Two-Time Olympian Des Linden Chases Magic to Victory at Disney Princess Half Marathon
Two-time Olympian and 2018 Boston Marathon winner Des Linden traded the Michigan winter for a royal training session this weekend, ultimately securing a dominant win in the women’s division of the 2026 Disney Princess Half Marathon.
While Linden—a five-time U.S. Olympic Trials competitor and the 50K world record holder (2:59:54)—initially traveled from her home in suburban Detroit to Florida to prepare for an upcoming ultra marathon in the Saharan Desert, the competitive spirit of Walt Disney World Resort proved too infectious to ignore.
Linden appeared to glide through the 13.1-mile course, which wound through Magic Kingdom and EPCOT. She crossed the finish line with a commanding time of 1:16:27, finishing nearly seven minutes ahead of her nearest female competitor, Brittany Truitt of Austin, Texas (1:23:14). Stephanie Muscat of Grand Rapids, Michigan (1:24:40) was third.
Despite her elite status, Linden admitted that her original plan for a relaxed training run fell by the wayside once the starting gun fired.
“The initial plan was to do a training workout with my husband, but that never works,” Linden joked after the race. “You know, you get in here, you start getting competitive, and then you try to beat people. And so, I ran with him for about two miles and then I was like, ‘I’ll see you later!'”
Running the half-marathon was such “a cool experience—fun, no pressure, just enjoying the scenery out there, and then some good racing too. So, I really enjoyed it,” she said.
While Linden led the women’s field, the overall race title went to Caleb Belmont of Tampa, Florida, who posted a blistering time of 1:15:27. He was followed by Jorge Cruz of Austin, Texas (1:16:12) and Christopher Leonard of suburban Philadelphia.
Other winners in various divisions include, (for the full list of results, go here)
Wheelchair Men Push Rim: Jeffrey Guerin, Marcellus, New York (1:57:46), and Jesse Graham, Bristow, Virginia (3:35:42)
Wheelchair Women Push Rim: Heather Sealover, Bossier City, Louisiana (1:07:40), Ashley Carrol, Windermere, Florida (1:33:33), Heather Cohen, Saint Cloud, Florida (2:23:05).
Wheelchair Men Hand Cycle: David Thompson, Melbourne, Florida (57:12), Dan Broniewski, Winter Garden, Florida (1:40:40), Roger Clemmons, Gainesville, Florida (4:04:29)
Wheelchair Women Hand Cycle: Lee Kuxhaus, Schertz, Texas (1:11:04), Melanie Mel, Clearwater, Florida (1:51:20) and Molly Greene, Sacramento, California (1:56:29)
Duo Division: Adrianna Luetmer, Glenwood, Minnesota (3:19:10), Kevin Boyle, Broadview Heights, Ohio (3:51:07) and Patricia Dasilva, Raleigh, North Carolina (4:04:53)
