33 Years Later, Desiree Linden Wins Boston Marathon in Spectacular Fashion

When you really get to think of it, it’s incredible that the Boston Marathon has been in existence since 1897. In its 122-year history, numerous marathoners have swept up the accolades at one of the world’s most prestigious sporting events.

Her story is one of pure inspiration on the benefits of dedication and hard work at play. Yet still, no story is ever complete without a little bit of background on the events that transpired before she set the world alight during the Boston Marathon.

Incredibly, in the event’s history, no period has seen such a lengthy break since an American won the race. 33 entire years passed by before an American graced the gold winners’ podium. Then, along came Desiree Linden

Before she took on the race mantles, Desiree was a bit unsure about her physical condition. She believed she had not been taking enough fluids. Thus, she feared falling victim to cramps in her legs. In addition, the weather forecast didn’t seem to help her cause.

The weather in Boston consisted of strong winds, teeming rain and the coldest ever recorded temperatures in 30 years. Understandably, this particular showpiece event was going to prove to be a hard task for anyone to take on.

Despite the numerous challenges, she managed to gather the confidence to not only participate in the race, but also, dare to dream. Thanks to her lofty ambitions, she managed to win the race in a time of 2 hours 39 minutes 54 seconds.

Scripted

The other podium finishes were occupied by Sarah Sellers, an American who finished second with a time of 2:44:04, and Krista Duchene of Canada in third place with a time of 2:44:20

In the world of sports, there have been numerous occasions where analysts and commentators have described the odds of victory as being nigh to impossible. At times, someone or a team is able to defy the odds and come out with a victory. During such occasions, the term “you couldn’t script that”, gets tossed around a bit too often.

In the case of Desiree Linden, this analogy perfectly applies. So much so that even she exclaimed her feat as “storybook stuff”. She made her debut in 2007 as a newbie and work all the way through to victory. She exclaimed her achievement as “awesome”. Her sentiments are understandable considering she worked with a closely-knit group of individuals who constantly encouraged her.

As a California native, the Boston marathon had always motivated her to venture into the athletics scene. Amazingly, she has a golden retriever named Boston. Tragically, just last year, another pup of hers named Miles passed away. That she would name her dogs in honor of marathon events is a testament to her adoration of the sport.

Through her career trajectory, she has managed to finish in the top 10 four times. Her last highest finish was second place in 2011. At present, she sits comfortably in the record and history books as being the first American woman to win the Boston Marathon since Lisa Larsen Weidenbach in 1985.

The Journey

The athletes had to endure horrible conditions in order to make it to the finish line. The headwind was at about 10 miles per hour with temperatures of up to 38 degrees. In the men’s event, Yuki Kawauchi, 31, also made history as the first Japanese man to win the event since 1987. Notably, 1987 also marks the year Kawauchi was born.

Through the race, Linden had to play catch up to Mamitu Daska, a 34-year-old Ethiopian who led the women’s pack at the halfway mark. Daska had some considerable daylight between herself and the other racers at that point as she led by about 30 seconds through the rain and windy conditions.

As the race progressed, Linden found her strength and took the race in her stride. In the end, she prevailed victoriously. As she crossed the finish line, one couldn’t help but notice her emotional demeanor.