by RBR AdminDes Linden has been busy all summer and fall. And, it has not stopped. This last weekend, Desi was in San Antonio, Texas, for one of her sponsors, Rock ‘n Roll series. At San Antonio, Des was running the half marathon with two of her biggest fans, who won a contest put together by the race series.
Des Linden is recovering from the recent NYC Marathon. In the recent race of five boroughs, Desi shook up the race a bit, off a slow pace, and battled her way to sixth place. Desi was not happy with the performance. She has analyzed and analyzed the race. “If I had taken it out earlier, the race would have been different.” One can see the mind of Desi Linden churning, and if we were allowed a peak inside, we would see Desi Linden breaking the race wide open.
Desi Linden makes history, photo by Photorun.net
Desi Linden is an old fashioned road racer. Put a line in chalf on the road, and have her race to the next chalf line. No fans, no audience, just gutty racing. Linden loves to go out hard and see who can stay with her. in 2011, in Boston, she almost won the race, seeing who is the tougher athlete. Smiling, Desi Linden remembers that race, “it went just like I had imagined, until the very end.”
Des in the Big Apple, photo by Photorun.net
But, the 2018 Boston Marathon changed her life. Desi Linden won Boston in the most horrific of conditions. She is an icon now. The media was all over her, and this was not just the running media. Desi Linden is now the Boston marathon champion. Sponsors love her, runners love her. Just Saturday, a young mother with 2 children, who raced the marathon, said to me, “You know, Des is here.” Desi Linden is now running.
I know Desi Linden appreciates that, after six runs in Boston, she finally won. She also appreciates the financial support from sponsors allows her to live the life of a nomadic world class distance runner. But, for Desi Linden, putting in 120-140 miles a week, on a solitary road in upstate Michigan, is, well her karma. After Des Linden won in Boston, her dharma runs with her kharma.
Desi Linden is now coached by Walt Drenth, her former college coach. Her long time sponsor, Brooks, loves her. Her manager, Josh Cox, knows how special and unique this time is. Cox juggles press junkets, media meets and training and racing for Desi, just like a former elite athlete should.
This interview is wide ranging. We covered the Boston experience as well as NYC. We covered NYC, and we spoke about upcoming plans, for, say a marathon in the spring, and perhaps a 10,000m on the track, late in the summer. She will more than likely not run in Doha.
But, Desi Linden makes it quite clear, she wants to be racing in 2020, at the Trials in Atlanta and Tokyo.
Enough said, we will let Desi Linden’s feet do the talking now.
This interview was conducted at the Westin riverwalk in San Antonio, Texas on December 1, 2018. Special thanks to Desi Linden, who is a wonderful interview and a runner’s runner.
Special thanks to Brian Eder, partner at runblogrun, who produces our audio series.
