Latest news with #DesLinden
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Marathon great Des Linden's last dance: what happens when an 18-year career ends?
There is no better word to describe Des Linden's 18-year professional career than consistent. No matter the race, weather, or competition, she always showed up with her best – and the results back it up. A two-time Olympian, winner of the 2018 Boston Marathon, and world record-holder in the 50k, Linden is one of America's greatest ever distance runners. But like any good thing, her career can't last for ever. 'This will be my last time racing Boston in the professional field,' Linden said a few weeks before this year's race. Despite countless accolades, Linden wanted her final pro marathon to be about the competition, not a farewell tour that could get in the way of her goal of 'leaving it all out there one last time.' Advertisement A few weeks before her final 26.2, Linden shared how her identity as a pro marathoner is evolving and what may come next – a process that is not easy or straightforward, especially if you've been defined by one job for nearly half your life. 'It's time, it's necessary. I want this to be my last Boston because I want to give it everything,' said Linden. 'I want to get to the finish and be like, I suffered all day and never took the easy way out. The end point gives me extra motivation to do it right, to not make excuses or keep running to just cash a check. I feel satisfied, there's nothing else to achieve.' As to what comes next, Linden isn't sure, but didn't want attention on her future to distract from her goal, racing Boston to her best. To stay focused, she kept the news a secret until the morning of the race, sharing her retirement in a full page ad in the Boston Globe. This didn't make stepping away any easier, though. 'Retiring is like having your favorite dog get near the end,' says Linden, 'it's hard to know when to make that call and how to do it with dignity, but I wouldn't ask someone else to come in and tell me when to put my dog down, so I'm not going to ask anyone when I should stop my professional career.' Advertisement For Linden, retirement is part of a natural process. 'It's a universal human experience to have things come to an end,' Linden says 'but to have had my big moment is incredible. That was really, really special. Some athletes get worried about who they will be once they're done, but I think maybe not defining ourselves as our careers is a little more healthy.' Related: 'The secret is trusting the process': Sawe wins London Marathon as Assefa digs in As a coffee and bourbon aficionado, podcast host, and New York Times bestselling author, Liden has her hands in many different pots already, so more dabbling seems likely. 'Now I can say yes to more things. I'm a runner and always will be, but this step away from professional marathoning will give me more balance. Maybe I will try ultras next.' Linden grew up in San Diego, playing soccer and softball with her older sister, Natalie. Her parents encouraged the pair to spend time outside and 'not sit in front of the TV,' says Linden. Her first race was the Junior Carlsbad mile, which she finished before most of the boys, an early barometer for her potential. Advertisement 'I beat a lot of kids who had singlets, shorts, and proper running shoes,' Linden laughed. 'My dad sent me out there in sweat pants and I can't even imagine what kind of shoes.' Linden fell for running quickly, finding purpose and clarity racing the clock and competing for the podium. 'Competition was what kept me in the sport for so long. I love testing myself against others and finding out how good I can be,' said Linden. As a high school freshman she ran a sub-five minute mile and was a finalist at the California state meet all four years of high school. She went on to be a two time All-American at Arizona State University, showing potential despite never winning a conference or national championship. Acknowledging a risk of failure, Linden moved to Michigan to try her hand at a pro career. Her first marathon was Boston in 2007, where she placed 19th. A year later she finished fifth at the Chicago Marathon and in 2009 set her personal best by three minutes at the World Championships. She kept improving, notching the top American at Chicago in 2010 before her major breakthrough in 2011, placing second overall by a heartbreaking two seconds at the Boston Marathon. Advertisement Linden's consistent progression is easy to map looking backwards, but wasn't her vision at the time. 