Desiree Linden wins Boston Marathon after waiting for friend

Desiree Linden has made history at a wet and windy Boston Marathon, becoming the first American to claim the women’s event in over 30 years – and having done so after waiting for a friend who stopped to answer a call of nature.

Linden was running alongside 2017 New York City Marathon winner Shalane Flanagan, the pair helping pace one another.

So, when Flanagan made an unexpected pit stop – heading into a roadside portable toilet – after around an hour of racing, Linden slowed down to wait for her friend.

While slowing down cost the pair around 15 seconds, it proved inconsequential for Linden, who pulled away from the pack in the closing miles to finish in a time of 2 hours, 39 minutes and 54 seconds – more than four minutes ahead of second-place getter Sarah Sellers.

 “Honestly, at mile two, three, four, I didn’t feel like I was even gonna make it to the finish line,” Linden told NBC Sports after the race.

“I told [Flanagan] during the race, ‘If there’s anything I can do to help you out, let me know, because I might just drop out.’ When you work together, you never know what’s going to happen.

“Helping her helped me, and I kinda got my legs back from there.”

Depsite being the first American woman to take out the historic marathon since Lisa Larsen-Weidenbach in 1985, Linden’s winning time was the slowest in 40 years.

The lack of pace was a reflection of the conditions – just over 3 degrees Celsius when the race began and pouring rain throughout the morning – which Linden described as “brutal”.

For her part, Flanagan finished in seventh, 6:37 down on her pacesetting pal.

“I’m really happy for Des,” Flanagan said.

“She just seemed like she was going to be the sacrificial lamb, doing whatever she could to help … then I just saw her keep going.

“I think that momentum of just helping someone else, not investing so much in how she’s feeling maybe gave her that little lift she needed.”