Reigning Boston Marathon champion Desiree Linden ran 2:27:51 to finish sixth in today’s New York City Marathon.
Linden, 35, was with the lead pack through the halfway point, which they reached in a pedestrian 1:15:49. But as eventual winner Mary Keitany hammered sub-5:00 miles up First Avenue, Linden hung back in eighth place, running around 5:30 pace, and picking off two runners who paid the price for the hot pace before 20 miles.
Keitany, of Kenya, won by more than three minutes in 2:22:48, her fourth victory in New York. Her countrywoman Vivian Cheruiyot was second. Behind them, Americans turned in another impressive performance, with Shalane Flanagan in third, Molly Huddle in fourth, Linden in sixth, and Allie Kieffer in seventh.
In April, Linden battled through driving wind and cold rain to become the first U.S. woman to win Boston since 1985. Since her victory, the two-time Olympian and Michigan resident left her longtime training group, the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project, to work solo with her college coach, Walt Drenth.
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 since 2005. She is the author of two popular fitness books, Run Your Butt Off! and Walk Your Butt Off!
