Start Your Journey with an Equinox Guest Pass

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

We've got more stories like A.C.'s. on our new micro-site. And we're offering you the chance to share yours. Start your journey with a 3-day guest pass today. >>

Equinox is more than a gym. It changes people's lives—everyday. Take A.C., a member who broke his neck after a small plane crash and spent 30 days unconscious in a hospital ICU. "I had to learn how to walk again, how to brush my teeth again—you name it," he says. "The best part of my recovery was going to Equinox, because I could see improvements every day. Eventually, I was able to compete in the Ford Ironman World Championships Triathlon. A theme of Ironman is ‘proving the impossible possible,’ and that is really what my recovery/story is all about."