On a day fit for neither man nor beast, Japan's Yuki Kawauchi was able to turn back the challenges of several fellow competitors and to endure the cruelest of Mother Nature's meteorological conditions to win the wind-swept and rain-soaked 2018 Boston Marathon.

Along with the other elite women competitors, two-time United States Olympic marathoner Desiree Linden stood shivering at the Hopkinton start line this morning for what seemed like an eternity. But after the starting pistol was fired, she took her time, kept her cool, and ultimately showed - to herself, her competitors, and others - she had the winning race plan which she executed with perfection.

Yuki Kawauchi and Desiree Linden were the winners of a Boston Marathon which overturned every possible form book of the IAAF Gold Label road race on Monday (16).

BOSTON — Boston Marathon week is upon us (okay, technically the race isn’t until next week) and in town, excitement is in the air even if spring is not — as I type this, it’s 35 degrees outside, with a windchill of 26. This year’s race is one of the most anticipated in the event’s 122-year history, and for good reason. For the first time in the Abbott World Marathon Majors era, Boston will feature two Americans who are defending AWMM champions in Shalane Flanagan (New York) and Galen Rupp (Chicago). Add in a strong men’s field with former Boston champs Lelisa Desisa (2013, 2015), Lemi Berhanu Hayle (2016), and Geoffrey Kirui (2017) and one of the strongest American women’s fields ever assembled (Flanagan, Molly Huddle, Jordan Hasay, and Desi Linden) and there should be two incredible races a week from today.