August 26, 2004
Globe Calendar: debuts
BY: HEIDI P. GUARINO

BODY:
Olympic bobsledder Peter Donohoe may not be in Athens for this year's games, but he's doing what he can to help others to go for their own version of the gold.
Donohoe just opened Focus Fitness, an exclusive downtown fitness club that will be staffed by former Olympic athletes. "I think of this more as a fitness boutique than a traditional gym," said Donohoe, 40, who competed on the Irish bobsledding teams in Salt Lake City in 2002 and in Nagano in 1998. "We're creating an environment where regular people can experience what Olympians have been through: the pain, the dedication, and, eventually, the results."
The club boasts the latest in cardiovascular and strength-training equipment, and a bodymapping system used by the National Academy of Sports Medicine to design individual training programs based on each person's needs.
Membership is limited to 500 people, and everyone, athlete or not, is welcome, Donohoe said. There's a $250 joining fee, and a standard membership is $120 per month, or $375 a month for 52 sessions a year with a personal trainer.
"This is not an intimidating environment," Donohoe insisted. "We are just normal people who have pushed ourselves and through that have reached extraordinary goals."
The Winter Games in Torino, Italy, are still two years away. You've got time.

NOTES:
Focus Fitness
303 Congress St., Boston. 617-951-2900.
Mon.-Fri., 5:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m., Sat. 8 a.m.-1 p.m.