'The goal is results. Even though many professional athletes tell the outside world that it's about the process, that's a lie. I always wanted to win and so do most pros.' Despite her fierce competitiveness, Linden is simultaneously as selfless as pros come. Her bestseller book, Choosing To Run, is dedicated to 'everyone who's brave enough to lace it up and take the first step,' emblematic of her core values. Instead of a biography that waxes poetic about her achievements, the book is an ode to first time runners. 'I think about these people a lot,' says Linden. 'At this point it's easy for me to go run because my life is built around running, but to take that first step is so brave. It's hard and humbling and tough to be a beginner, but I know how great running can be.' Marathoning stands out in that amateurs and pros run the same course on the same day, even if their experiences are quite different. While most amateurs work a full-time job, most pros focus on training and recovery. Being the best marathoner means sacrificing a lot, while resting for the next session. Advertisement 'I don't like the word sacrifice because it was an intentional choice for me,' says Linden. 'In some ways it's the most cushy job in the world, even if travel and social events are hard, but it's all worth it when you've done everything you can and you didn't leave anything on the table.' Linden has run at the highest level for nearly two decades without letting outside noise drag her down, because of who she surrounds herself with. 'You'll find lots of people who will tell you why you can't, or little excuses so you don't scrap for every second' says Linden. 'If you want to reason, you don't even have to self-sabotage, just ask somebody who doesn't have your best interest in mind. I was more interested in what I could do. If I failed, at least I would know my limits.' The Boston Marathon is different from the other six Majors due to its course and rules. It passes eight small towns on its way from Hopkinton to Copley Square in the center of Boston, with many of the roads dating back centuries. This brings athletes closer to the crowds, as they run over a series of rolling hills. Advertisement Also, pacers are not allowed, changing the style of the race. 'You don't train for 26.2, you train for Boston,' says Linden. 'You have to be ready for any scenario. It's less about splits and more about pure racing, with a crescendo as you get into the city and the greatest finishing stretch in the world.' Linden has had her personal ups and downs at Boston, breaking through in 2011 only to scratch before the start in 2013 while recovering from a femur fracture, which forced her to consider early retirement. She refound a love for running and returned, before another low in 2017 when the first super shoes dominated the race. 'That crushed me in a really big way,' said Linden. 'The shoes took away the core meaning of the sport, the competition. It was immediately clear how much they impacted the results.' The next year, in freezing Nor'easter that forced many athletes to drop out, Linden won. 'There have been so many incredible moments in racing history at Boston and I was lucky to put my name in that story. In a small way, I am a part of history,' said Linden. Advertisement Over the last seven years, the field has gotten deeper and winning times have dropped significantly, while Linden has moved from her prime into the masters division. 'The last couple years I've lost the pack earlier than I would have liked and still run 2:29, but that's not competing anymore. I'm not here to go through the motions, I'm here to compete.' This year, Linden covered the first big move and stayed in touch with the lead pack longer, hitting the halfway mark at 1:11 and finishing in 2:26 – the fastest she had completed the course since 2017. With a gutsy last dance, Linden was the first master's woman and 17th overall, a clear sign that even her best day wasn't close to the podium. This was a best case scenario – leaving it all other there one last time, while leaving Linden confident she had made the right decision. 'I'm going to find the next thing. I want to push myself and if it's not here, I need to figure out where.' Without all the answers, Linden is excited for the next chapter and the opportunity for 'a second prime or a third prime.' 'I'm not choosing to stop running,' says Linden. 'I'll keep running and competing, but do it in new ways. Reinventing yourself and finding new challenges is a good thing. I'm choosing to redefine how I run.'
The Guardian
29-04-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Marathon great Des Linden's last dance: what happens when an 18-year career ends?
