Below is an excerpt from the Fast Women newsletter, posted with permission. Fast Women produces a high-quality, weekly newsletter, focused on women’s track & field, with an emphasis on distance running and women’s voices.
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From the Fast Women Newsletter
U.S. Women – Nell Rojas
In another repeat of last fall, Nell Rojas led the U.S. women in Boston, but this time she ran 75 seconds faster, finishing 10th in 2:25:57. Rojas became the sixth-fastest American woman ever on the Boston course. Because miles 5–14 were so quick, with the leaders splitting 5:12, 5:13, 5:08, 4:59, 5:05, 5:11, 5:04, 5:13, and 5:06, the race broke up early. And as a result, Nell Rojas ran most of the race solo, though she must have had Charlotte Purdue (who finished ninth in 2:25:26) within sight some of the time.
“You do it one time and you’re like, ‘Okay, that was lucky,’” Rojas said of being the top U.S. woman in Boston. “You think it was kind of a fluke. And then once you do it more, you just believe in yourself more…and you realize you can actually compete with these people and you’re one of them.”
Rojas worried at times that she had gone out too quickly but, she told Women’s Running, when she caught Molly Seidel around mile 15, Seidel cheered for her, Rojas’ mindset changed, and she felt very confident after that.
After Rojas crossed the finish line, she told WBZ-TV that she was dedicating her race to “All the strong girls, the Latinas, the minorities. The people who don’t believe they belong.” Rojas also did something that is relatively rare within the elite field—she fundraised for Black Girls Code. When Rojas finished the race, she had raised less than $4,000, but 24 hours later, that’s up to nearly $12,000.
And speaking of money, Rojas also revealed while she was in Boston that she had broken her Adidas contract, which was believed to be worth $20,000–$40,000, according to Women’s Running (link above). Rojas had been with Adidas since January, but she felt that the shoes weren’t working for her, and her buildup races didn’t go particularly well.
“I had to make a very tough decision to wear a shoe that works for my foot, that I am confident in, and that I knew I could stand on any start line and be competitive,” Rojas said after the race.
It’s notable that both of the top U.S. finishers in Boston, Rojas and Scott Fauble, gave up sponsorship opportunities to run in their shoe of choice. And given a choice of what to wear, both chose a Lululemon top, Tracksmith shorts, and Nike shoes. But Adidas made sure to point out yesterday that both the race’s champions, Jepchirchir and Evans Chebet, were wearing the adizero Adios Pro 2.0. So the shoes are working just fine for them.
Other U.S. Women
Running her final Boston Marathon at the elite level, Steph Bruce had a strong run to take 12th in 2:28:02. It was Bruce’s second-fastest marathon ever, behind only her 2:27:47 at the 2019 Chicago Marathon, and she became the ninth-fastest American woman on the Boston course.
Des Linden dealt with some challenges during her buildup but said her training had come around just in time. Though she would have loved to have a few more weeks to prepare, given her fitness, she had a very strong run on Monday, taking 13th in 2:28:47.
“A day like today reignites the fire and passion,” Linden said. “It’s so fun to be out there, to feel the energy from the city. This was number nine for me, and every spot on the course, I feel loved.”
Last fall in Boston, Dakotah Lindwurm finished 13th in 2:31:04, and this time out, she improved to 14th in 2:29:55. Lindwurm became only the 10th American woman to break 2:30 in Boston. And as usual, she did it with a big smile on her face. Lindwurm said her calf started cramping around mile 18 and she didn’t have the finish she hoped for, but I was still impressed. Bria Wetsch had a great run to round out the top five U.S. runners, finishing 15th in 2:30:42.
