by Des Linden
First published 2023
Des Linden opens her eyes on April 16, 2018, to find Boston shrouded in rain and battered by gusty winds. The temperature sits at 39 degrees. She feels far from her best, still recovering from illness and doubting her running future. She expects little from herself that day. But as she moves through the familiar course mile by mile, something changes. The brutal weather becomes an ally. At Mile 22, coming off Heartbreak Hill, she seizes the lead and holds it to the finish line. She becomes the first American woman to win Boston in thirty-three years. Linden traces her path from that breakthrough victory back to her first race in San Diego, where she outran better-equipped competitors. She recalls her All-American years at Arizona State and her risky move to Michigan to pursue professional running. She describes her unconventional approach in a sport bound by tradition, her relationships with elite runners, and her deep ties to family and friends. The book reveals her Olympic experiences, her world record at 50 kilometers, and the daily choice that drives her to lace up her shoes and run.
Genres: american, adventure, autobiography, sports, biography-memoir, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: overcoming-adversity, perseverance
Setting: Boston, San Diego, Arizona, Michigan
Period: 2018
272 pages · Hardcover · Dutton