From carrying sandbags to climbing ropes to sharing stories about their week, Elite Heat members do it all. 

The student-run obstacle course racing club meets weekly to work out together and share their love for group exercise. In the winter, the club meets Thursday nights in Marino Recreation Center, and in warmer months, members gather twice a week at the ​​Joseph Lee Playground track in the Back Bay Fens, where club members train to complete a type of obstacle course race known as a Spartan Race.  

Spartan races are composed of different obstacles that racers need to overcome on a trail ranging from five to 50 kilometers in length, or about three to 31 miles. Races have varying difficulty levels, ranging from the shortest and easiest type — the Sprint — to the longest and most physically demanding race — the Ultra. 

While the club’s ultimate goal is to encourage members to participate in Spartan races, most members join because they want to be active and find a community on campus. 

“I was just looking for a club to do some active stuff with on campus. … I came to a workout and I was like, wow, these people are all so nice and all supportive, and they’re really funny and just great people,” said Daniel Maddox, a fourth-year mechanical engineering major and current president of Elite Heat.

Established in 2017, Elite Heat used to be a small club, and in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic stunted its growth, Maddox said. However, former Elite Heat members and current Northeastern alumni Ben Chang and Chris Chefalas revived the club in 2021. Today, it has around 40 active members.  

Like other clubs at Northeastern, Elite Heat tables at Fall Fest and Winter Involvement Fair to recruit new members and showcase the club. Colton Ray, a fourth-year mechanical engineering major and vice president of Elite Heat, first learned about Elite Heat at Fall Fest his second year. 

“I’m pretty introverted so it’s hard to get my attention, but the people tabling for Elite Heat were super nice and friendly like, ‘Come join, it’s a ton of fun,’” Ray said.

Outside of practices, the club tries to host two non-workout-related monthly events, such as a potluck or a hike. These events, along with the races the team participates in, forge connections between members. 

“Ninety-five percent of the club is really just a bunch of people who really enjoy being together hanging out. Either we’re working out [or] we’re going to events. Just last week the team went ice skating,” said Jeremy Martino, a third-year mathematics and political science combined major and workout coordinator for Elite Heat. 

To prepare members for Spartan races, Evan “Vanya” Weinstock, a second-year economics and mathematics combined major, and Martino work together as Elite Heat’s workout coordinators and plan comprehensive workouts for the club. 

Their workouts usually entail a cardio aspect and a calisthenics strength-building aspect. Weinstock and Martino create their workouts to maximize the strength-building needed for the Spartan Race obstacle course while also ensuring every club member is able to participate.

“A very important factor for us is making sure everyone’s capable [of doing] the workout,” Weinstock said. “Elite Heat is a place where anyone [can] go no matter the fitness level, and that’s not just something we say; that’s really something we do in the sense that all workouts are adjustable.”

Oftentimes, Elite Heat practices consist of team-building exercises or group fitness activities, where members are put in teams to complete exercises together. This type of workout also helps foster a welcoming and collaborative team environment, Martino said.

Beyond the gym, though, Spartan races can be costly; the price for participating in an individual Spartan Race starts at around $130 but can cost over $200. Race passes, which allow participants to run in multiple races throughout the year, start at $399. The Spartan company often advertises discount codes at their races, which helps the club to purchase discounted entries for its members.  

The Fenway Race, a Spartan Race hosted every November at Fenway Park, is a popular event for Elite Heat members since it is the shortest race at 5K and is conveniently located close to Northeastern. Since so many members attend, this event can be very costly for Elite Heat. This past fall, Elite Heat sent over 35 of its members to the Fenway race because of a collaboration with r3vive Fitness, a training gym in Boston.

Running a Spartan Race is the end goal for many Elite Heat members, and finishing a race is hailed as both a physical and mental accomplishment, Maddox said. The most challenging race Elite Heat members participate in is the Ultra at the Killington Ski Resort in Killington, Vermont: a 21-kilometer trail with 30 obstacles, which takes around eight hours to complete. 

“There’s about 7,000 feet of elevation, it’s around 15 miles and there’s like 30 obstacles. You have to carry a sandbag up a ski slope, and you have to climb ropes and stuff,” Maddox said about the race. “It’s really hard, but it’s also really rewarding, and seeing the look of pure joy after people finish this race it’s just … it’s one of the craziest moments of their lives.” 

With races, practices and team bonding events, Elite Heat’s main goal is to create an inclusive environment for anyone who is interested in group fitness. For Weinstock, a weekly tradition the club calls “Peak of the Week,” where members sit and stretch and share the best part, or “peak,” of their week, perfectly encapsulates what Elite Heat is all about: community. 

“I was really worried going into college that I wouldn’t find a community that truly cares,” Weinstock said. “This community does and peak of the week [is] truly a testament to that … everyone is just genuinely interested in if people had a good week.”

While new members may join for the workouts, members stay for the group. Ray remembers the impact of the friendly demeanor the club members showed him when he first joined. 

“Going to show up to my first practice, I was so scared and nervous, like ‘Wow, these people are so fit and I’m just a little sophomore,’” Ray said. “A lot of clubs I feel like you could sort of join and not really get a sense of who [anyone] is. … Elite Heat provides a great space for building community, and I just felt really welcomed really quickly. I think that’s what draws a lot of other people to the club.”

Elite Heat members carry sandbags up the seats in Fenway Park during a Spartan Race in 2024. The most challenging race members competed in was the Ultra at the Killington Ski Resort in Killington, Vermont. Photo courtesy Elite Heat.