AKTIV Center Launch and Awards Dinner: Leanne’s Big Day

Leanne Hainsby-Alldis spent October 28 at the ribbon cutting for the AKTIV Center at Summit Health in New Jersey, then traveled into New York City to receive the Gabe Grunewald Inspiration Award that evening. The two events shared one message: movement has a place in cancer care.

The AKTIV Center sits inside the Lawrence Pavilion at Summit Health in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. According to Summit Health Cares, it is the first AKTIV center in the United States.

Inside the AKTIV Center at Summit Health

Powered by Summit Health Cares – a non-profit foundation that partners with Summit Health to advance health equity and improve wellness in New Jersey communities – the AKTIV Center provides personalized, professionally guided exercise oncology programs for people undergoing cancer treatment and those in early survivorship. Trained instructors build each plan around the patient’s diagnosis, treatment, physical abilities, and personal goals, in collaboration with the patient’s oncology care team.

Programs may include individual and small-group strength training, cardiovascular and interval training, guided walking, Pilates, and yoga and mindful movement through Moves That Matter. No prior exercise experience is necessary, and programs can be adjusted as needs change. All programs are offered at no cost to patients.

The Center’s website says research shows appropriately prescribed exercise during and after treatment can help patients maintain muscle strength and endurance, support flexibility and balance, and reduce cancer-related fatigue. It also points to benefits for confidence, independence, and emotional well-being.

Summit Health Cares and AKTIV Against Cancer

AKTIV Against Cancer was founded in 2007 by marathon runner Grete Waitz and Helle Aanesen, who believed physical activity should be an integral part of cancer treatment. Waitz won the New York City Marathon nine times. The organization established its U.S. nonprofit presence in 2014 and has hosted its annual award dinner since 2015.

Summit Health Cares carries that vision forward through the AKTIV center. The organization was also named this year’s recipient of the AKTIV Against Cancer Award for its work helping underserved communities access medical, educational, and social services. The awards were slated to be presented together at the dinner, hosted by U.S. Olympian and ESPN broadcaster Carrie Tollefson.

A Reminder of Who Leanne Is

Leanne joined Peloton in 2018 as the first female instructor based in the UK, teaching from the London studio alongside her husband, Ben Alldis. Before fitness, she was a professional dancer who toured and performed with artists including Taylor Swift, Kylie Minogue, and Katy Perry.

In 2022, at age 35, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent six months of treatment, which she has shared publicly to raise awareness among younger women. She and Ben welcomed their son, Ace Eddie Alldis, in December 2025, and she returned to Peloton’s live schedule in September. We first covered this honor when Leanne was named the Gabe Grunewald Inspiration Award recipient.

Leanne Reflects on the AKTIV center Visit

On her Instagram story, she spoke from a car after the event, Leanne said she had a 23-hour day in New York the day before, then headed to New Jersey. She called the visit to the AKTIV Center the first of its kind and said it was “so amazing to see what they’re doing.”

She described the Center’s focus in her own words. “They are helping people to move, to feel confident, to have community whilst in their treatment and for the first kind of year post-treatment,” she said, adding that she felt “so excited and inspired to be here.”

Leanne also said she planned to run around the city before the evening event, and that she was loving supporting everything AKTIV Against Cancer is doing. She joked that she is not running the marathon, for anyone asking.

Gabe Grunewald Inspiration Award in New York

After the AKTIV Center ribbon cutting, the evening ceremony was set for 7 to 9 PM ET at the New York Athletic Club on Central Park South. The award is named for Gabriele “Gabe” Grunewald, a professional middle-distance runner and rare cancer advocate who competed for Team USA and died in 2019.

Leanne later shared on Instagram that she was incredibly honored to receive the award, which recognizes “courage, resilience and the power of movement in the face of cancer.” She wrote that it has always been about what she can give back, including encouraging people to check their body and reminding those in treatment that there is hope.

She also noted that receiving the award in New York, where her Peloton journey began, felt particularly special. “If sharing my story helps even one person, it’s worth sharing,” she wrote.

The day put that idea into practice. Photos from the events show Leanne in high spirits, and her connection with AKTIV Against Cancer fits the way she has used her own experience to help others.

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