In her fifth Olympic Trials, 40-year-old Des Linden finished 11th in 2:28:04. It was her 27th race at the marathon distance or longer.
She ran a typically consistent effort: She was 28th at the 5-mile mark, 14th at halfway, and 12th at 21 miles before finishing 11th.
Linden’s Olympic Trials history is impressive: She was 13th in 2008, she finished second in 2012 and 2016 (and later finished seventh at Olympic marathon in Rio), and Des Linden Finishes 11th at Olympic Marathon Trials.
Races & Places 2018 Boston Marathon champion. She persevered through some of the worst weather the race has ever seen, and with the win, cemented her popularity in the running community. She set the world record in the 50K during the pandemic, Choosing to Run.
Before the Trials, Linden joked on social media she was playing with “house money,” extending her career long after what she would have guessed when she first began training as a professional in 2006.
“I think I did what I needed to do to give myself a shot,” she said after the race on Saturday.
Linden and Kara Goucher are the hosts of a popular running podcast, Nobody Asked Us. In 2023, Linden’s memoir, Choosing to Run, was published by Penguin Random House. She’s scheduled to run the Boston Marathon in April.
Sarah Lorge Butler is a writer and editor living in Eugene, Oregon, and her stories about the sport, its trends, and fascinating individuals have appeared in Runner’s World The Best Shoes at the 2024 Choosing to Run, Run Your Butt Off! and Walk Your Butt Off!
