
Des Linden, 2018 champion, says she will retire after final Boston Marathon
'I made my debut at 26.2 on your roads in 2007 and fell in love — with the distance and with the Boston Marathon,' Linden wrote. 'Three years later, we were in it together as you lifted me up through the Newton Hills, carried me as l turned Right on Hereford and Left on Boylston, and brought me within two Heartbreaking seconds of victory.
Advertisement
'But you never gave up on me, inviting me to keep showing up; hell, you embraced the fight, because Boston knows grit. The victory in 2018 wasn't just mine, it was ours.'
Linden's 2018 win, claimed in swirling winds and driving rain in a race of attrition, made her the first American to win the women's open race since 1985. It made her a legend in Boston, the pinnacle of a marathon career that featured two trips to the Olympics and more top American finishes than you could count.
'People say you should go out on top, and that's what I'm doing — because choosing to race my final professional marathon in Boston is indeed going out on top," Linden continued. 'I hope you enjoy one last show. Thanks for all the years and all the cheers.'
Advertisement
Amin Touri can be reached at

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

NBC Sports
32 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
Stephen A. Smith: Failure to buy Bills sparked Donald Trump's first presidential run
Nearly 10 years ago to the day, a certain someone took a certain ride down a certain golden escalator and most certainly upended American politics. As Stephen A. Smith told it on Monday night's edition of The Daily Show, the rise of Donald Trump the politician is tied directly to his inability to buy the Buffalo Bills a year before he threw his hat in the presidential ring. 'In 2014, he wanted to purchase the NFL's Buffalo Bills,' Smith told Jon Stewart. 'The price tag was $1.4 billion. . . . My sources tell me he had $1.1 [billion]. . . . He literally called me in 2014 and he said, 'Stephen, I'm going to tell you this right now' — and this is a quote — 'if them mutherfuckers get in my way, I'm gonna get them all back. I'm gonna run for president.' Those are his exact words. 'And so the NFL often jokes with me, 'So it's our fault' when I tell them that story. And I say, 'Yeah.'' This prompted Stewart to make a direct plea to the camera: 'People of Buffalo. Give him the fucking team. Save us.' Smith explained Trump's viewpoint on the matter. 'He was putting the word out that if this doesn't happen — he wanted to do it, and this should happen, I'm Donald Trump, I'm very popular and well known, I'm worth over a billion dollars, I should be able to purchase an NFL team if I want it,' Smith said. 'And if I can't get it, it's because they're getting in my way. That was his position. Their position was, 'You didn't have enough money.'' And he didn't. Because at the end of the day that's all it takes to buy an NFL team: Come up with the best offer. Terry and Kim Pegula came up with a better offer than the twice future president. But, yes, there's an alternate universe in which Trump owns the Bills and he isn't the president and he calls in to PFT Live on a regular basis to complain that the league office is being very unfair.


Los Angeles Times
32 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Canadian teenager Summer McIntosh sets two world swimming records in three days
On Monday night, Summer McIntosh won the 200-meter individual medley at the 2025 Canadian swimming trials to set her second world record in just three days. She had already achieved one world record at the trials in Victoria. McIntosh won the 200-meter individual medley in 2 minutes, 5.7 seconds. The previous world record of 2:06.12, set by Hungary's Katinka Hosszú, had stood for 10 years. After shaving a second off her previous best time on the backstroke leg, McIntosh was still a tenth of a second off Hosszú's previous record pace at the final turn. But McIntosh crushed the freestyle leg in 29.65 seconds, another personal best, to finish in world-record time. 'It's been one of those records that's always been in the back of my mind since trials two years ago,' the 18-year-old Toronto native said afterward. 'I've been knocking on the door on this one. I've just tried to chip away, chip away at it. To finally do it, it's kind of like 'Wow, I've finally got that done.'' Two days earlier, McIntosh had reclaimed the world record in the 400 freestyle. She first set the mark with 3:56.18 in 2023, but was bested the same year by Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus' 3:55.38. But on Saturday, McIntosh was back on top of the world after swimming a 3:54.18. 'That last 100, I'm usually really, really hurting. But I flipped at the 200, and I was just cruising,' McIntosh said. 'I knew I was having a strong swim and I could tell by the crowd and the way they were cheering that I was probably close to the world record, so I really tried to push that last part for them.' In between those two historic swims, McIntosh also improved on her Canadian record in the 800 freestyle, with a time of 8:05.07. U.S. swimming star Katie Ledecky holds the world record in that event after finishing in 8:04.12 at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., last month. McIntosh won four medals at the Paris Olympics last year — three golds (200 butterfly, 200 and 400 IM) and one silver (400 freestyle). She holds the world record in the 400 IM; she swam it in 4:24.38 at last year's Canadian swimming finals. With three more days of competition, is there a chance she'll grab a fourth world record before the event is over? Maybe. The 400 IM is scheduled for Wednesday.


