Runner No. 37 leads a 5K run to raise money for Ukraine aid in Long Beach on Sunday, March 27, 2022. Photo by Crystal Niebla.
Runners, walkers and joggers of all ages traveled along a bike path in Long Beach as part of a Run for Ukraine, which raised a few thousand for the country’s humanitarian needs amid the ongoing Russian invasion.
Sara O’Connor, who organized the event, will donate the $5,500 she raised to three organizations that provide food, water, hygiene kits, cash assistance, psychological and social support and first-aid supplies for paramedics and doctors on the front lines.
Runner Snezhana Fedotova moved to Long Beach from Russia a decade ago and said that the ongoing war is close to her family and friends who live in both Russia and Ukraine. Having donated $60 as a registrant for herself and her kids, she said participating in the run Sunday morning was a way to do something to help Ukrainian refugees.
“This war is absolutely unbelievable to me,” she said. “I can’t understand how people who are so close can fight against each other.”
Runner No. 19, left, wears a Ukrainian flag on her back during a 5K run for Ukraine in Long Beach on Sunday, March 27, 2022. Photo by Crystal Niebla.A runner stretches before a 5K run for Ukraine in Long Beach on Sunday, March 27, 2022. Photo by Crystal Niebla.Participants travel along a bike path in Long Beach as part of a 5K run to raise money for Ukraine aid on Sunday, March 27, 2022. Photo by Crystal Niebla.Sara O’Connor, who organized a 5K run for Ukraine, cheers on participants in Long Beach on Sunday, March 27, 2022. Photo by Crystal Niebla.Runners gather and take a moment of silence for those who have died in the Ukraine-Russia war on Sunday morning at in Long Beach before a 5K run for Ukraine on March 27, 2022. Photo by Crystal Niebla.A man put on a sneaker on a girl as joggers pass them by during a 5K run to raise funds for Ukraine aid in Long Beach on Sunday, March 27, 2022. Photo by Crystal Niebla.A runner travels along a bike path during a 5K run to raise funds for Ukraine aid in Long Beach, March 27, 2022. Photo by Crystal Niebla.Runners travel along a bike path during a 5K run for Ukraine in Long Beach on Sunday, March 27, 2022. Photo by Crystal Niebla.Runners gather Sunday morning at 5500 E. Ocean Blvd in Long Beach for a 5K run to raise money to send aid to Ukraine on March 27, 2022. Photo by Crystal Niebla.A girl jumps in excitement during a 5K run to raise funds for Ukraine aid in Long Beach on Sunday, March 27, 2022. Photo by Crystal Niebla.
