Nell Rojas is one of the best marathon racers in the U.S. having placed top American at both the 2021 and 2022 Boston Marathon. In this episode she shares how it all went down at the 2023 USATF 25k National Championships, which took place just one month after the 2023 Boston Marathon. But of course, there's so much more to the story than just one race.
The 25k race, as it would turn out, was not the day that Nell had hoped it could be. The story behind that stretches back to Nell's build up to Boston 2023, and this episode gets into all of it. It also has to do with where a race like this fits into Nell's larger goals. Along the way we get insight into what it looks like to be a professional marathon runner, how focusing on being the very best at one very long distance plays out over the long haul.
One fact that is clear in Nell's journey is that being a professional runner is as much about training and racing as it is about managing the stresses of daily life.
Within Nell's thoughtful insights and extensive experience as an elite athlete are valuable takeaways that you can take into your own life adventures, wherever you may be along your journey.
For 2023, we are doing Race Reports for each of the USATF Road Circuit races, which are the series of national championship events that take place for various distances all throughout the country throughout the year. Each race is an opportunity to earn a national title and some excellent prize money. Racers also earn points based on their placing that go toward the race series competition. Nell is current in second place in the series, just one point behind Jessa Hanson. Emma Grace Hurley, who we featured in our episode focusing on the 15k championship, is in third. See the links below to catch up with earlier race reports.
Ways to Keep Up with Nell Rojas
Instagram: @nell_rojas_running
Website: https://rojasrunning.com/
Listen to earlier 2023 Race Reports
Race Report: Alexina Teubel + 2023 USATF One-Mile National Championships
Race Report: Amber Zimmerman + 2023 USATF 10-Mile National Championship
Race Report: Emma Grace Hurley + 2023 USATF 15k National Championships
Race Report: Lauren Hagans + 2023 USATF Half Marathon National Championships
Race Report: Molly Huddle + 2023 New York City Half Marathon
Ways to Connect and Engage with Women's Running Stories
Instagram: @womensrunningstories
Twitter: @WomenRunStories
Website: womensrunningstories.com
Email host Cherie: clouiseturner@gmail.com