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Fighting With Jason
What a Small Gym in Columbia Did in a Single Day
This is what a gym is supposed to be.
Not a building with equipment. Not a membership card. A community that shows up when one of their own needs them most.
In November 2025, Jason Cole — one of CrossFit Fringe's own, one of the highest check-in members in our history — was diagnosed with Stage IV-C colon cancer. He faced it the way he faces everything: with strength, grit, and an attitude that reminded everyone around him what it looks like to keep moving forward.
We weren't going to let him do it alone.
April 25th, 2026. CrossFit Fringe. Columbia, MO.
More than 100 people came through our doors that day.
They came from all corners of Columbia. Members and non-members. Friends, coworkers, neighbors. People who'd never done a CrossFit workout in their life showed up, moved, and stood in Jason's corner. No experience required — and none needed. You just had to show up.
That's exactly what they did.
What the Day Looked Like
Community workout heats ran throughout the day with scaled options for every fitness level. The silent auction — stocked with donations from local Columbia businesses — drew over 300 bids. Event shirts sold. People stayed. People gave. People connected over something bigger than a workout.
Four local businesses donated directly to the cause. The Columbia community showed up in a way that reminded us why we've been doing this since 2009.
On Memorial Day, we presented Jason with a check.
$12,200. One Day. One Community.
Let that number land for a second.
$12,200 raised between auction bids, shirt sales, and direct donations. One hundred percent of it going directly to Jason and his family.
Not a national organization. Not a corporate fundraiser. A single gym in Columbia, Missouri — a microgym, by any industry definition — that decided one of their people needed help and made it happen in a single afternoon.
We're not telling this story to brag about ourselves. We're telling it because Jason deserves to have it told. And because the people who showed up that day deserve to know what they built together.
In Jason's Own Words
"Very thankful that God has allowed my journey on earth to continue. I really enjoy watching kiddo grow and learn, hopefully for many many more years."
"Stacking small wins is very important. We all just want it to go away but treatment at this stage is a marathon no matter how you choose to treat it."
His chemo PA said it best: "You're just showing off. Labs are amazing."
That's Jason. That's always been Jason.
This Is What Community Actually Means
We talk a lot in the fitness world about community. It's on every gym's website. It's in every sales pitch.
But community isn't what happens when things are easy. It's what happens when things are hard. It's 100 people showing up on a Saturday for someone who needs them. It's 300 bids on a silent auction. It's local businesses writing checks for a guy they may have never met.
It's CrossFit Fringe, Columbia, Missouri, April 25th, 2026.
Jason is still fighting. Still stacking wins. Still showing up.
So are we.
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