Ukrainian runners and support groups display national pride at Chicago Marathon

CHICAGO – Nearly 200 runners of Ukrainian extraction took part in the 26-mile Chicago Marathon, one of the world’s six major long-distance races.

Among them was Russo-Ukrainian war veteran Roman Kashpur, who ran with a runner’s prosthetic limb. He finished just under the six-hour time limit, clocking in at 5.7 hours.

Actively serving, Jr. Lt. Kashpur of the 808 Separate Engineering Brigade, whose base is in Odesa, completed his fifth of six major world marathons on Oct. 13.

After completing a rase, he has a tradition of feasting at McDonald’s, but since streets were still closed off after the marathon, the Ukrainian cohort settled for Chinese-inspired food at Panda Express.

The husband of two sons said he is running in all six major marathons – the last remaining being the Boston Marathon that is the oldest in the U.S. – “is to motivate myself, support those Ukrainians who are serving in the military and for everyone to live a full life.”

About 50,000 runners had registered for the Chicago race, including 141 Ukrainians, according to Iryna Antokhiv, co-chair of the Ukrainian Running Club Chicago.

Approximately 60 runners came in from Ukraine, whereas the remainder came from other countries or live in the U.S., she said.

“Many didn’t come because they are serving in the military, some are wounded, others couldn’t get a travel permit to leave,” Ms. Antokhiv said at the Ukrainian cheering zone located at the half-mile marker of the marathon. “We are running for the memory of those who couldn’t come here to participate.”

She told the UWC that the main goal of the runners club is to “draw attention to what is happening in Ukraine,” regarding Russia’s ongoing war.

While this UWC correspondent stood in the Ukrainian fan zone, supporters witnessed how joggers from different countries would run by and slap their hands or give thumbs up. Others would yell, “Slava Ukraine [Glory to Ukraine] and even “Slava Ukraini,” to the cheerers.

Kashpur has already completed the London, Berlin, New York, Tokyo and Washington, D.C. marathons. He wears a participatory bracelet on his wrist from the one where he had the fastest time – just under four hours in Berlin two weeks ago.

“That’s why I’m not going to gun it at Chicago, otherwise it will take me three hours afterward just to get out of bed,” he said, while explaining why he wants to be the first Ukrainian marathon runner with a prosthetic to complete all six majors.

He lost power to his leg in 2019 while stepping on a mine near Olenivka in the Donetsk region while serving in the capacity of anti-mine reconnaissance. He initially served in the Right Sector and after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, he served in the Defense Intelligence’s elite Kraken unit before moving on to the 808 engineering brigade.

“I love Chicago, especially the Ukrainian diaspora,” Kashpur said. “It’s one of the world’s oldest and authoritative [Ukrainian] diasporas.”