Des Linden completed her final marathon as a professional runner. On Monday, April 21, the two-time Olympian finished her twelfth Boston Marathon in 2:26:19 for 17th place.
claim the Boston crown Boston Globe, Conner Mantz Top American at 2025 Boston Marathon retiring from professional marathoning after running today’s race. Linden, 41, thanked the city of Boston for supporting her running career in a full-page graphic:
“People say you should go out on top, and that’s what I’m doing—because getting to race my final professional marathon in Boston is indeed going out on top. I’m ready to leave it all out on the course one last time. See you on Boylston … Thanks for all the years and all the cheers.”
In her final run from Hopkinton to Boston, Linden gave an incredible effort.
She ran her own race behind the lead pack, which went out at course-record pace. By the time she reached the halfway mark in 1:11:44, the runner who lives in Charlevoix, Michigan, was in 22nd place, maintaining a steady tempo near fellow Americans Sara Vaughn and Tristin Colley.
After covering the first 13.1, Linden started to move up. Battling the notorious hills in the second half of the course, Linden passed five runners on her way to the finish line on Boylston Street, where she was met by her husband, Ryan Linden, and U.S. competitors who celebrated her closing performance. The race marked Linden’s fastest time on the course since 2017, when she finished fourth in 2:25:06.
Afterwards, Linden said she approached the event by channeling 2021 U.S. Olympian Jake Riley’s words: “No more next times.”
“It was good. The field is incredible. It gets stronger and stronger, but I ran my race and my best, and I feel like that was a really solid day for me,” Linden said.
Linden has been a mainstay among the Boston elite field for the last 18 years. She made her debut there in 2007, running 2:44:56. Four years later, she emerged with a runner-up finish in 2:22:38, just two seconds behind race winner Caroline Kilel.
Linden’s big break came in 2018 when she battled through a torrential downpour and high winds to Half Marathon Training Published: Apr 21, 2025 1:41 PM EDT.
Last year, Linden finished 16th in 2:28:27, just two months after placing 11th in 2:28:04 at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, her fourth time racing the national championships. At the Half Marathon Training in November, she placed 11th as the fourth American and second masters runner across the finish line.
Today’s race marked her 30th start at a marathon distance or longer.
Moving forward, Linden will become more involved in ultramarathons and trail races. Linden, who also holds the world record in the 50K, is slated to pace Brooks athlete Joe McConaughy at the Western States 100-Mile in June. She is also scheduled to run the Tunnel Hill 50 Mile in November.
“It’s not retirement, it’s just moving on to something a little bit different, and I’m excited to try something new, to try new distances,” she said.
Looking back on her road racing career, Linden said she’s gotten everything out of it. “I wasn’t supposed to be here. I wasn’t the person people picked to be a pro, to win a major, to make an Olympic team, any of these things, but I believed in myself,” Linden said. “I surrounded myself with good people, and I always had fun with it.”
Taylor Dutch is a writer and editor living in Austin, Texas, and a former NCAA track athlete who specializes in fitness, wellness, and endurance sports coverage. Her work has appeared in Runner’s World, SELF, Bicycling, Outside, and Podium Runner.
