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| Desi Linden | |
|---|---|
| Name | Desi Linden |
| Birth date | 1983-01-01 |
| Birth place | Seattle, Washington, United States |
| Sport | Long-distance running |
| Event | Marathon |
| College | Arizona State University |
| Turnedpro | 2006 |
Desi Linden
Desi Linden is an American long-distance runner known for marathon racing, cross country, and road racing. She won the Boston Marathon and represented the United States at the Olympic Games and World Championships. Linden has competed at major events including the Chicago Marathon, New York City Marathon, London Marathon, and the World Athletics Championships while training with professional groups and coaches.
Linden was born in Seattle and raised in Sumner, Washington in a family connected to Washington (state) sports and Pacific Northwest athletics. She attended Bonney Lake High School where she competed in track and cross country alongside local meets and state championships governed by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association. As a high school athlete she faced regional rivals from programs in Tacoma and Bellevue, and her early development included training runs on trails near Mount Rainier and the Cascade Range. Linden's youth involvement connected her to community clubs and regional coaches who had ties to collegiate programs such as Arizona State Sun Devils and other Pac-12 Conference teams.
Linden ran collegiately for Arizona State University with the Arizona State Sun Devils track and field and cross country teams, competing in events at venues like the Pac-10 Championships and NCAA regional meets. During her time with Arizona State she faced competitors from schools including University of Oregon, Stanford University, University of California, Los Angeles, and University of Washington. Linden's NCAA career involved cross country invitations to championships organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association and track competitions on circuits that included the Mt. SAC Relays and Texas Relays. Her collegiate teammates and opponents included athletes who later competed for professional clubs and represented countries at the World Athletics Championships and Olympic Games.
After turning professional Linden joined professional training groups and participated in USATF-sanctioned events such as the U.S. Olympic Trials (track and field), the USA Cross Country Championships, and major marathons organized by the Boston Athletic Association, New York Road Runners, and London Marathon organizers. She raced against elite fields featuring athletes from Kenya, Ethiopia, United Kingdom, Japan, and Germany at international marathons and road races. Linden represented the United States at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and at World Championship events organized by World Athletics. Throughout her professional career she recorded national-level results at the USATF Marathon Championship and podium finishes at events including the Big Sur International Marathon and prominent half marathons on the World Marathon Majors circuit such as Chicago Marathon and New York City Marathon.
Linden captured widespread attention by winning the Boston Marathon in a race affected by adverse weather and tactical pacing, becoming the first American woman to win that race since Lisa Larsen Weidenbach (note: earlier American winners include Billie Jean King in other sports). Her Boston victory was followed by notable performances at the Chicago Marathon, the New York City Marathon, and the London Marathon, and she posted competitive times at the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon. She also ran at the World Athletics Championships marathon and secured top finishes at national events including the USATF Half Marathon Championships and regional classics like the Bolder Boulder and Peachtree Road Race.
Linden's training involved mileage cycles on varied terrain including Pacific Northwest trails, tempo runs influenced by interval traditions from groups like the Nike Oregon Project era, and altitude camps in regions such as Flagstaff, Arizona and Boulder, Colorado. She has worked with coaches and training partners affiliated with professional groups connected to organizations like Brooks Sports, Saucony, and national team staff from USATF. Her racing strategy often emphasized patience, pack tactics, and late-race surges seen in championship-style marathons at events hosted by the Boston Athletic Association and Virgin Money London Marathon organizers. Linden's approach incorporated cross country strength from competition circuits including the IAAF World Cross Country Championships and training methodologies comparable to those used by elite marathoners from Kenya and Ethiopia.
Off the course Linden has been involved with charitable activities and community programs tied to organizations such as Girls on the Run, regional youth running clubs, and nonprofit efforts supporting injured athletes and health initiatives in Seattle and Portland, Oregon. She has appeared at speaking engagements with athletic institutions including Arizona State University alumni events, partnered with running brands for community clinics, and supported environmental stewardship groups working near the Cascade Range and Puget Sound. Linden's personal connections include family ties to Pacific Northwest communities and collaborations with fellow American distance runners who have competed at the Olympic Games and World Athletics Championships.
Linden's honors include her Boston Marathon title, selection to United States teams for the Olympic Games and World Athletics Championships, and recognition from national athletics bodies such as USATF. Her legacy influences American women's distance running, inspiring competitors at the U.S. Olympic Trials (track and field), collegiate programs in the Pac-12 Conference, and local running clubs across the United States. She is frequently cited alongside prominent American distance runners in discussions about championship racing, marathon tactics, and the development pipeline from high school meets under the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association to international competition at events like the World Marathon Majors.
Category:American female long-distance runners Category:Boston Marathon winners Category:Olympic track and field athletes of the United States