Roman Kashpur will be the one with the most visible signs of the conflict as the throng of racers congregates at the TCS London Marathon starting line.
The 26-year-old Ukrainian serviceman will represent his country at his first long-distance race next month, despite losing his lower leg as a result of stepping on a landmine.
He sustained the injury while on a reconnaissance trip in the eastern Donetsk region; he now uses a prosthesis, and on the day it was placed, he ran 50 meters on it for the first time.
Roman’s first attempt at the 26.2 mile distance follows a service history that includes several major battles after he first entered active frontline duty six years ago at the age of 19.
The injury came in May 2019 when he was on the mission near the city of Marinka. The father-of-two’s right leg had to be amputated a third of the way up his shin and his left leg received multiple shrapnel injuries.
He underwent rehabilitation in Latvia before determining to ‘run like never before’, becoming a CrossFit champion and even returning to the frontline following Russia’s full-scale invasion last February.
Roman, from the central Vinnytsia region, is raising awareness for wounded Ukrainian personnel by taking on the marathon with support from his wife, Yulia, with whom he has two sons, Ivan, eight, and two-year-old Oleksandr.
He is running as an ambassador for the Citizen Charity Foundation, a Ukrainian organisation supporting injured servicemen with modern prosthetics, physical and psychological rehabilitation and education.
‘I’ve never run a marathon in my life,’ Roman told Metro.co.uk.
‘Since I am an ambassador for the Citizen Foundation, we had the idea to take part in the London Marathon not only to motivate people wounded in the Russia-Ukraine war, but to draw maximum attention to the issues of helping amputees in Ukraine and throughout the world.
‘We want to raise funds for heavily wounded Ukrainian soldiers in order to provide them with wheelchairs and modern prostheses, as well as various accessories to improve the functionality of the prosthetics.
‘Sport is extremely helpful in the psychological and physical rehabilitation of people whose health was affected by the war.
‘I want to show people who, like me, have faced a serious injury in life, that through sport you can recover and continue an active, fulfilling life and achieve your goals.’
At the time of the blast, Roman was serving with the 74th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion, with his specialisms including scout machine gunner and scout sapper. His active service was interrupted when he stepped on the enemy anti-personnel mine and needed to undergo the amputation at a hospital in the north-eastern city of Kharkiv.
The explosion also affected his left knee, which wouldn’t bend and was left with 20% functionality.
Although a physical therapist in Latvia was able to restore the joint, activity is vital in maintaining the tone of the damaged muscle.
‘From the very first day I was injured I promised myself that I would live a more active life than before the injury, and I would run as never before,’ Roman said.
‘When I first stood on the prosthesis and took the first steps, I realised that things were not that bad and I could run and walk on the artificial limb.
‘Nine months later I completed my rehabilitation and I was fitted with a “permanent, everyday” prosthesis.
‘Immediately afterwards, I went outside and ran my first 50 metres.
‘I will always remember that run as the day when I became convinced that amputation is not the end of life, it is only a new challenge that will either break you or make you stronger.’
Roman went on to clinch two consecutive victories in the ‘Games of Heroes’ CrossFit Competition and decided he wanted to motivate other seriously injured fighters.
His mission led him to set a Ukrainian national record for ‘pulling an An-26 aircraft by a person with a disability’ — hauling the 16-tonne cargo plane via a harness on his back.
At the onset of the full-scale invasion, the combat veteran evacuated his family from Kharkiv and returned to the frontline.
He spent the first month and a half on active combat operations before becoming an instructor.
Roman now concentrates on sport as he believes it is the best way to support and motivate his country and military.
His next challenge begins in Greenwich Park on April 23 as he takes on the marathon to raise a target of £100,000 for the British-Ukrainian Aid charity, which has partnered with Citizen to support servicemen with amputations and severe wounds.
‘It will be a great honour for me to represent Ukraine at a world-class sports event,’ Roman said.
‘So I will do my best and train very hard to overcome the marathon distance.
‘My message to the world is that Ukraine needs all possible help against Russian terrorists. Ukraine is now a shield for the entire civilized world, therefore the Russian aggression against Ukraine should be the problem of the whole world, which should help Ukraine win.
‘If Ukraine does not withstand, the Russians will not stop only at Ukraine and the next target can be any state and city in Europe.’
Roman is currently training for the marathon in his home town of Khmilnyk.
His sons are also in his thoughts as he prepares to join around 50,000 runners aiming to make it to the finish line on The Mall.
‘I certainly cannot give my sons an example of a person with a disability who, having lost a limb, has just given up,’ he said.
‘On the contrary, I motivate my children that you should always get up, no matter how painful the fall.
‘No matter how hard it is, you need to get up and fight.’