There is no better word to describe Des Linden's 18-year professional career than consistent. No matter the race, weather, or competition, she always showed up with her best – and the results back it up. A two-time Olympian, winner of the 2018 Boston Marathon, and world record-holder in the 50k, Linden is one of America's greatest ever distance runners. But like any good thing, her career can't last for ever. 'This will be my last time racing Boston in the professional field,' Linden said a few weeks before this year's race. Despite countless accolades, Linden wanted her final pro marathon to be about the competition, not a farewell tour that could get in the way of her goal of 'leaving it all out there one last time.' A few weeks before her final 26.2, Linden shared how her identity as a pro marathoner is evolving and what may come next – a process that is not easy or straightforward, especially if you've been defined by one job for nearly half your life. 'It's time, it's necessary. I want this to be my last Boston because I want to give it everything,' said Linden. 'I want to get to the finish and be like, I suffered all day and never took the easy way out. The end point gives me extra motivation to do it right, to not make excuses or keep running to just cash a check. I feel satisfied, there's nothing else to achieve.' As to what comes next, Linden isn't sure, but didn't want attention on her future to distract from her goal, racing Boston to her best. To stay focused, she kept the news a secret until the morning of the race, sharing her retirement in a full page ad in the Boston Globe. This didn't make stepping away any easier, though. 'Retiring is like having your favorite dog get near the end,' says Linden, 'it's hard to know when to make that call and how to do it with dignity, but I wouldn't ask someone else to come in and tell me when to put my dog down, so I'm not going to ask anyone when I should stop my professional career.' For Linden, retirement is part of a natural process. 'It's a universal human experience to have things come to an end,' Linden says 'but to have had my big moment is incredible. That was really, really special. Some athletes get worried about who they will be once they're done, but I think maybe not defining ourselves as our careers is a little more healthy.' As a coffee and bourbon aficionado, podcast host, and New York Times bestselling author, Liden has her hands in many different pots already, so more dabbling seems likely. 'Now I can say yes to more things. I'm a runner and always will be, but this step away from professional marathoning will give me more balance. Maybe I will try ultras next.' Linden grew up in San Diego, playing soccer and softball with her older sister, Natalie. Her parents encouraged the pair to spend time outside and 'not sit in front of the TV,' says Linden. Her first race was the Junior Carlsbad mile, which she finished before most of the boys, an early barometer for her potential. 'I beat a lot of kids who had singlets, shorts, and proper running shoes,' Linden laughed. 'My dad sent me out there in sweat pants and I can't even imagine what kind of shoes.' Linden fell for running quickly, finding purpose and clarity racing the clock and competing for the podium. 'Competition was what kept me in the sport for so long. I love testing myself against others and finding out how good I can be,' said Linden. As a high school freshman she ran a sub-five minute mile and was a finalist at the California state meet all four years of high school. She went on to be a two time All-American at Arizona State University, showing potential despite never winning a conference or national championship. Acknowledging a risk of failure, Linden moved to Michigan to try her hand at a pro career. Her first marathon was Boston in 2007, where she placed 19th. A year later she finished fifth at the Chicago Marathon and in 2009 set her personal best by three minutes at the World Championships. She kept improving, notching the top American at Chicago in 2010 before her major breakthrough in 2011, placing second overall by a heartbreaking two seconds at the Boston Marathon. Linden's consistent progression is easy to map looking backwards, but wasn't her vision at the time. 'The goal is results. Even though many professional athletes tell the outside world that it's about the process, that's a lie. I always wanted to win and so do most pros.' Despite her fierce competitiveness, Linden is simultaneously as selfless as pros come. Her bestseller book, Choosing To Run, is dedicated to 'everyone who's brave enough to lace it up and take the first step,' emblematic of her core values. Instead of a biography that waxes poetic about her achievements, the book is an ode to first time runners. 'I think about these people a lot,' says Linden. 