Desiree Linden, a two-time Olympian and the fourth fastest American marathoner of all time, returns to Boston after finishing seventh at the 2016 Olympic Marathon. A top-five finisher in six Abbott World Marathon Majors, Linden narrowly missed winning Boston in 2011 by two seconds, running 2:22:38, which remains her personal best. She was also runner-up at the 2010 Chicago Marathon. Additional accomplishments include placing tenth at the 2009 IAAF World Marathon Championships, second at the 2012 and 2016 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials and second in the 10,000m at the 2015 Pan American Games. “I walked away from 2016 feeling like I was the fittest I’ve ever been,” says Linden. “I’m excited to build on that fitness and take it to Boston — what now feels like my home course, and continue to challenge for a World Marathon Majors win. With the history, the tradition, and now my experience at the Boston Marathon, I feel like it’s a race where I can make some magic happen.”

Linden grew up in Chula Vista, California, and was an All-American on the track for Arizona State University, where she graduated with a B.A. in religious studies and a B.S. in psychology. Linden is married to professional runner and triathlete Ryan Linden and the couple lives in Michigan. She runs with the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project and her Boston prep included training in Mammoth Lakes, California. Linden enjoys traveling and writing and says she is “an espresso addict, a music junkie and a book nerd.”

“The process of becoming is better than being. Set big goals and learn to love the work that gets you to them, even if you fall short you’ll still be winning. Strength, resilience and toughness are synonymous with Boston. I plan to channel those traits everyday as I prepare for the Boston Marathon and be Boston ready come Patriots’ Day.”