Every single year, people from all over the world try and take a chance to become a part of the “world’s oldest-annual marathon” , the Boston Marathon. The very first race started in April 1897 and from then in it had been such a huge hit that some people even considers it as a holiday. However, in this year’s Boston Marathon, a new record was made because for the very first time since 1985, a woman from the United States has actually won it for the women’s division.
One last look at your 2018 Boston Marathon open champions Yuki Kawauchi and @des_linden. Congrats as well to our push rim champions @TatyanaMcFadden and @MarcelEricHug. And congrats to all of you who took on the challenge of this year’s event! #Boston2018 #TogetherForward. pic.twitter.com/VH4TVwhHgf
— Boston Marathon (@bostonmarathon) April 17, 2018
First American Woman Since 1985
Olympian Desiree Linden lost to Japanese runner Yuki Kawauchi when he outruns her by just a couple of minutes in the Boston Marathon overall this year. However, on the women’s division, despite the icy cold rain, she has managed to finish the race in 2 hours, 39 minutes, and 54 seconds and she is even ahead of her runner-up by four minutes.
Kawauchi even joked about how the weather condition made the run easier for them. In a statement that she gave to the Associated Press, Linden said that it was actually meant to be hard. According to CNN, Linden also said that she wasn’t exactly certain if she would actually make it to the finish line when the race began. The two-time Olympian even admitted that she had to slow down to be able to help fellow runner Shalane Flanagan.
Flanagan is known to be the very first woman to actually win the New York City Marathon. Linden also mentioned how the fact that she has managed to help her, helped her in a certain way as well. This was said to be the reason why she took over the 2-hour mark. She is, of course, no stranger to running, that is because Linden has managed to represent the country in the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics. This is also not her first time to turn the Boston Marathon, in fact, she won fourth place last year.
The weather made it even more difficult for the runners especially with the high winds coming to them as they run, but despite that, more than 30,000 people have managed to make it through the finish line and complete this year’s race. An American woman hasn’t actually won the race since Lisa Rainsberger, who won it in 1985. In 2007, she even wrote in Runners World how back in the day, they didn’t have any type of gel products and sports drink were only avail when they reach every 5k. But this year, she has managed to bring home her trophy with her fourth race in this Marathon.
Linden’s Inspirational Journey
Before winning the race, Linden has managed to share some incredibly inspirational thoughts that helped motivate other runners when she posts on her Twitter account. She mentions how not giving up is what she believes to be the key to success and that even if she didn’t manage to win the previous races she has become a part of, it didn’t stop her from keeping on going.
Some days it just flows and I feel like I’m born to do this, other days it feels like I’m trudging through hell. Every day I make the choice to show up and see what I’ve got, and to try and be better.
My advice: keep showing up.#MondayMotivaton #TogetherForward
— des_linden (@des_linden) March 5, 2018
In an interview with ESPN, Linden shared some of the things that people were actually pretty surprised with when they found out. Just like how she actually didn’t feel good during the first few minutes of the race. The Olympian admitted that her legs actually felt heavy and that her hands were too cold that. She said that this is the very first time she had to run a full marathon while wearing a rain jacket.
ESPN also asked how she felt when she managed to cross the finish line. Linden just said that she simply couldn’t believe she made it and that her fingers went even colder, she started screaming and her agent and her husband just started laughing and been saying they were proud of her.
But when asked about her plans for the 2020 Olympics, she simply said this win might change things up so she does not exactly want to say if she will or will not join. One of the main reasons is that she admitted that her goals, as well as her motivations, will never be the same. It is still two years from now so maybe in the next couple of months she could actually make a decision but as of now, she is living in the moment.