'At this point it's easy for me to go run because my life is built around running, but to take that first step is so brave. It's hard and humbling and tough to be a beginner, but I know how great running can be.' Marathoning stands out in that amateurs and pros run the same course on the same day, even if their experiences are quite different. While most amateurs work a full-time job, most pros focus on training and recovery. Being the best marathoner means sacrificing a lot, while resting for the next session. 'I don't like the word sacrifice because it was an intentional choice for me,' says Linden. 'In some ways it's the most cushy job in the world, even if travel and social events are hard, but it's all worth it when you've done everything you can and you didn't leave anything on the table.' Linden has run at the highest level for nearly two decades without letting outside noise drag her down, because of who she surrounds herself with. 'You'll find lots of people who will tell you why you can't, or little excuses so you don't scrap for every second' says Linden. 'If you want to reason, you don't even have to self-sabotage, just ask somebody who doesn't have your best interest in mind. I was more interested in what I could do. If I failed, at least I would know my limits.' The Boston Marathon is different from the other six Majors due to its course and rules. It passes eight small towns on its way from Hopkinton to Copley Square in the center of Boston, with many of the roads dating back centuries. This brings athletes closer to the crowds, as they run over a series of rolling hills. Also, pacers are not allowed, changing the style of the race. 'You don't train for 26.2, you train for Boston,' says Linden. 'You have to be ready for any scenario. It's less about splits and more about pure racing, with a crescendo as you get into the city and the greatest finishing stretch in the world.' Linden has had her personal ups and downs at Boston, breaking through in 2011 only to scratch before the start in 2013 while recovering from a femur fracture, which forced her to consider early retirement. She refound a love for running and returned, before another low in 2017 when the first super shoes dominated the race. 'That crushed me in a really big way,' said Linden. 'The shoes took away the core meaning of the sport, the competition. It was immediately clear how much they impacted the results.' The next year, in freezing Nor'easter that forced many athletes to drop out, Linden won. 'There have been so many incredible moments in racing history at Boston and I was lucky to put my name in that story. In a small way, I am a part of history,' said Linden. Over the last seven years, the field has gotten deeper and winning times have dropped significantly, while Linden has moved from her prime into the masters division. 'The last couple years I've lost the pack earlier than I would have liked and still run 2:29, but that's not competing anymore. I'm not here to go through the motions, I'm here to compete.' This year, Linden covered the first big move and stayed in touch with the lead pack longer, hitting the halfway mark at 1:11 and finishing in 2:26 – the fastest she had completed the course since 2017. With a gutsy last dance, Linden was the first master's woman and 17th overall, a clear sign that even her best day wasn't close to the podium. This was a best case scenario – leaving it all other there one last time, while leaving Linden confident she had made the right decision. 'I'm going to find the next thing. I want to push myself and if it's not here, I need to figure out where.' Without all the answers, Linden is excited for the next chapter and the opportunity for 'a second prime or a third prime.' 'I'm not choosing to stop running,' says Linden. 'I'll keep running and competing, but do it in new ways. Reinventing yourself and finding new challenges is a good thing. I'm choosing to redefine how I run.'
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
London Marathon 2025 Results
2025 London Marathon top 10 and notable results. Searchable results are here. ... Women's Wheelchair 1. Catherine Debrunner (SUI) — 1:34:18 2. Susannah Scaroni (USA) -- 1:38:08 3. Manuela Schar (SUI) -- 1:41:06 4. Eden Rainbow-Cooper (GBR) -- 1:44:49 5. Tatyana McFadden (USA) -- 1:46:50 6. Jade Jones Hall (GBR) -- 1:46:51 7. Sammi Kinghorn (GBR) -- 1:46:54 8. Patricia Eachus (SUI) -- 1:47:55 9. Wakako Tsuchida (JPN) -- 1:47:55 10. Vanessa de Souza (BRA) -- 1:47:57 Advertisement Men's Wheelchair 1. Marcel Hug (SUI) -- 1:25:25 2. Tomoki Suzuki (JPN) -- 1:26:09 3. Jetze Plat (NED) -- 1:26:49 4. Geert Schipper (NED) -- 1:26:51 5. Daniel Romanchuk (USA) -- 1:30:31 6. David Weir (GBR) -- 1:34:06 7. Sho Watanabe (JPN) -- 1:34:06 8. Kota Hokinoue (JPN) -- 1:34:08 9. Hiroki Kishizawa (JPN) -- 1:34:09 10. Nathan Maguire (GBR) -- 1:34:17 Des Linden Boston Marathon: Des Linden announces farewell Des Linden, the 2018 Boston Marathon champion, is racing her 28th and final marathon as a professional.
