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.
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'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.'
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