Natosha Rogers was poised for a breakthrough year. The 35-year-old had just committed to race the 2026 Boston Marathon, fresh off a personal best of 2:23:28 at the Chicago Marathon in 2025, where she finished sixth overall and claimed top American honors. But two days after agreeing to race Boston, a routine dental visit unraveled her plans entirely.

As it turns out, her dentist informed her that a tooth implant she had received 15 years earlier had caused her to lose four millimeters of bone in her jaw. Thus, Natosha Rogers required surgery “pretty urgently.”

“Oh, very unique hurdles this year,” Rogers said in an interview with Letsrun. “Well, all right, to be totally candid, I had everyone’s worst dental nightmare. Basically, two days after signing my Boston Marathon contract, I got some bad news about my 15-year-old implant, one of my front teeth. 

“The X-rays showed that I had lost four millimeters of bone in my jaw around it, and the dentist said I pretty urgently needed to get it extracted and undergo several rounds of bone graft surgeries, all out of pocket. Insurance doesn’t cover any of this. I’m not a huge fan of the dental industry now.”

Rogers wanted to see her Boston commitment through, but her body had other ideas.

“They say your teeth are very much related to the rest of your health. I had IT band issues, problems with my ankle and hip, and to this day, I still have migraines on this side of my head, with lots of tension all down my body,” Rogers explained.

“I had a DNF at the New York Half on my way to Boston, which really kind of blew up the right side of my leg. I ended up having to pull out of Boston, and I got the surgery the week of Boston, so fun stuff.”

Before race weekend, Natosha Rogers had hinted on social media at the “exceptionally unique challenges” she faced in 2026. Speaking ahead of Chicago, she explained what had been happening behind the scenes: a dental implant she received 15 years ago had become a problem that required urgent attention.

She still wanted to follow through with the race but ultimately, Rogers was forced to withdraw from Boston and underwent her bone graft the same week as the race. Recovery required three weeks off running, and even after she returned, she continued to battle injuries at the same time. 

She will need a second bone graft after Chicago, and the procedures will cost upwards of $20,000—none of which is covered by her insurance. That leaves Rogers approaching Sunday with more than a finishing time on her mind. 

Another procedure awaits, but she’s also starting to feel better about her running. She said training has turned a corner since last month’s Great North Run, where she clocked 1:11:44. Published results place her sixth in that race.

Despite the setbacks, Rogers is not giving up on her season just yet. With Chicago approaching, she believes her running is finally heading in the right direction, even as another surgery remains on the horizon.

Rogers eyeing Chicago PB despite an unfinished recovery

Natosha Rogers’ running résumé is built on perseverance. A 2012 NCAA champion in the 10,000 meters for Texas A&M, she finished second at that year’s Olympic Trials in a school-record 31:59.21, narrowly missing the Olympic standard. She went on to become the 2017 USATF Half Marathon champion and a two-time World Athletics Championships finalist, placing 15th in the 10,000 meters in 2022. 

Her personal bests include 14:52.21 in the 5,000 meters and 30:48.69 in the 10,000 meters. But her path has never been linear. In 2018, a knee injury and subsequent surgery left her barely able to walk; she lost her sponsorship and took a corporate job in tech sales to pay the bills. She clawed her way back, joined Puma Elite in 2023, and made her marathon debut at the 2024 Olympic Trials. 

By early 2025, she had lowered her half marathon best to 1:08:35 and run 2:23:51 in Nagoya before her Chicago breakthrough. That was when she clocked a sensational 2:23:28, a personal best during the 2025 Chicago marathon. Now, despite dental issues and injury struggles, Natosha Rogers is aiming to beat it.

“I think I can really pull something good out, maybe, hopefully a PR at the very least,” Rogers told Letsrun.

“My PR is 2:23:26. Sub-2:23:30. My build obviously isn’t as comparable as last year, but I think I can maybe run 2:23 flat or even dip below if I have a phenomenal day. But yeah, letting those other girls go.”

Her optimism comes with a competitive challenge. Emma Grace Hurley is making her marathon debut in Chicago, adding another contender to the American field. Race organizers also announced the return of Olympian Dakotah Popehn, who finished seventh last year. Repeating as the leading American will require more than simply showing up healthy enough to compete.

Still, Rogers believes her personal best could be within reach. After losing Boston and rebuilding through an uneven recovery, that’s a meaningful shift in outlook. Chicago offers a familiar course and a clear benchmark: 2:23:28. On Sunday, she’ll find out whether her recent progress can carry her beyond it.