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The rationale behind banning runners from Russia and Belarus from 126th Boston Marathon

The elite women break from the starting line of the 125th Boston Marathon. (Mary Schwalm/AP)
The elite women break from the starting line of the 125th Boston Marathon. (Mary Schwalm/AP)

Monday’s 126th Boston Marathon will feature 30,000 runners from more than 100 countries. But this year, none will be citizens of Russia or Belarus.

The Boston Athletic Association, which has organized this race since its first run in 1897, is banning those athletes because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Alex Ashlock covers the race for WBUR in Boston and joins host Kelsey Snell with the latest.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

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