Battling rain, wind and cold, two-time Olympian Desiree Linden became the first American woman to win the Boston Marathon since 1985.
Linden, who goes by “Desi,” crossed the finish line at the 2018 Boston Marathon Monday with a time of 2:39:54, despite the unseasonably harsh weather.
#Boston2018 Top Women's Times (1/2):
1. @des_linden🇺🇸 2:39:54
2. Sarah Sellers🇺🇸 2:44:04
3. Krista Duchene🇨🇦 2:44:20
4. Rachel Hyland🇺🇸 2:44:29
5. Jessica Chichester🇺🇸 2:45:23— Boston Marathon (@bostonmarathon) April 16, 2018
Absolutely incredible. Desi Linden first American woman to win the #BostonMarathon in 33 years!!!! pic.twitter.com/fpfsKdCkcX
— Abbey Niezgoda NBC10 Boston (@AbbeyNBCBoston) April 16, 2018
An American, Sarah Sellers, came in second, and U.S. women came in fourth through sixth, nabbing five out of the top six finishes. The big finishes for American athletes come five years after the Boston Marathon bombing, which killed three people and left hundreds injured including runners and spectators of the race.
The moment Des Linden made the move and got out front
The call with @LisaWBZ @LevanReid @KVSwitzer #WBZ #BostonMarathon pic.twitter.com/7w3wodAUKX— Jessi Miller Bradley (@jmbTweets1) April 16, 2018
Last year, Linden came in fourth at the Boston Marathon, and in 2011, she came in second, nearly missing a first-place finish.
During this year’s Boston Marathon — even before her win — Linden made headlines for stalling to wait for fellow American Shalane Flanagan, who had to stop and duck into a port-a-potty towards the beginning of the race. Flanagan, who won the New York Marathon in 2017, placed sixth in Monday’s Boston Marathon.
In record cold temps, Desi Linden’s #Bostonmarathon:
-Waited back for her countrywoman, Shalane Flanagan to take a bathroom break
-Caught back up to the pack
-Won the race in an unofficial time of 2:39:54, becoming the first American woman to win since 1985.Boom.
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) April 16, 2018
https://twitter.com/germanotes/status/985893619977596931
In 1985, Lisa Larsen Weidenbach won the Boston Marathon. That 1985 race was one year before prize money started being awarded to winners, according to NBC Sports, an incentive for more runners around the world to take part in the marathon.