Michigan's Desiree Linden won the 2018 Boston Marathon on Monday, becoming the first American woman to do so since 1985.
Her unofficial time was 2 hours, 39 minutes, 54 seconds. That's the slowest time for a women's winner since 1978, the AP reports. The icy and rainy conditions on the Boston streets are to blame for that.
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SHE DID IT! @des_linden🇺🇸 has won #Boston2018🏆! She is the first American woman to win the #BostonMarathon since 1985.
— Boston Marathon (@bostonmarathon) April 16, 2018
Your 2018 Boston Marathon open women’s champion Desiree Linden!!! pic.twitter.com/D0D4hJNI9m
— Boston Marathon (@bostonmarathon) April 16, 2018
"I don't have the right words" was @des_linden's🇺🇸 response to how she feels about winning #Boston2018
— Boston Marathon (@bostonmarathon) April 16, 2018
Linden trains in Rochester Hills with Hansons-Brooks running team. She lives in Macomb County's Washington Township.
This was the sixth time Linden competed in the Boston Marathon. She finished in second place by just two seconds in 2011. She also came in fourth place last year.
"Des represents everything good about our community," said Rochester Hills Mayor Bryan K. Barnett. "We couldn't be more proud of her. She's a determined and accomplished athlete, an Olympian, and now the first American woman to win the Boston Marathon in 33 years. She never gives up."
Linden's last post to Twitter was on March 5 -- a #MondayMotivation post:
Some days it just flows and I feel like I’m born to do this, other days it feels like I’m trudging through hell. Every day I make the choice to show up and see what I’ve got, and to try and be better.
— des_linden (@des_linden) March 5, 2018
My advice: keep showing up.#MondayMotivaton #TogetherForward
She clearly had more than enough motivation on this rainy Monday in Boston.