First American woman wins the Boston Marathon since 1985

She is the first American woman to win in 33 years, and her win follows five years after the fatal bombing in the city

Ms Linden as she crossed the finish line in Boston Monday (AP)

Desiree Linden has become the first American woman to win the Boston Marathon in over 30 years.

Ms Linden, a 35-year-old from Michigan, finished the race during a dreary, rainy day with a time of 2:39:54. The last American woman to win the race — one of the most prestigious events in road racing — did so in 1985.

The champion was unchallenged during the last leg of the race Monday, and burst with joy and emotion after completing the 26.2 mile race through gruelling and dreary conditions.

The last American woman to win the race was Lisa Larson Weidenbach, who finished first 33 years ago.

During the marathon, Ms Linden was noticed helping out a fellow American runner, Shalene Flanagen, when she stopped by a "portable facility" for a pit stop in the middle of the race. Instead of running ahead with the group, Ms Linden stopped to wait on Ms Flanagen and helped her catch up with the group. She later told NBC that she had stopped because she thought she was going to drop out of the race, so thought she may as well help the fellow runner.

Ms Lindon had pinned an inspirational tweet to her Twitter account little over a month ago in anticipation of the race in what can now be seen as prudent foreshadowing.

"Some days it just flows and I feel like I'm born to do this, other days it feels like I'm trudging through hell," she wrote March 5. "Every day I make the choice to show up and see what I've got, and try and be better. My advice: keep showing up."

Japan's Yuki Kawauchi won the men's event, while Tatyana McFadden won the women's wheelchair racing event.

Ms Lindon's exuberant finish to the Boston Marathon comes five years after bombs were detonated at the end of the same event, killing three and miring and injuring around 264 more.

In the immediate aftermath of those bombings, the city was thrust into a fearful nightmare as authorities searched for the two suspects in the case — a situation that captured national media attention as police and investigators honed in on the two men.

But, the city has since come together to heal, with the survivors of the attacks being celebrated as heroes and promises of "Boston Strong" abounding.

The yearly event draws tens of thousands of runners to compete, drawing some of the world's best athletes to downtown Boston alongside the approximately half a million people who show up to watch the event.

This year's race marks the 122nd time the event has been held in the city.