814. Des Linden, Western States Endurance Run Pacer

"I'm laser focused. This is serious."

She's the 2018 Boston Marathon champion. She's the co-host of Nobody Asked Us with Des and Kara. She's one of the most admired, most accomplished, and most respected distance runners of our time, and now, Des is taking it to the trails. After running her final professional marathon in Boston in April, Des's next big adventure will be pacing friend Joe McConaughy at the Western States Endurance Run in just a few weeks. In this conversation, Des talks about what her pacing duties will entail, what training camp was like, and what's exciting her right now. 

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In this episode:

• What life has been like since the 2025 Boston Marathon — Des's final professional marathon (2:25)
• Will we see Des at the big fall marathons? (5:30)
• Des's parting thoughts on the 2025 Boston Marathon (7:25)
• Des's introduction to all things Western States (16:25)
• The WSER pacing plan (21:15)
• Which races are on Des's radar now (25:45)
• How Des sees her role in the trail running community (27:00)
• Des's pacing resumé (29:20)
• How much do you know about what that day pacing will look like? (35:35)
• What Des is looking forward to most about Western States (41:15)
• The athletes Des admires in the trail world (43:40)
• The road racing athletes Des thinks we should all be watching (47:25)
• Some of the key takeaways from Des and Kara Goucher's Save the 10,000 event — including 1,800 people participating in the virtual event (51:10)

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