Boston Globe
2 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Reading ends Notre Dame (Hingham)'s Division 2 girls' lacrosse dynasty with stunning semifinal upset
Reading (20-3) held a 7-3 halftime advantage and after senior Molly Trahan scored with 8:10 remaining in the third quarter for a five-goal cushion, the lead seemed insurmountable. Then the reigning champs began the comeback. Goals by Ani Woodard, Adelaide Gannon, and Caroline Haggerty, who netted two, made it 8-7 with 8:59 to play. Related : Both teams called timeouts in the next five minutes with Notre Dame coach Meredith Frank McGinnis imploring her team — which was without North Carolina-bound All-American midfielder Emma Connerty, who suffered a knee injury earlier this season — to play with confidence, but the score remained the same. Each time Notre Dame (19-4) challenged, it was met by a wall of red defenders as the Rockets choked off the Cougars' offense. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Much like the field hockey team that calls Victory Field home, Reading forced turnovers and won nearly every 50-50 ball. Advertisement 'The defense played lights out. Addy [Mathews] played lights out in net and we did a great job shutting down their offense so they really couldn't generate a whole lot,' said Reading coach Rachel Moore. 'Every goal that they got they had to work their tails off to get.' Trahan finished with three goals, while Abby Shanahan, Quinn Donahue, Megan Shanahan (2 goals), and Lily Rodgers contributed. Advertisement The Rockets lost in the state semis in 2023 and in the state quarters last spring. But Friday they'll play for a state title. Walpole 14, Westwood 6 — In need of its best performance of the season, the Timberwolves didn't disappoint. Senior Caitlyn Naughton scored four goals and took part in every draw control for second-seeded Walpole, helping the unit finish 11 for 18 in a wire-to-wire victory over No. 3 Westwood to return to the D2 state final. Walpole (24-1) turned up the heat in the third quarter, stretching a 4-3 lead into an 11-5 advantage. 'It's the best performance we've had all year,' Walpole coach Mike Tosone said. 'Our ride is pretty relentless. If you're asking me what I think happened, I think that might be it.' Related : Emily Hagan and Sophia Fruci netted three goals apiece for the Timberwolves; Fruci, who added two assists, led the team with 5 points. The Wolverines (21-4) suffered their worst setback of the season after losing their first three games by a combined five goals. 'We worked very well together,' Naughton said. 'Our defense has never looked this good, it really came out on top today.' Walpole will be vying for its first state title in its fifth appearance, having lost in the final in 2016, 2017, 2018, and last season vs. Notre Dame (Hingham). Rather than a rematch with the Cougars, however, the Timberwolves will be facing Reading after the Rockets toppled NDA in the other semifinal. 'We're very motivated, our team has a lot of motivation from last year,' Naughton said. 'Coach has never won a state championship. We're really fired up.' Advertisement Globe correspondent Jake Levin reported from Weymouth.