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Desiree Linden becomes first American woman to win Boston Marathon since 1985

Sam Cooper
College football writer
Desiree Linden, of Washington, Mich., wins the women’s division of the 122nd Boston Marathon on Monday, April 16, 2018, in Boston. She is the first American woman to win the race since 1985. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Desiree Linden, of Washington, Mich., wins the women’s division of the 122nd Boston Marathon on Monday, April 16, 2018, in Boston. She is the first American woman to win the race since 1985. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

The drought is over.

Desiree Linden endured miserable conditions to win Monday’s Boston Marathon, becoming the first American woman to win the event since 1985. Enduring cold temperatures, brutal winds and a constant rain, Linden finished the 26.2-mile, hilly New England course in an unofficial time of 2:39:54.

Linden had four previous top 10 finishes in the Marathon, including missing out on the top spot by just two seconds in 2011.

Incredibly, Linden, 34, was able to move ahead of the pack even after slowing down midway through the race as fellow American Shalane Flanagan, the defending New York City Marathon champion, slowed down for a quick bathroom break.

From there, Linden, who told NBC after the race that she felt “miserable” in the early going, rebounded through the torrential downpour to become the first American woman to win Boston since Lisa Rainsberger.

Behind Linden, six other Americans rounded out the top 10 with Sarah Sellers finishing second, Rachel Hyland finishing fourth, Jessica Chichester fifth, Nicole Dimercurio in sixth, Flanagan in seventh and Kimi Reed in eighth.

On the men’s side, Japan’s Yuki Kawauchi came out on top with a time of 2:15:53. The 31-year-old Kawauchi is the first Japanese man to win the Boston Marathon since 1987.

With a third-place time of 2:18:35, Shadrack Biwott had the best American finish on the men’s side. Tyler Pennel (4th), Andrew Bumbalough (5th), Scott Smith (6th), Elkanah Kibet (8th) and Daniel Vassallo (10th) also placed in the top 10.

After the race, Kawauchi, who completed his 80th marathon since 2009 on Monday, said he was not affected by the weather.

Others could not say the same. Here’s a closer look at what the runners dealt with:

The conditions were so poor that Linden told NBC that she considered dropping out. However, she reconsidered and ended up breaking a 33-year drought in the process.

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Sam Cooper is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!

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