An American woman has not won the Boston Marathon in 33 years, however that changed on April 16. Desiree Linden became the first American woman to win the race since 1985. Linden has been to the Olympics twice and at age 34 is still in prime shape. She crossed the finish line after just two hours, 39 minutes and 54 seconds.
The weather was not favorable; it was wet and rainy. But this did not stop just under 30,000 people from coming out to run in Boston and support the marathon where three people were killed in the bombing just five years ago.
The runner-up may be receiving even more attention than the winner this year. Sarah Sellers finished just behind Linden with a time of two hours, 44 minutes and four seconds. She is a nurse who ran in college, but due to injuries had to stop competing for a while. This year’s Boston Marathon was only the second marathon she has ever run, her first being the one she ran to qualify. Sellers was not even planning on running, but her brother was, so she thought she might as well. The next thing she knew she was going home with a prize of $75,000. “Looking at the field of athletes assembled yesterday,” Sellers told BBC the day after the race, “I would have been ecstatic to finish in the top 15.”
The 122nd Boston Marathon had many shocking results. The weather contributed to some challenges that allowed people to rise up and face the adversity. The men’s race winner, Yuki Kawauchi of Japan, was not favored to win either. Part of his training was running a half marathon in a panda suit.
Many people don’t understand how others have this love for running, and many runners will say if you don’t have it, there’s no way to obtain it. It’s something you either possess or you don’t. “For me running is a stress reliever,” says senior Lexi Neal. “I’m on the rack with my team and I forget about the things I’m worried about and just run!”
