Choosing to Run
A Memoir
Book Edition Details
Summary
April 16, 2018: The skies wept over Boston, the winds howled, and a chill gripped the city. For Des Linden, these were not omens of defeat but harbingers of opportunity. In "Choosing to Run," Linden unveils her journey from the brink of doubt to the pinnacle of triumph as she conquers the Boston Marathon, becoming the first American woman to win in 33 years. Her narrative stretches beyond the race, painting a vivid portrait of resilience and self-discovery. From her early days in San Diego to the global stage of the Olympics, Linden's path is one of defying expectations and carving her own trail in the world of professional running. Here, she shares not just the physical grind, but the mental fortitude that fuels her passion. This memoir is an intimate exploration of what it truly means to lace up and run, transcending the finish line to reveal the heart of a champion.
Introduction
In the driving rain and brutal headwinds of April 16, 2018, when most runners would have given up hope, Des Linden found her moment of truth. After nearly dropping out at mile six, she became the first American woman to win the Boston Marathon in thirty-three years, conquering the sport's most storied race in its most challenging conditions. Her victory represented far more than athletic achievement—it embodied the power of persistence against impossible odds. Desiree Linden's journey from an overlooked California teenager to marathon champion reveals the making of an unlikely hero. Born into a working-class family that valued grit over glory, she learned early that success wouldn't be handed to her. Throughout her career, she faced setbacks that would have ended lesser athletes' dreams: devastating injuries, health crises that nearly killed her, and the heartbreak of missing Olympic glory by mere seconds. Yet each time, she chose to keep showing up. Her story illuminates three profound lessons about human potential. First, we'll explore how being underestimated can become one's greatest advantage, transforming every slight into fuel for determination. Next, we'll examine the relentless pursuit of excellence even when recognition feels perpetually out of reach, and how true champions are forged in moments of apparent failure. Finally, we'll discover how authenticity and unwavering values can ultimately triumph over politics and privilege, proving that sometimes the greatest victories come to those who refuse to compromise their integrity.
The Making of an Outsider
Des Linden's outsider status began long before she stepped onto a professional running track. Growing up in San Diego, she was the daughter of a construction worker father who demanded excellence while making her feel perpetually indebted for every opportunity. Her childhood was structured around mandatory year-round sports participation, not for enjoyment, but to keep her and her sister Natalie out of trouble. Her father Dennis conducted grueling post-practice sessions in their front yard, critiquing every move with an intensity that left little room for fun or failure. The youth soccer fields became her first classroom in overcoming disadvantages. Too small and slight to dominate physically, she was often overpowered by bigger, more privileged opponents whose families could afford better equipment and elite coaching. The political nature of youth sports—where the right neighborhood address or parental connections mattered more than talent—gave her an early taste of systemic unfairness that would define much of her career. When she discovered running at age ten through a local one-mile race, something fundamental shifted. Arriving in cotton sweats while other kids wore technical gear and followed structured warm-up routines, she was visibly out of place. Yet the moment the gun fired, none of that mattered. She won decisively, beating not just the girls but most of the boys. Her father's reaction was telling: he celebrated not just her victory, but specifically how she had "whooped up on" the privileged kids with their fancy equipment. This early experience established a pattern that would shape her entire athletic identity. Running became her escape from external expectations and her path toward independence. Unlike team sports where politics could undermine performance, the clock didn't play favorites. Every mile she logged was a step away from her father's control and toward a future she could create for herself. The chip on her shoulder, inherited from her father's own struggles with class and opportunity, became her greatest asset—a source of relentless motivation that would carry her through decades of being underestimated and overlooked.
Finding Her Distance
The path to marathon greatness rarely begins with love at first sight, and Des Linden's relationship with the 26.2-mile distance was no exception. Initially drawn to the speed and intensity of track events like the 1500 meters, she spent years resisting coaches who suggested her future lay in longer distances. The marathon seemed more like an activity than a sport—something recreational runners did rather than elite competitors. Her resistance began cracking during college at Arizona State University, where coach Walt Drenth's philosophy shaped her understanding of what it meant to compete at the highest level. Walt demanded that athletes witness championship ceremonies even after poor performances, teaching them to observe how winners carried themselves. This lesson in visualization and mental preparation would prove crucial years later when Linden found herself in contention for major titles. The transition to professional running with the Hansons-Brooks team in Michigan marked her first serious encounter with marathon training. Kevin and Keith Hanson's philosophy of "cumulative fatigue"—training while exhausted to simulate the final miles of a marathon—initially seemed torturous. Yet she discovered an unexpected affinity for the mental challenge of running well when everything hurt. The marathon's demand for both physical endurance and tactical intelligence appealed to her analytical nature. Her breakthrough came through witnessing the raw emotion and complete depletion at marathon finish lines. Watching runners cross after giving everything they had, seeing both triumph and devastation play out in real time, she began to understand the event's unique psychological demands. The marathon wasn't just about running fast—it was about problem-solving under extreme duress, managing resources over an impossible distance, and finding ways to keep moving when every instinct screamed to stop. These challenges aligned perfectly with her outsider's mentality and her lifetime of overcoming disadvantages through sheer determination. She finally found her calling in the sport's ultimate test of will.
