Des Linden

DES LINDEN braved headwinds and torrential rain to become the first US women’s champion at the Boston Marathon since 1985. Her win this past April was one for the record books as she bested the field in the worst conditions in race history. A two-time US Olympic marathoner, Linden finished seventh at the Rio Olympic Games. She attended Arizona State University where she was an All-American in both cross country and track. After graduation, she moved to Rochester, Michigan to join the Hansons Brooks Distance Project. In 2011, Linden wowed the marathon world with her near win at the Boston Marathon. Her runner-up finish, an incredible 2:22:38, set an all-time US record on the Boston course, and made her the third fastest American ever at the time. In 2015, she participated at the Boston Marathon which featured a strong international field and the top three US marathoners, where finished as top American, and held on for a strong 4th place finish, less than 45 seconds from the win. In the summer of 2015, Linden earned a Silver Medal at the Pan-Am Games in the 10,000. In early 2016 she finished second at the US Olympic Marathon Trials in LA. @des_linden