do something as big as possible, especially as it can help so many kids across the region," Mr Brady said.
"Michelle Harris, Anthony Nigro and Sam Palance are doing the ride and are members down here. We want to support people who support us."
About 40 cyclists are preparing to tackle 300 kilometres in four days mid-next month to raise support for Ronald McDonald Children's House. The ride includes legs along the Great Ocean Road and through the Otway Ranges into Geelong.
The F45 team aims to raise $5000 from their opening event for RMCH's wide range of programs to help families stay together when a child is in hospital.
Fifteen Ballarat businesses have contributed to F45 showbags. These will also feature the gym's trademark singlets and merchandise, which Mr Brady said was popular with members.
Opening day will have an extra boost on-site mini-massages, a car park sausage sizzle and a portion of proceeds from body composition scans contributing from the cause.
F45 will also run five classes in the morning, open to everyone, but participants are asked to make a $25 donation and will also receive one of the showbags for getting into action.
There will be car-park stalls and a jumping castle, for all ages. Mr Brady said community support for the event had been amazing and he was confident the gym opening could make a large combined impact.
F45 is relocating to 8 Mair Street after two years based in Armstrong Street.
Mr Brady said they had outgrown their facilities and would open at the new location with new equipment, more showers and change room space, plus bubble taps in a more environmentally-friendly way for members to stay hydrated.
Opening day classes start from 6.15am while market stalls and activities will run from 9am-1pm.
Ride for Sick Kids has raised more than $2 million for RMCH programs the past eight years.
For more details to support or get involved in a class on Saturday, visit F45 Training Ballarat CBD on Facebook.
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