By Anneli Fogt

After 11 years, Kevin Allman has handed ownership of the Vashon Athletic Club over to local personal trainer Nick Maier.

Allman lives in Issaquah and made his way to Vashon daily. He said the three-hour commute burned him out.

“It was time for a life change,” Allman said Friday.

However, he said he will still be a trainer at the gym “a few days a week.”

“I’ve had some clients recently that have made me fall in love with the hands-on training aspect all over again,” he said. “I’m looking forward to getting back to those roots.”

Maier, the club’s new owner, is an island native and Vashon High School graduate who has worked as a personal trainer at the gym for three years. He recently married a fellow islander and VHS graduate and the two live in Kirkland. He said he and Allman had been in talks about the transition for more than a year.

“We wanted it to be a smooth transition,” Maier said. “I’ve been here three years and built a really good relationship with a lot of the people here. It’s one big family, that’s what I love about it.”

He said that he plans to keep the athletic club the same, and has no major changes that he wants to see right out of the gate.

“Kevin really did a great job. He turned the place around,” Maier said. “I just want to continue to improve the state of the building and boost personal training a little bit. I’m sad to see Kevin go, but I’m glad he’s happy. ”