That Boston Marathon Winner Linden Crossword Clue: Why Des Linden is a Trivia Icon

You're staring at your phone or a piece of newsprint, the black-and-white grid mocking you. You know the name. You can almost see the rain-soaked windbreaker and the grit on her face. It’s a six-letter name. Or maybe it's four. If you're looking for the Boston Marathon winner Linden crossword answer, you’re almost certainly thinking of DES or LINDEN.

Crossword puzzles, especially the New York Times or the LA Times, love Des Linden. Why? Because she’s a legend, but also because her name is a vowel-heavy dream for puzzle constructors. But there is a lot more to the story than just filling in boxes. Des Linden didn't just win a race; she broke a thirty-three-year drought for American women in the most brutal conditions the Boylston Street finish line has ever seen.

The 2018 Storm and Why It Became Crossword Lore

If you were in Boston in April 2018, you remember. It wasn't just "running weather." It was a biblical deluge. The temperature hovered just above freezing. Winds gusted at 45 miles per hour. This is the specific event that cemented the Boston Marathon winner Linden crossword clue in the annals of trivia history.

Des Linden didn't even think she’d finish. Honestly. She spent the first half of the race helping other runners. She famously slowed down to wait for Shalane Flanagan, who had to take a bathroom break. "I'll wait for you," she basically told her. That’s not what people do when they’re trying to win the world’s most prestigious marathon. But Des is different. She was prepared to drop out. She felt "garbage," as she later described it.

Then, the pack thinned. The favorites from Kenya and Ethiopia began to succumb to hypothermia. Des kept grinding. By the time she hit the final stretch, she was alone in the lead. When she crossed that line in 2:39:54, she became the first American woman to win since Lisa Larsen Weidenbach in 1985.

That 2018 victory is usually what a crossword clue is referencing when it asks for "2018 Boston winner" or "Marathoner Des."

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Decoding the Crossword Clues: Des, Linden, or Both?

Constructors have a few ways of framing this. You've gotta be careful with the letter count.

• Three Letters: The answer is almost always DES. It’s short for Desiree, but she almost exclusively goes by the nickname.
• Six Letters: You’re looking for LINDEN.
• The "Tree" Connection: Sometimes they get cheeky. A linden is also a type of tree (the basswood). If the clue mentions a "Marathon winner who sounds like a tree," they’re being clever. They think they're funny.

Actually, the frequency of her appearance in puzzles has skyrocketed because of her longevity. Most pro runners have a window of about five years. Des has been at the top of the sport for over a decade. She’s a two-time Olympian (London 2012 and Rio 2016). She holds the world record for the 50K distance. She is a constant in the running world, which makes her a constant in your Sunday puzzle.

Why Des Linden Still Matters in 2026

It's easy to dismiss sports trivia as just "numbers and names." But Des represents a specific kind of blue-collar athletics. She isn't the runner with the most natural talent or the longest legs. She’s the "keep showing up" person.

"Keep showing up." That's her mantra. It's actually a great philosophy for crosswords, too.

In the years since her 2018 win, she has written a book, Choosing to Run, which details that day in the rain. If you’re stuck on a clue about her, it might mention her book or her penchant for high-quality whiskey. She’s famously a connoisseur. She even has her own coffee line. These are the "niche" facts that show up in harder, late-week puzzles.

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Common Variations You’ll See:

1. "American marathoner Desiree ____"
2. "2018 Boston Marathon victor"
3. "Runner who wrote 'Choosing to Run'"
4. "Olympic marathoner with a tree name"

The Technical Side of the 2018 Win

Let's look at the stats because Google loves them and so do sports nerds. Her winning time of 2:39:54 was the slowest winning time for the women's field since 1978. That sounds like an insult. It’s actually a testament to how horrific the weather was.

The "Real Feel" temperature was somewhere around 14 degrees Fahrenheit. More than 2,500 runners were treated for hypothermia-related issues. Elite runners were dropping like flies. Linden’s win wasn't about speed; it was about the refusal to stop moving.

She beat Sarah Sellers, a nurse who was a complete underdog, by more than four minutes. It was a weird, wild, wonderful day for American distance running.

Beyond the Grid: Tips for Solving Sports Clues

If you’re not a "sports person," the Boston Marathon winner Linden crossword clues can feel like a brick wall. Here is a little secret for the non-athletes: Crossword creators have favorites.

Just like they love the word "ETUI" (a needle case) or "OREO," they love certain athletes.

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• Arthur ASHE: Always in there.
• Bobby ORR: The hockey legend.
• DES LINDEN: The marathon queen.

If you see a clue about a runner and it’s three or six letters, Linden is your best bet 90% of the time. If it’s four letters? Try JOAN (as in Joan Benoit Samuelson, another Boston legend) or MEB (as in Meb Keflezighi).

How to use this info effectively

When you see "Linden" in a clue, don't immediately assume it's the runner. Check the crosses. If the clue is "Linden or Birch," it’s the tree. If the clue mentions "Boston," "Running," "2018," or "Olympics," it’s Des.

Also, keep an eye out for her whiskey hobby. "Marathoner who loves bourbon" is a classic Friday or Saturday NYT clue. It’s just specific enough to trip people up.

Actionable Takeaways for Crossword Fans

• Memorize the Vowels: D-E-S and L-I-N-D-E-N. They fit perfectly into tight corners of a puzzle.
• Context Clues: Look for "2018" or "American woman." Those are the dead giveaways for the 2018 Boston win.
• Check the Year: If the puzzle is older (pre-2011), the answer might be different. But for anything modern, Linden is the reigning queen of marathon trivia.
• Follow the Sport: Honestly, just following Des on social media is a treat. She’s funny, cynical in a charming way, and provides great context for why she’s such a beloved figure in the US.

Understanding the Boston Marathon winner Linden crossword answer isn't just about finishing your puzzle. It’s about recognizing one of the grittiest performances in modern sports. Next time you write those letters in, remember the rain, the wind, and the woman who decided to "keep showing up" until she reached the finish line.

Next Steps for Your Trivia Game:

1. Verify the letter count: Is it three (DES) or six (LINDEN)?
2. Look for "Tree" puns: Constructors love to play on the name.
3. Remember 2018: That is the definitive year for her Boston legacy.
4. Note her world record: She is also the 50K record holder, which may appear in more difficult puzzles.