We made history! For the first time in the history of the Boston Marathon, eligible athletes will be barred from competition. I'm so proud of all of you for contributing to this. It took a village. Major shout-out to the co-organizers, Ukrainian Running Club-NY as well as Razom for Ukraine for sharing this on your social media pages. We received over 1,600 signatures, 800 shares, over 6,000 views, and over $1,000.00 donated to support this petition in 3 days. The Boston Athletic Association heard our voice! I know this was not an easy decision for the BAA to make, and I'm sure they expected some backlash. I want them to know that we are so grateful, and we applaud them for their support, their courage, and their strength when publicly making this announcement yesterday. One of the founding fathers of the U.S. said, "All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent." We did not stay silent, and the BAA did not either. For all the naysayers scolding the BAA, they should know that the number of people who support them in this decision is ten-fold over. Keep driving the message that the impact of this decision is to support Ukraine and no to punish Russians and Belarusians, many of whom support us. Each day we are seeing the world make bolder decisions. Today, the UN suspended Russia from the Human Rights Council. The impact of BAA's decision is global, the eyes of the world know where we all stand. It's with justice, human dignity, and solidarity with Ukraine. Слава Україні! Much love to you all, Maksim and the Ukrainian Running Club - New York Media coverage of our petition: https://boston.cbslocal.com/2022/04/06/boston-marathon-russia-runners-athletes-excluded-belarus-baa/ https://youtu.be/NIBvStLz2Jk