Boston Globe
21-04-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
History celebrated, history made at a picture-perfect running of the Boston Marathon
It was a day to make the most of their meteorological good luck (temperatures hit the low 60s) for the estimated more than half million who cheered the 30,000 runners on, at the 129th Boston Marathon. It was a day of firsts. Kenya's Sharon Lokedi obliterated the record for fastest time among the women's elite runners by nearly three minutes, an astounding feat even to her: 'I didn't even believe it,' she said. The new time to beat is 2:17:22. Also lasts. Des Linden, who in 2018 became the first American to win the marathon in more than 30 years, and in the process to many running fans an honorary Bostonian, announced just before the race that Elite men's winner John Korir finished first despite Advertisement 'For us, two brothers winning Boston, I think we're happy now,' the younger Korir said Monday. For Marcel Hug, the champion wheelchair racer for the third year in a row, it came on the Advertisement American Susannah Scaroni this year became two-time women's wheelchair champion more than two minutes ahead of her Swiss rivals, and six minutes ahead of her first win in Boston in 2023. 'You can call it a miracle,' she said afterward. 'I'm so thankful.' It was not a picture-perfect race for 20-year-old Villanova student Matt Nawn, w ' You don't quit. You keep going. That's how I've always been in life,' Nawn, of Hanover, Pa., said in an interview. He chalked his collapse up to dehydration and is back in good health. He said he is thankful for the hearty cheers he got from the finish-line bleachers, although he was hardly processing them in the moment. 'Thank you to the entire city of Boston,' he said. 'For everyone else who's watched the video, don't give up. Just because something bad happened doesn't mean it's an opportunity to give up. Keep pushing forward. Keep chasing it.' The race had an especially patriotic air, coming amid celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the start of the Revolutionary War. In the Colonial spirit for the occasion was Jared Levine, of Sterling, Va., who ran the entire route in 1775-era garb, with tan pants, a vest and blue regimental coat, a pair of gold buckles ornamenting his black Asics running shoes, and a tricorn hat atop a curly white wig — which stayed on the entire route, he said. He planned to make some history of his own: He's vying for the world record for fastest marathon in a Colonial-American costume. Advertisement 'I sent an application to Guinness,' Levine said, referring to the company that validates such feats. 'I have no idea if it fits their guidelines.' Even on years without the revolutionary anniversary, watching the Marathon is a matter of civic duty for Maureen Sanditore, 54, who moved to Boston from Costa Rica as a teenager in 1983 and has embraced Boston traditions wholeheartedly since. 'Nothing gives me more pride than being here,' said Sanditore, who added there are only two days a year she makes sure to take off work: the Boston Marathon and the Fourth of July. 'It's very important for me to be here to support everyone who runs,' Sanditore said, from a viewing spot on Boylston Street. 'People who come from all over the world, people who have disabilities, people running for a cause.' Enjoying his second annual Boston Marathon, presumably, was 5-month-old Knox Brown. Last year he tagged along with his mom, Megan, who ran the race while two-months pregnant. This time, he was waiting for her at the finish line. 'I hope he's a little runner,' Brown said, cradling her son in her arms. It was a day of mixed emotions for many Catholics, who woke up Monday morning to the news that 'I think Pope Francis would be the first one to say, 'Forget about me. Go on with the celebration,'' said Father Jim Croghan, superior of the Advertisement Croghan was at the finish line awaiting the arrival of Father John Predmore, the chaplain for Ignatian Ministries at BC High, who was running his third Marathon after raising $24,000 for the charity 'This is his way of putting into action what Pope Francis was calling the church to do, paying attention to the marginalized, the overlooked, and those on the peripheries,' Croghan said of his colleague. Some of the papal remembrances were less solemn. In Brookline, one spectator waved a sign that read, simply: 'Run for the Pope!' Runners intent on maximizing the joy of race day dressed up in costumes. People playing the roles of Star Wars' Princess Leia, a banana, Celtic Larry Bird, and 'Buddy the Elf,' could all be seen planting one foot in front of the other. Other fans waved signs that brought their wit to the sidelines. One, in a tribute to Taylor Swift, read 'IDK ABOUT U BUT I'M FEELIN 26.2.' On the road, Ken Bereski was easy to spot, as he was covered head to toe in red paint. Across his face, in gold, was drawn a cross, and on his chest, the numbers '150.' It was his 150th marathon, he said. And the colors were a nod to his alma mater, Boston College. 'I was the crazy lunatic at every game,' Bereski said of his college days as a spectator. 'Going past BC is my favorite mile in all of marathoning.' Advertisement Chad Finn, Amin Touri, Christopher Huffaker, and Matt Porter of the Globe staff, and correspondents Emily Spatz and Sarah Mesdjian contributed to this report. Spencer Buell can be reached at
