Sisterhood Spotlight: Des Linden

In her recently published memoir, Choosing to Run, Des Linden shares her start in athletics, her wide range of accomplishments, and how she recovered when times got hard. 

Desiree “Des” Linden is an American long-distance runner who has represented Team USA at both the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympic Games, won the 2018 Boston Marathon –  becoming the first American in 33 years to win the women’s category, and currently holds the women’s 50K world record with a time of 2:59:54. What you may not know is the journey Des took to get here to this place of undeniable success.

At the collegiate level Linden studied psychology at Arizona State University and graduated as a two time All-American and finished third in the 5,000m at the 2005 Pac-10 Championships – but she wasn’t done there. Linden continued to choose to run, and after college she moved to Michigan to pursue a professional running career running for the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project.

Flash-Forward to 2023 and there is no doubt Linden knows a thing or two about running with all she has accomplished. While her number of accolades is extensive we have put a short list together to showcase the talent that is Desiree Linden.

• 2008 – 13th place a the U.S. Olympic Trials
• 2010 – 2nd place at the Chicago Marathon
• 2011 – 2nd place at the Boston Marathon  
• 2012 – 2nd place at the U.S Olympic Marathon Trials
• 2013 – 2nd at the USATF Half Marathon Championships
• 2015 – 2nd place at the Pan American Games 10,000 meters
• 2016 – 7th place at the 2016 Olympics in the marathon 
• 2018 – 1st place at the Boston Marathon
• 2021 – breaks the 50K world record becoming the first ever woman to run under 3 hours

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What isn’t listed above are the obstacles faced, the long days of hard work, and the injuries that were overcome. Just one example was during the 2012 London Olympics. Linden was not able to finish her race due to a stress fracture of the femur, but that didn’t deter her from bouncing back to race again the next year in 2013. She kept on going.

Mindset, tenacity, and perseverance are massive components of being an athlete and Des Linden demonstrates this in her memoir, Choosing to Run.

In her memoir she shares the story of her historic and unforgettable Boston Marathon win in 2018 in which she faced brutal race conditions. She was recovering from illness and even questioning her future in running, but despite it all, she came out on top. Linden dives into her personal story by showing the audience the way she thinks, her relationships with those closest to her, and what motivates her to keep showing up to run everyday.

We are truly inspired by this Track Girl – it is all about showing up and Choosing to Run!