Boulder’s Rojas top American woman

Nell Rojas stepped up to the stage inside the Fairmont Copley Plaza to join her fellow top Americans from Monday’s Boston Marathon, and let out a sigh of relief.

Another 26.2-mile journey was complete, but she was even more satisfied to know that she belonged up on that stage.

Six months after being the top American in October’s marathon — when she finished sixth overall — the Boulder native returned to Boston and finished as the top American again on Monday, crossing the line on Boylston Street 10th overall with a personal best to boot, an impressive 2 hours, 25 minutes and 57 seconds.

“I think you do it one time and you’re like OK, that was lucky,” Rojas said. “And you think it was kind of a fluke, and then once you do it more, you believe in yourself more and you kind of realize like, you can actually compete with these people and you’re one of them. It was exciting and special.”

The top three American women in Monday’s race continued to prove that age is just a number.

Three months after 37year-old Keira D’amato broke the American women’s marathon record in Houston, the top three Monday in Boston were the 34-year-old Rojas, 38-yearold Stephanie Bruce (12th overall, 2:28:02) and 38year-old Des Linden (13th overall, 2:28:47).

Molly Seidel — the former Boston resident who was considered the American favorite after winning bronze at last summer’s Olympics — did not finish. She kept up with the lead pack before falling back at around the eight-mile mark, and she dropped out at the 25K mark due to a hip injury.

Linden, a fan favorite in Boston after winning in 2018, completed her ninth Boston. And it sounds like she’s willing to come back to make it 10.

“If they keep inviting me, I’ll keep showing up,” Linden said. “It’s so fun to be out there. It’s so fun to feel the energy from the city.”

For Bruce, Monday marked her final Boston, which she ran with her husband Ben.

The Arizona native and popular runner announced in January that she will retire at the end of 2022.