Jun 17

Jun 17 Choosing to Run: A Memoir

Author: Des Linden
Publisher: Dutton
Goodreads | The StoryGraph

Click above to buy this book from my Bookshop.org shop, which supports independent bookstores (not Amazon). You can also find it via your favorite indie bookstore here.

Note: Content and trigger warnings are provided for those who need them at the bottom of this page. If you don’t need them and don’t want to risk spoilers, don’t scroll past the full review.

Cover Description

Featuring both the story of an historic, unforgettable win and insight into the life of an indelible champion, Choosing to Run is a truly inspirational memoir from Boston Marathon winner and Olympian Des Linden, sharing her personal story and what motivates her to keep showing up.

When Des woke up on April 16, 2018, the morning of the Boston Marathon, it was 39 degrees and raining, with high, gusty winds. The weather didn’t bother her. In fact, she thought it might be a blessing. She was far from peak form—recovering from illness and questioning her running future—and didn’t expect much of herself that day.

But as she ticked off mile after mile in the brutal conditions, passing familiar landmarks on the course she knew by heart, something shifted. Opportunity unexpectedly presented itself. Des tapped into her inner strength and remembered all of the reasons she loved to race.

Coming off Heartbreak Hill at Mile 22, Des took the lead and never relinquished it, becoming the 2018 Boston Marathon champion and the first American woman to win the race in thirty-three years.

Her career has always been defined by tenacity and an independent spirit, stretching back to her first competitive race in San Diego, when she beat better-outfitted, more experienced kids. Des was a two-time All-American at Arizona State University, and as her collegiate years wound down, she decided she wasn’t done with the sport. Des gambled on herself and moved to Michigan to give professional running a try. As she rose through the elite ranks, she became increasingly determined to do things her way in an industry often bound by the status quo.

In her first book, readers will learn the story behind that resolve: the way Des trains, the way she thinks, her relationships with other great runners of her generation, and how much she values her family and friends. They’ll read about her deep connection to the most famous marathon in the world, her two very different Olympic experiences, and how she defined new goals and set a world record at the 50-kilometer distance.

Most of all, they’ll learn what makes her get up and run every day.

TL;DR Review

Written by the first American woman to win the Boston Marathon in 33 years, Choosing to Run is exactly what I love in a memoir. It was engaging, taught me something new, and made my world a little bigger.

For you if: You love a good comeback or underdog story, and especially if you enjoy running.

Full Review

Des Linden won the Boston Marathon in 2018, in the worst weather conditions imaginable. She was also the first American woman to win in more than 30 years. Choosing to Run is her memoir, and it’s a damn good one.

In the book, Des gives a linear account of her professional running career’s beginnings, ups, and downs, with progressive snippets of the big race interspersed throughout. I loved this structure; it took a good memoir and gave it the momentum to make it great. We hear about how she fell in love with the sport, her sputtering start as a pro, several injuries and a chronic illness, and finally, how she started that Boston race not even sure she’d finish — and even decided to drop out mid-race before realizing she had it in her to not only finish but actually win.

My favorite kind of memoir is one by someone who feels like a regular person, someone you could get a beer with, who just so happens to have an incredible story (or find meaning in a normal life). Here, Des has done both. Her memoir made my world a little bigger — in fact, reading it inspired me to become a fan of women’s professional running, and I subscribed to the Fast Women newsletter.

I’d recommend this to not just anyone who’s run so much as a 5K, but also anyone who loves a good memoir, who lives a comeback or underdog story!