BOSTON (WHDH) - The 2018 Boston Marathon champion Des Linden surprised a handful of frontline workers at the Boylston Street finish line on Patriots Day, inviting them to take part in the 125th edition of the 26.2-mile race in October.
“We would like to invite you to run the 125th Boston Marathon this October,” Linden told the workers after she joined them to run the inaugural Patriots’ Day Mile.
Linden also announced that she will be returning to take part in the Oct. 11 race.
“I fell in love with this race and I’m always excited to be here,” Linden said.
In 2018, Linden overcame icy rain and wind to become the first American woman to win the race since 1985.
Lindsay Devers, a nurse anesthetist at Massachusetts General Hospital, mapped out the marathon course through the Back Bay and South End with the idea of spelling on BOSTON STRONG on her GPS last April but she came up one letter short.
“Somebody was asking what I ran and I went to show them the GPS and I was like, ‘Oh my God, I missed a letter,’” Devers said a the time. “I’m like ‘I’m an idiot and do I have to run this again?’”
There in the GPS was the course Devers had actually run: BOSTON STROG.
Devers said on Monday that she will also be taking on the racecourse this fall.
“It feels really great to be given this opportunity by the B.A.A to be able to run in the fall and kind of represent the city of Boston and health care workers,” Devers said.
The October edition of the race will have limited crowds and racers, with many running virtually.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)