Sarah Sellers has been a bigger media darling than Desiree Linden

Desi also ran 2:44 in her debut during the Boston monsoon of 2007. Not sure if she was working at the time.

Didn't you quit your job some time ago and now just troll LetsRun full time?.

history repeats. wrote:

Desi also ran 2:44 in her debut during the Boston monsoon of 2007. Not sure if she was working at the time.

Pretty sure she was a full time Hansons athlete at the time. She may have worked part time in the stores, like most did.

I ran the 2007 race and this year was clearly worse.

Desiree has been a Hansons-Brooks member since 2005.

Yes Sarah had more impressive times in College than Desiree. So did nearly every other runner in the John Hancock field. The story should be that Desiree has worked on her craft for 13 years and became a Boston Marathon Champ destroying big names like Shalane Flanagan and Molly Huddle as well as 2 dozen East Africans.

Desiree won by one of the largest margins in recent years. How many runners were within 4 minutes of Yuki? No female runners were within 4 minutes of Desiree.

Desiree was better prepared mentally for the brutal,conditions than anyone else in the field.

2:39!

What number is this to?

2:39, ok don't get excited bro, it's because she's short.

Oh she could hide beneath the wind

Oh Boston as she blows

The fastest runners in the field would never finish

But she finishes and she wins

Wipe the rain out of her Brooks

The awful weather is cold and it stings

Cheer up sleepy Sarah

Oh what can it mean, to be a daydream believer and a

runner up queen

You once thought of me as the best poster on letsrun

Now you know how witty I can be

Oh the fast times and the DNFs

With all you have to spend

But how much darling do you really need

Des was honored at the Celtics playoff game with a standing O, she did over a dozen interviews the day after with different media outlets, including NBC, CBS, and ABC on their morning shows and was all over print media. Sara got a few interviews and was a local Tuscon story. She's probably going on vacation and even if she is home, she probably didn't want to get up at 3:15 am to do a 5 minute interview with her agent and Swangard. How they got Sellers to get up earlier to do the interview, was incredible, but she is a Nurse and works crazy hours. I'm happy for Sara and thrilled for Des. I don't think the Hansons dropped the ball, I think Des made those decisions. And really how many people do you think watched the London marathon anyway? It's not like the American sports fan really cares about London, Eliud, Mary, and Mo.

Sarah Sellers (Sarah Callister) was a good high school runner.

Sarah Callister, Ogden, Utah

High School Graduate in 2009

According to MileSplit, some High School Track Marks:

800m ... 2:18.90 - 3rd - Utah State Meet, Class 3A (May 2009)

800m ... 2:14.14 PR - 1st - City-County Meet (Apr 2009)

1600m ... 5:06.70 - 1st - Utah State Meet, Class 3A (May 2009)

1600m ... 5:06.02 PR - 1st - Hurricane Valley Inv (Mar 2009)

3200m ... 10:46.90 - 1st - Utah State Meet, Class 3A (May 2009)

3200m ... 10:39.27 - 7th - Aradia Invitational (April 2009)

Some Cross Country Results:

--------------------------

1st (2nd fastest overall) - Utah State Champ 3A - 18:06.2 (Oct 2008)(speed rating 142)

2nd (5th fastest overall) - Utah State Champ 3A - 18:47.5 (Oct 2007)

2nd (2nd fastest overall) - Utah State Champ 3A - 18:58.4 (Oct 2006)(speed rating 138)

15th - Utah State Champ 3A - 20:40.7 (Oct 2005)

11th - Foot Locker West - 18:56 (Dec 2008)(2 seconds from 10th)(speed rating 139), winner Jordan Hasay (18:02)

35th - Foot Locker West - 18:26 (Dec 2007)(rain course)

36th - Foot Locker West - 19:35 (Dec 2006)(speed rating 127), winner Jordan Hasay (17:43)

As a senior in high school in the fall of 2008, Sarah Callister could be consider an elite runner an the national level being a State Champion in Utah and missing to qualify for Foot Locker by only 2 seconds. Overall, she was on the order of one minute slower than the top elite national runners at the 5K cross country distance.

Sarah Sellers is a great story.

I was with my 2 aunts and they knew I had in Boston. One of them said, "Wow an American won." I was impressed she knew.

Then the other started raving about the "2nd place girl who just paid to enter and went biking with her husband before the race in Maine."

