Desiree Linden has a reputation as a savvy competitor who sticks to her plan and races the last 10K of every marathon.
In the Olympics, however, there was just one problem: When the last 10K came, she was by herself. There was no one to race.
“I wanted to have another gear over that last 10 or 12K,” she said. “[But] I was completely gapped. I couldn’t make any moves. It’s a marathon; you know what’s going to happen over the last 10K. Someone will come back. Someone will come back. And I had [only] one person [come back].”
Suffering what she described as a “rough patch” just after halfway, Linden fell 30 seconds behind the leaders. She pulled within 13 seconds of the lead pack at 18 miles, but could get no closer as the lead group shrunk to seven, then five, then three.
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Linden finished in seventh place, in 2:26:08. She was one spot behind American Shalane Flanagan and two spots ahead of Amy Cragg in ninth.
No other country had as strong a showing. Were there team medals for the marathon, scored like a cross-country meet, the U.S. would have won gold with a low score of 22 points.
In the final analysis, Linden’s Olympic marathon will look like many of her others—she ran 1:13:02 for the first half and 1:13:06 for the second, another evenly paced effort that has become her hallmark.
“I thought I ran really well, she said, later adding, “I put everything out there. I’m not upset at all. I wish I were a little bit better. I wish I would have been closer. But we went all in. And that’s as good as I am.”
Linden’s cheering section in Rio included her husband, Ryan, her parents, sister, and in-laws, her coaches, Kevin and Keith Hanson, and their families.
She plans to stay in Rio until the closing ceremonies, and “then figure out my life from there.”
She had no complaints about her race. “I’m pleased,” she said. “I felt like I worked every inch of that course. I don’t know what I would have changed. I felt like I gave everything out there. If that’s as good as I am, that’s the point—to find out.”
BYU Sweeps NCAA XC Team Titles 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 Races - Places, Run Your Butt Off! and Walk Your Butt Off!
