--- title: Boston Marathon Winner Desiree Linden Nearly Quit the Race description: Boston Marathon winner Desiree Linden thought she was going to quit early on in the race — so she helped her fellow American and competitor. canonical: https://time.com/5242871/boston-marathon-winner-desiree-linden-almost-quit/ author: Jennifer Calfas article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-04-17T12:43:37.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T19:59:30.116Z article:section: Sports og:title: Boston Marathon Winner on Slowing Down for Her Competitor's Bathroom Break og:description: "Helping her helped me" og:url: https://time.com/5242871/boston-marathon-winner-desiree-linden-almost-quit/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2e4078fecac92f27/69892dd5bc6cfc6a2e3e5b0d/desiree-linden.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Runners Compete In The 2018 Boston Marathon og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Boston Marathon Winner on Slowing Down for Her Competitor's Bathroom Break twitter:description: "Helping her helped me" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2e4078fecac92f27/69892dd5bc6cfc6a2e3e5b0d/desiree-linden.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Boston Marathon Winner on How She Nearly Quit — and Why She Slowed Down for Her Competitor's Bathroom Break > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. by [Jennifer Calfas](https://time.com/author/jennifer-calfas/) ## Jennifer Calfas Apr 17, 2018 12:43 PM UTC  Desiree Linden approaches the 24 mile marker of the 2018 Boston Marathon on April 16, 2018 in Brookline, Massachusetts. Linden became the first American winner since 1985 with an unofficial time of 2:39:54. Desiree Linden approaches the 24 mile marker of the 2018 Boston Marathon on April 16, 2018 in Brookline, Massachusetts. Linden became the first American winner since 1985 with an unofficial time of 2:39:54.Scott Eisen—Getty Images by [Jennifer Calfas](https://time.com/author/jennifer-calfas/) ## Jennifer Calfas Apr 17, 2018 12:43 PM UTC The runner who became the first American woman to [win the Boston Marathon](http://time.com/5241721/desiree-linden-boston-marathon-2018/) in 33 years was very close to quitting on Monday. Desiree Linden, who secured her first-ever big marathon win when she crossed the finish line in 2 hours, 39 minutes and 54 seconds, told ABC’s _Good Morning America_ Tuesday that she wasn’t feeling well early on in the race and was getting fed up with the miserable weather. Instead, she said, she planned to do what she could to help the other Americans on the course. So when fellow American Shalane Flanagan, the 2017 New York City Marathon winner and a favorite to win in Boston, had to pull off to use the porta-potty mid-race, Linden slowed her pace to help Flanagan return to the pack when she was finished. “We closed the gap and we were back in it,” Linden told _GMA_, sitting next to Flanagan. “It was a great turning point for me, and kept Shalane in it and gave us a chance.” > [](https://twitter.com/GMA/status/986211450464059392) Earlier on in the race, Linden said she told Flanagan she wasn’t feeling well and could help block the wind for her or pace her. “I grabbed her shoulder and was like, ‘Are you OK?’ ” Flanagan told _GMA_. Analysts applauded Linden for displaying immense sportsmanship — especially in a race that practically every professional distance runner dreams of winning and while running amid unusually [harsh weather conditions](http://time.com/5241504/boston-marathon-2018-wind-rain/). “A ton of American pride on the line,” Linden said. “So it was just keeping our best people in the front.” Linden went on to pull away from the chase pack and take the lead from Ethiopian runner Mamitu Daska. When she crossed the finish line several miles later, there were no other runners in sight. “When you work together, you never know what’s going to happen,” Linden told NBC Sports after the race. “Helping her helped me.” Linden’s hope for American dominance in the women’s field in the marathon went beyond her first-place finish. Seven American woman finished in the top 10, including [Sarah Sellers](http://www.espn.com/sports/endurance/story/%5F/id/23206312/sarah-sellers-surprises-boston-marathon-runner-up), a full-time nurse who shocked the world with a second-place finish. Flanagan went on to secure a seventh-place finish, and [told _Runner’s World_](https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a19833994/shalane-flanagan-last-boston-marathon/) the 2018 Boston Marathon was likely her last. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5242871/boston-marathon-winner-desiree-linden-almost-quit/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5242871/boston-marathon-winner-desiree-linden-almost-quit/"},"headline":"Boston Marathon Winner on How She Nearly Quit — and Why She Slowed Down for Her Competitor's Bathroom Break","datePublished":"2018-04-17T12:43:37.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T19:59:30.116Z","description":"\"Helping her helped me\"","url":"https://time.com/5242871/boston-marathon-winner-desiree-linden-almost-quit/","keywords":["Boston Marathon","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2e4078fecac92f27/69892dd5bc6cfc6a2e3e5b0d/desiree-linden.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jennifer Calfas","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/jennifer-calfas/"}],"articleSection":"Sports","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2e4078fecac92f27/69892dd5bc6cfc6a2e3e5b0d/desiree-linden.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Runners Compete In The 2018 Boston Marathon","caption":"Runners Compete In The 2018 Boston Marathon","creditText":"Scott Eisen—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/sports/","name":"Sports"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/boston-marathon/","name":"Boston Marathon"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5242871/boston-marathon-winner-desiree-linden-almost-quit/","name":"Boston Marathon Winner on How She Nearly Quit — and Why She Slowed Down for Her Competitor's Bathroom Break"}}]}] ```