Year: 2022
Award: Marathon
Location/Affiliation: Boulder, CO
- Top American in the Boston Marathon
- Won the Bolder Boulder
Growing up in Boulder, Nell Rojas knew a lot about running. After all, her father Ric Rojas won the first Bolder Boulder, held the world record for the 15K in the 80’s and was a well-known running coach. Nell ran in high school, but it wasn’t until college, as a walk-on at Northern Arizona, when she bloomed as an elite runner.
She was a 3-time conference champion in the 3,000-meter Steeplechase at NAU, then after college became a professional triathlete and coach. When her father suggested she try running a marathon, Nell was in her early 30’s and she decided to give the marathon distance a go to help her train for an Ironman.
In 2018, when she was 31, Nell ran the California International Marathon and came in 7th overall. Understandably, the marathon then became her focus. Her marathon time continued to improve with each race and in 2021 and 2022, Nell finished the Boston Marathon as the top American woman and was a top 10 female finisher both years. She’s only a few years into her marathon career and her times just keep improving. Our winner for Marathon, Nell Rojas.
