Chasing an Olympic Dream
Sports have been part of Chelsea Hollingsworth-Barnhill’s life since childhood. “I was a year-round swimmer and a year-round basketball player doing lots of sports every day after school,” she says. “I would go from swim practice to basketball practice.” Little did she know that a knee injury sustained in middle school would set her on a course to be the highly accomplished runner and triathlete she is today.
The injury in question was due to a condition called trochlear dysplasia, commonly referred to as an unstable kneecap. “My kneecap is more susceptible to sliding out of place,” she explains. “Basketball was a lot of side-to-side movement.” But running—a sport without lateral movement—was safer. So in high school, Hollingsworth-Barnhill swapped basketball for running, where she excelled; eventually she was awarded a collegiate running scholarship to East Carolina University. She ran cross-country and track throughout her college career while earning a bachelor’s degree in exercise physiology in 2014 and a doctorate in physical therapy in 2017.
While studying for her doctorate, Hollingsworth-Barnhill was finally able to grasp the underlying issue with her knee. “There was a flag football team, so I joined that. The third game in, I had a pretty significant knee injury,” she says. As a physical therapy student, she was now able to understand her knee condition and find some treatments for how to manage her injuries (which eventually sidelined her from running, too). “Having it taken away, I realized how much I loved running. I knew when I was able to come back to running, I wanted to see how far I could go in the sport.”
In 2017, Hollingsworth-Barnhill landed a physical therapy position in Stuart and moved from North Carolina to Florida. Two months later, she met her husband Kurt through the local running community. He encouraged her to race more. “I had raced during school, but I started racing more frequently,” she says. Her future husband soon learned she could swim too. “He said, ‘You can run, and you can swim? You just need to get on a bike and do triathlons.’” So she borrowed an old road bike and started training.
Hollingsworth-Barnhill’s first triathlon was the 2018 Chasing Caterpillars Triathlon in Stuart. She enjoyed the race but wanted to focus on achieving her goal of running a marathon. She ran the Tamoka Marathon in Ormond Beach in 2019 and surprised even herself with her performance. “My initial goal was to go under three hours,” she says. “I ran a 2:52 which put me only seven minutes away from the Olympic trials standard for the 2020 Olympics in the marathon.”
Hollingsworth-Barnhill began focusing on marathon training, and, in late 2019, she posted a time that qualified her for the 2020 Olympic trials. “It was literally a dream come true coming from my knee injury to reaching that goal,” she says. In early 2020, she competed with just over 500 women for a place on the Olympic marathon team. “Being on that stage with the best runners in the world in the marathon distance, there was a sense of both imposter syndrome and excitement,” she recalls. Although she fell short of qualifying for the Olympics, Hollingsworth-Barnhill says the race was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Since then, the Palm City resident has pursued both marathon racing and triathlon racing. In 2021, she finished her first Ironman race in Panama City. She won the overall female amateur title and surprised herself by qualifying for the 2022 Kona World Championship. “I had never done something that long before, so I went in with the mindset just to finish,” she says.
While she went on to compete at Kona, the race did not go well. She completed the swim and the bike leg of the triathlon strong, but on mile 16 of the marathon, she overheated. “I started throwing up and feeling lightheaded. It became one of those races where you just want to get to the finish line,” she says. Other racers rallied around her encouraging her to take a few more steps. “It was a race that technically didn’t go well, but one of the races I am most proud of.”
Today Hollingsworth-Barnhill focuses on half-Ironman competitions and marathons. She is planning a marathon in May and a half-Ironman towards the end of this year. As much as she loves running, she is equally passionate about her career as a physical therapist. “Not being able to do something you love, whether its sports or picking up your grandchildren, whatever it is that you love, I understand the importance of still being able to do that activity. That’s something that drives me as a therapist—understanding what my clients love and what I can do to help them get back to doing what they love.”
Doctor’s Orders
As a physical therapist, Chelsea Hollingsworth-Barnhill encourages athletes to practice self-care. Here are her tips on staying fit and healthy.
Get Enough Sleep: “Try to get yourself on a consistent sleep routine. Sleep is when the body recovers itself the most, and it’s the No. 1 performance enhancing tool. Typically, you want 7 to 9 hours of sleep.”
Fuel Up: “Endurance athletes can find it challenging to get in enough calories of carbs, protein, and fat. Food is very important for recovery. Seeking out a sports dietician can be helpful in learning how to get enough calories.”
Warm Up: “I know it can be hard for people who must train really early in the morning, but I would rather you knock off a mile from your run and take 5-10 minutes to warm up. A proper warm-up allows the blood flow to get to your muscles and get some movement especially after being asleep.”
Cool Down: “Elevating your legs and getting the blood flowing back to your heart is helpful. Do some gentle stretches, or use a foam roller and definitely eat within the first 30 minutes of finishing your workout.”
Destress: “Try to find ways to lower your stress. Some people like prayer, meditation, or reading, just having an opportunity even if it’s 10 minutes to get your stress level down. Stress is going to take a toll on your body.”
Facebook Comments