For Des Linden, Boston Marathon champion, running her final professional 26.2-mile race where it began "is indeed going out on top."

Linden, who in 2018 became the first U.S. women's runner to win at Boston in 33 years, announced she is stepping away before Monday's race.

When Des Linden crossed the finish line of the 2025 Boston Marathon, she fell into the arms of her husband, Ryan. The ending of every marathon is emotional from the adrenaline and endorphins that flood a runner’s head, but this one meant a little more.