Breaking Through Barriers
Des Linden's ascent to marathon contention was marked by a series of breakthrough moments that each taught her something crucial about herself and her sport. Her 2011 Boston Marathon performance, where she lost by just two seconds in a thrilling stretch duel, transformed her from ambitious newcomer to legitimate contender. The heartbreak of that finish—so close to ending America's twenty-six-year drought at Boston—could have broken her spirit. Instead, it crystallized her belief that she belonged among the world's best. That race revealed her tactical brilliance and mental fortitude. While other runners went out too aggressively early on, she executed a patient, methodical race plan that put her in perfect position for the final miles. Her ability to stay composed under pressure, to make split-second decisions while running at her physical limit, and to find another gear when it mattered most announced her arrival as a force in women's marathoning. The performance also taught her that winning required more than just fitness—it demanded perfect execution of strategy, nutrition, and mental preparation. Her journey to the 2012 and 2016 Olympic teams demonstrated her resilience in bouncing back from setbacks. The devastating injury that forced her withdrawal after just two miles in London could have ended her career, but she channeled the disappointment into motivation. She learned to navigate the complex world of professional running, separating herself from coaches who saw her as their creation rather than her own agent of success. Perhaps most significantly, she broke through the barrier of others' expectations by staying true to her values. When the sport became clouded by doping scandals and ethical compromises, she chose to speak out rather than remain silent. Her willingness to risk relationships and opportunities by calling out questionable practices showed that some victories matter more than medals. This moral courage, combined with her athletic achievements, established her as more than just a runner—she became a voice for integrity in a sport desperate for authentic leadership.
The Champion's Mindset
The difference between good athletes and champions often lies not in their physical gifts, but in their mental approach to adversity. Des Linden's championship mindset was forged through a series of crushing setbacks that would have ended most careers, yet each one only deepened her resolve and refined her understanding of what it meant to truly compete. Her battle with severe hypothyroidism in 2017 represented the ultimate test of her mental fortitude. When her body began shutting down—hair falling out, unable to climb stairs, sleeping twenty hours a day—she initially refused to accept that she needed medication. The disease had brought her to the brink of death, yet her first concern was how taking thyroid medication might be perceived in a sport plagued by doping scandals. This crisis forced her to confront the difference between surviving and thriving, and to rebuild her relationship with her own body from the ground up. The mental recalibration required was profound. She had to learn to train by effort rather than pace, to accept that some days her best would look very different from her former standards. This humbling experience taught her that true strength wasn't about never showing weakness, but about continuing to show up even when you felt broken. She developed a new mantra: "Keep showing up"—words that would later inspire thousands of runners facing their own struggles. Her approach to the 2018 Boston Marathon embodied this evolved mindset perfectly. Starting the race with such low expectations that she considered dropping out early, she instead found freedom in having nothing to lose. When the weather turned historically brutal, she saw opportunity where others saw obstacles. Her willingness to help competitor Shalane Flanagan during the race, even while considering withdrawal herself, demonstrated how champions think beyond personal gain. The victory that followed wasn't just about crossing the finish line first—it was about the accumulation of every choice to persevere when quitting would have been easier. Her champion's mindset wasn't born from natural talent or favorable circumstances, but from a lifetime of refusing to let circumstances define her limits. She proved that sometimes the greatest victories come not from perfect preparation, but from showing up anyway and seeing what's possible.
Summary
Des Linden's triumph at the 2018 Boston Marathon stands as proof that the most meaningful victories often come disguised as ordinary persistence, fought in conditions where others see only reasons to quit. Her journey from overlooked outsider to champion illuminates a fundamental truth about human potential: that our greatest limitations often exist only in our acceptance of others' expectations, and that authentic success comes to those who refuse to abandon their values regardless of the cost. Her story offers two essential lessons for anyone facing seemingly insurmountable challenges. First, embrace the power of showing up consistently, especially when you don't feel ready or capable—momentum builds through action, not through waiting for perfect conditions. Second, understand that your perceived disadvantages can become your greatest strengths if you're willing to use them as fuel rather than excuses. Linden's outsider status, her health struggles, and her refusal to compromise her integrity weren't obstacles to overcome but the very foundation of her eventual success. Her example speaks to anyone who has ever felt underestimated or overlooked, proving that sometimes the longest path to victory creates the most unshakeable champions.
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By Des Linden
