2018 Boston Marathon Champion
Two-time Olympian
9 top-5 finishes at World Marathon Majors
Two-time runner-up at US Marathon Trials
Coffee lover & owner of Linden X Two
Whiskey connoisseur. Music junkie. Bookworm. World traveler.
In April 2018, Des Linden braved headwinds and torrential rain to become the first American women's champion at the Boston Marathon since 1985. Her win was one for the record books as she beat the field and the worst conditions in the race's history. Des, a two-time U.S. Olympic marathoner, finished 7th at the Rio Olympics. She attended Hilltop High in the San Diego suburb of Chula Vista, California, where she earned All-State honors. Linden attended Arizona State University where she was an All-American in both cross country and track. After graduating, she moved to Rochester, Michigan to join Hanson's Brooks Distance Project. She currently trains in Northern Michigan and continues to represent Brooks. In 2019, Des returned to the Boston Marathon and finished 5th, and later that fall, led the NYC Marathon field through the half marathon in 1:11:40, finishing 6th as the top American in the 4th fastest American time in history at the historic five-city course. A self-proclaimed bacon lover, her hobbies include reading and writing, collecting different whiskeys, drinking Linden X Two Coffee, throwing first downs at Major League ball games, relaxing with her dogs Atlas and Boston, listening to good music, and running away from her husband, fellow marathoner and Kona veteran Ryan Linden.
