The Boston Marathon is back, but runners from Russia and Belarus won't be there

Athletes from Russia and Belarus have a growing list of international competitions where they're not welcome at the moment.

There have been bans and suspensions issued in tennis, judo, badminton, canoeing, chess, gymnastics, and ice hockey, and the list goes on and on.

And now, the Boston Marathon has joined that lockout.

The Boston Athletic Association announced on Wednesday that athletes running for Russia or Belarus would not be allowed to compete this year.

Alex Ashlock, WBUR's Marathon reporter and former Here & Now producer, joins us to share what this means for this year's race.