From Weight Loss to Race Day: Chelsea's Unbelievable 100K Race After Losing 150lbs

October 2025

When Chelsea Richardson first started running, she said she felt embarrassed. At the end of her quiet residential street, a fire hydrant perched resolutely in the distance. It was about a quarter of a mile from her driveway, and it served as a marker–a goal just out of reach. She would lace up her running shoes and jog toward it. 

“I couldn’t make it,” she recounted. “I was too exhausted.”

Around her, she felt like her life was crumbling. The fire hydrant wasn’t the only thing she felt slipping through her fingers.

“I was becoming unrecognizable,” Chelsea said somberly. “Not just physically, but emotionally as well.”

She was struggling in her marriage, felt uncomfortable in her own body, and she wasn’t the mother she wanted to be for her four children. Her weight made every aspect of her life feel difficult.

She couldn’t run around with her kids. She couldn’t fit into a seat on a plane comfortably. 

“I was determined to make a change,” she said. 

She tried fad diets, but nothing stuck. She would fall back into old habits. It was a frustrating and vicious cycle. 

Two years ago, she had enough.

“I remember feeling so helpless,” said Chelsea. “I thought I was going to be obese forever. I thought I was going to lose my marriage. I thought I wasn’t going to be fulfilled as a mom. I couldn’t live like that anymore.”

Then she found Troy Houseworth, MD, FACS, a bariatric surgeon at Virginia Mason Franciscan Health’s (VMFH) St. Francis Hospital. From her first meeting with the weight management team at VMFH, she said she knew she was in the right place. A team surrounded her with expert guidance, compassion and clinical excellence. With their help and her determination, she set out to change her life for the better.

Within a couple weeks of scheduling an appointment with Dr. Houseworth, Chelsea began a treatment, which included a nutrition plan. They also discussed if surgery was the right fit for her and her goals. Ultimately, it was.

“I want to lose weight,” she remembers telling him. “I’m going to show you I can do it.”

And so, they scheduled Chelsea for minimally invasive bariatric surgery.

“Many people still have the misconception that bariatric surgery is a cosmetic surgery, but it’s not at all,” said Dr. Houseworth. “It’s about giving people a chance to get their lives back.”

Dr. Houseworth says it’s estimated that about 40% of the population is obese, and between 8% to 10% is morbidly obese.

“It’s hard to deny the reality that obesity is a major medical problem, and something that needs to be addressed,” said Dr. Houseworth. “We don’t talk enough about the connection between weight and disease like high blood pressure, sleep apnea, mobility issues, high cholesterol, diabetes. Obesity is not something that only affects a person’s quality of life. Losing weight can help address other serious issues as well.”

Dr. Houseworth says it’s incredibly rewarding to get to help patients like Chelsea. For individuals like Chelsea, weight loss surgery can be life-changing.

“Patients want to be seen, listened to and understood, and that’s part of our program’s philosophy,” said Dr. Houseworth. “A really large portion of my patients cry during the first visit. Their weight impacts nearly every aspect of their life. We hear it every day; ‘I can’t play with my kids. I can’t get on the floor with them. Weight loss surgery changes everything. Instead of sitting and watching their family do things without them–they can take part again. I want people to read Chelsea’s story and say, ‘I can do this.’ There is hope for me.”

VMFH is a national leader in robotic surgery and the weight management team includes some of the most experienced bariatric surgeons in the Pacific Northwest. St. Francis Hospital does the most bariatric surgeries in the state of Washington. Minimally invasive bariatric surgery is effective and allows patients to recover quickly. 

Dr. Houseworth says the surgery is also just one component of the comprehensive program offered at VMFH. 

“We provide all the services patients could need under one roof,” he said. “Within the program, we have medical weight loss specialists, nutritionists and psychologists. You have a team of people supporting you and your goals.”

Today, Chelsea has lost more than 150lbs. She has found a passion for running and she says she has gotten her life back. 

“I’m achieving every goal I set for myself and living with confidence and purpose,” she said. “Most importantly, I’ve reclaimed my health and my life.”

Chelsea was so appreciative to her care team that she wrote them a heartfelt letter of gratitude. She said, in part: 

“Thank you, Dr. Houseworth, and thank you to the entire team at St. Francis. You have truly helped me become the parent, partner, and person I always hoped to be. Beyond the physical accomplishments, this journey has brought me so much more. My marriage is stronger than ever. I’m now modeling a healthier lifestyle for my four children.”

At the end of June, Chelsea laced up her running shoes and completed a 100K run through the mountainous foothills of Snoqualmie Pass. 

When Chelsea runs, she says she has a motto that keeps her going.

“Not today,” she says. 

“I know one day I won’t be able to run or train anymore, but today is not that day. I have been given a chance again, and I’m giving it my all.”