Among the thousands participating in the Flying Pig Marathon this week are two men from Ukraine. Vadym Kovalenko and Taras Panasyuk are guests of the Cincinnati Kharkiv Sister City Partnership. It's the second year in a row Ukraine has been represented in the race.
At a media availability Wednesday, Kovalenko said through a translator that training during wartime hasn't been easy. “Taras and I prepared just for two months but we believe on Sunday we will do fine and we will have just one small victory,” he said.
Both Kovalenko and Panasyuk are experienced marathoners.
Kovalenko has run 10 marathons, including the 2023 Flying Pig, and five Ironman competitions. Panasyuk has completed four marathons and two Ironmans.
RELATED: Ukrainians visit Cincinnati to run in 2023 Flying Pig Marathon.
They plan to wear jerseys of blue and yellow, the colors of the Ukrainian flag.
In addition to training, they have been touring the city and talking about what Kharkiv is experiencing, and promoting a rehabilitation hospital in Kharkiv.
“For more than a year, we’ve been rehabilitating veterans and for this time we’ve helped more than 300 veterans,” Kovalenko said. “I would like to thank the Cincinnati Kharkiv Sister City Partnership, Ukrainian diaspora, and the American people who really care and who help Ukraine.”
Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Taras Panasyuk is a Lieutenant Colonel in the National Police. He met with members of the Cincinnati SWAT team earlier this week.
“It was very nice to see my brothers there. And we were saying goodbye, shaking hands like brothers,” he said. “I hope very much when the war is over we will be able to meet with our brothers very often and exchange experiences.”
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Bob Herring with the Sister City Partnership says getting to Cincinnati took three days.
“For them to go to the expense and the trouble to come to Cincinnati to participate in the Pig really speaks to the strength and the bonds of the people of Cincinnati and the people of Kharkiv.”
Both Panasyuk and Kovalenko will be at Streetside Brewery Friday night from 5-8 p.m., talking about their experiences in Kharkiv.
They'll start the journey back to Kharkiv on Monday.