New York Times
21-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Des Linden gives Boston Marathon a surprise — and a fond farewell worthy of a ‘shoey'
BOSTON — Des Linden finished 17th among the women Monday afternoon in the 2025 Boston Marathon, crossing the finish line in 2:26:19. But it was early Monday morning, when many people were just getting out of bed, that Linden delivered some news that would soon have everyone buzzing from Hopkinton to Copley Square. Advertisement In keeping with a longstanding Boston Marathon tradition, which is that you just never know when there's going to be a big surprise, Linden's surprise arrived with the morning paper. Literally. As a means of announcing she plans to step away from professional marathoning, Linden, 41, took out a full-page color ad that ran in the Monday edition of the Boston Globe. It's important to note that Desiree Nicole Davila — married name: Linden — grew up in California. She's not some zany Boston sports fan whose teenage bedroom was festooned with posters of Cam Neely and Nomar Garciaparra. She probably knows next to nothing about Boston's tricky traffic rotaries, and even less about its trickier politics. What Linden does know, and she's known it for years, is that anyone who does the Boston Marathon is forever changed. Whether you run it to win it or run it to finish it, the Boston Marathon pulls you in and never lets go. It's true for the qualified runners, and it's true for the charity runners. (Or as longtime marathoner and trainer Susan Hurley calls them, 'the overqualified.') In 2011, the then-Desiree Davila placed second in the women's division, just two seconds behind Caroline Kilel of Kenya. In 2018, with freezing rain pelting the runners from start to finish, Linden ran a race within the race as she mulled dropping out. Instead, she made her move at the base of Heartbreak Hill and won the women's division in 2:39:59 — better than four minutes ahead of fellow American Sarah Sellers — to become the first U.S. women's runner to win the Boston Marathon in 33 years. And so as Monday dawned, readers of the Boston Globe found Linden's announcement on page C3 of the Sports section: 'Dear Boston: I made my debut at 26.2 on your roads in 2007 and fell in love — with the distance and with the Boston Marathon. Four years later, we were in it together as you lifted me up through the Newton Hills, carried me as I turned Right on Hereford and Left on Boylston, and brought me with two heartbreaking seconds of victory.' Advertisement Linden then fast forwards to 2018. '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.' Meeting with the media Monday afternoon after her 17th-place finish, Linden revealed the fine print of her retirement announcement. 'This is not retirement, capital R retirement,' Linden said. 'It's just the end of professional marathoning. This obviously is where all my focus has been, particularly at this race.' Later, after the news conference, Linden was asked about the method she chose to announce she's stepping away from professional marathoning. 'I don't know how many people read print, but it seemed like the thing to do,' Linden said. Print lives! The news quickly became the big pre-marathon talker, even if, OK, Linden helped things along by posting a screen grab of the ad on Instagram. What's noteworthy is less the mode of dissemination and more about the message. It's not just that she won Boston in 2018, or that she nearly won it in 2011. It's the 'USA! USA! USA!' chant she heard as she raced after Kilel in her desperate pursuit of victory. In 2018, it was the impromptu afterparty at the old Red Lantern in the Back Bay. She drank champagne out of a shoe that night. 'A Brooks casual street shoe,' Linden once told me. 'My own.' These are things not quickly forgotten. Certainly not by Linden. She remembers the shoe from which she drank champagne. Linden was asked if she had any waves of nostalgia during Monday's marathon run. She answered yes, sort of, but her responses suggested that even memories of the good old days can be used to gain an edge. Such as when she was asked about taking over the 2018 race at the front door to Heartbreak Hill. 'I thought about that a little bit,' she said. 'There were little points along the way, but that's more from a strategic perspective, where it's like this is a good place to regroup. Like, you can lean into this hill. I remember making a right-hand turn at the fire station and looking back and, oh, I really broke this thing open.' If this was Linden's last at-bat as a marathoner, she didn't go out with a home run the way Ted Williams did on that cool, gray afternoon at Fenway Park on Sept. 28, 1960, when he socked a pitch from Baltimore Orioles right-hander Jack Fisher into the Boston bullpen. But then, Teddy Ballgame didn't doff his cap that day. Des Linden spent pretty much all of Monday doffing her cap, literally and figuratively. Advertisement Linden has plenty of friends and family in town. Plans for Monday night in her beloved Boston? 'I haven't thought that far ahead,' Linden said. 'But I can see a shoey happening.'
