The competitor traversed the side of a metal wall shaped like a twisting strand of DNA — his task was to climb from one side to the other, without touching the ground. As soon as he secured one of the slippery handholds, the footholds would disappear, and then the reverse. But he made it to the other side. He hopped off, wiped off some dried mud, and smiled as he emerged victorious from one of 20 obstacles in a Spartan Race near Sacramento.
The rest of the team cheered and congratulated him; he was participating in the event with his husband, his personal trainer, and others from the Oakland gym where he worked out.
Four months before the obstacle race, in the fall of 2022, Chris (who asked to be identified by only his first name) had been looking for a personal trainer to prepare. He found Nick Baltazar, founder and owner of Nu Fitness on Broadway. During the initial phone call, Chris told Nick that he had always wanted to participate in an obstacle race, like the Spartan.
Nick was delighted. His philosophy, at Nu Fitness, is for clients to find a connection between training and joy. Having a goal is key.
Chris was incredibly motivated in his training sessions at the gym. One day, he shared that he was dreaming at night about the obstacles, particularly the rope climb — a 15-foot tall slick, muddy rope suspended over a cushioned platform with a bell to ring at the top. Chris’ goal was not to be competitive in the race, but simply to complete the 20 obstacles.
His passion and energy inspired his trainer, Nick, to join him at the event.
“I have never done an obstacle race,” Nick said. “You get covered in mud, they take pictures of you while you do things like crawl under barbed wire or throw a 4-foot weighted javelin at a target. Whatever your fitness level, they make you feel like a warrior — it sounds like a lot of fun!”
“I told Chris I would see if any other clients or team members would want to join us. But I didn’t know if we would get much of a group together, considering it was an intimidating event and near Sacramento.”
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Nu Fitness has already been cultivating a fitness community with monthly events for clients, colleagues, friends, and family since opening in May 2021. They have gone rock climbing at Pacific Pipe, hiked the trails of the Oakland Hills, Lafayette Reservoir, and Tilden Park , went ice skating at the Oakland Ice Center, played Spikeball at Lake Merritt, and biked across the Bay Bridge. Next up would be the Spartan Race.
“These events are really important to us at Nu Fitness. “They’re free and anyone can join us,” said Nick. “We started this fitness lifestyle company right after the COVID lockdown, when people, myself included, were starving for this in-person, human connection.”
Chris agrees: “I really feel like I’m part of a community where not only are we all working toward similar goals with our fitness, but we also share this desire to connect and bond, and really just don’t feel like we’re doing this alone.”
Nu Fitness takes a holistic approach to what healthy looks like, feels like, and needs. The staff views fitness as just one facet of wellness, and offers personal training, group classes, yoga, massage/bodywork, and nutrition coaching, along with the free community events.
Nick was pleasantly surprised when nine people from the gym committed to joining him and Chris at the Spartan — “and they all actually showed up on the day of the race!”
Chris recalls how the team stayed together, helping each other through the different obstacles, and cheering for each other.
“None of us were trying for the best time. As we approached the end, after racing, jumping, and crawling in the mud, we formed a line, looked to one another and crossed the finish line together.”
Chris, and the rest of the Nu Fitness team, had conquered the obstacle race.
For video stories about Nu Fitness clients and their training goals, see the gym’s Instagram.