You almost wouldn’t believe it if it were a movie plot! Ukrainian runner Valentyna Veretska has won the Jerusalem Marathon. The 31-year-old fled with her daughter via Poland to Israel shortly before the Russian invasion of her country.

Valentyna Veretska. Photo: Arie Leib Abrams / Flash90

The athlete, who completed the 42K race on Friday morning in 2:45:54, held up the flags of Israel and Ukraine after her victory. “I’m running for peace,” she told the press. Her husband is currently still in the war zone.

33-year-old Agadi Guadi won the men’s race with a time of 2:37:17. Photo: Aria Leib Abrams/Flash90

The marathon took place in the early hours of Friday morning, the starting gun was fired at 7 a.m. The temperatures at that time were only 3 degrees Celsius, unusually cold for this time of year, and there were strong winds.

Thousands of marathon runners on Jaffe Street in Jerusalem early this morning. Photo: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90