Eventually we figured out she had read this article.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/17/sports/boston-marathon.html

Sarah is rightfully getting a lot of attention. The day after the race, we thought about taking some of our stuff on her and making it a separate article and then we realized there were already tons of articles about her. No point to reinvent the wheel, her story was out there. WSJ.com did one day after race using our video:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-the-boston-marathons-runner-up-shocked-the-running-world-1523917955

People love the Rocky story and don't know a lot of nuance. I won the Marine Corps Marathon in 2:25 (it was a hot day) in 1998. There was on Redskins game that day. It was my first marathon and that's what all the TV people in DC went with. I think I said I told people at work the Friday before the race I was running it. It got a ton of press in DC. Everyone acted like some guy who had never run before was a world beater. For some reason it got on CNN headline news as well. People at work asked when I was going to win the Boston Marathon.

Sarah Sellers did this at the BOSTON MARATHON. Way more impressive and it's going to get more press.

After I won Marine Corps people asked what was next and I said I wanted to make the Olympics in the marathon. I remember some of the running media being flabbergasted (at the time Americans were thinking a sub 2:14 could make it) at my comment. But it was my dream. I was working full-time when I won Marine Corps. When I quit my job and trained full-time at altitude for 4 months I got a lot better. Definitely didn't make the Olympics but got 4th in the country twice. Sarah Sellers has already accomplished a lot more than me and her college times point to a lot of ability. Getting to world class level will be difficult, but national class for sure, and she seems focused on just getting better and grounded.

rojo wrote:

What you want as a coach is talent..

So much for the genius of JK.

I like you relating this to a personal story. Thanks.

ThisIsWhyWomenDon'tComeToLetsRun wrote:

I don't think you understand how much work goes into being a nurse anesthetist. Or the amount of student loan debt that goes along with it (and her husband's job). Sure, don't always pick the higher salary, but she's not "just a nurse". A lot of hardwork, dedication, time, and money went into that decision and that effort. Not to mention that frankly her potential at the marathon distance after running Boston is no more clear or different than it was before Boston. My point is just that a "five figure endorsement deal" may not be enough to get her to leave a lot of other stuff that she's worked for behind.

A lot of work and time goes into being a nurse anesthetist. You're right, most people have no understanding. It's very hard and takes a lot of dedication. Congrats to Sarah!

Amerikano wrote:

I think it was a combination of her looks and being relatively unknown. And if I'll bet on one trait, it was her looks. Same reason why everyone got so excited with Kara Goucher back in the day, some faces are great for media.

For Sarah, good race for her, hope she can keep improving to low 2:30s.

As for Desi, I am happy to see her get the W. She wasn't a fluke since she's been so close already. Very consistent and down to earth. She may be like the female version of Meb, a very likable underdog who pulls off some of the biggest races when no one expects.

In the long run, this race will give Desi a notch on he belt that will impact her career in a major way moving forward.

Kara had some legit performances, but being attractive is an advantage.

True!

Kara was in the right place at the right time. Many top runners didn't run the 2007 WC 10,000, but ran in the Olympics which is why she got 10th. People argue this point, but it's true and factual.

She's not a goddess, but in the running world, she's cute and that sells. She cashed in on it...end of story.

Desi has accomplished more than Kara, but...

Dur wrote:

Marketting 101 wrote:

Brooks and Hansons have dropped the ball and let their athlete down.

I think posters are skipping over this too quickly. OP is completely correct. The stories of Seller and Chichester are very compelling, but second place is the first loser. Fifth place is the fourth.

Maybe Desi didn't want to get up early? I know Boston isn't New York, but it looks like she is several steps below Flanagan for publicity at this point.

Seller's story is far more interesting.

Media looks for clicks. Her story generates more clicks. You are looking at this from your personal narrow lens. No one is arguing who ran the best. But the best story is Sellers.

Good story about pursuing your Olympic dream. Sarah Sellers has the same dream. It will be interesting to see how well she does.

By the way she could use a little work on her cornering ...

https://www.instagram.com/p/BhpbzVmlL96/

If she's a nurse anethesiologist with no kids (per the video) and a few pets she's loaded to begin with, plus her husband probably makes a bit too.

People forget nurses work hard but they make very good $$$

Thanks wejo.

She got a free meal after placing 2nd at Boston-I'm assuming anyone who medaled (1-2-3 M and F) got free meals as well.

:)

From the NYT:

The rest of the day was a whirlwind of interviews and her phone blowing up with messages from across the country. When the Boston Athletic Association invited her to the awards dinner, it came with the unexpected bonus of a free meal for her and her husband.