Manufacturer of wooden packaging since 1995
Chief Human Resources Officer
The fourth conversation of the “I am KRONUS” project was held with Ritvars Kalniņš. He has been with the company for more than 10 years and is a saw operator at our production site in Ulbroka.
You may have heard of Ritvars, as he is an active runner and last year set the Latvian record in the 24-hour race. We discussed how he did it, how he combines running with work and what records he still wants to achieve.
If KRONUS was just a source of money for me in the beginning, now it is a place that replenishes me both physically and mentally. I don’t go to work just to earn money. I see work differently; I have adapted to make the 12 hours feel like one.
As I said, for me, work is not work in the conventional sense. I look at it from a sporting point of view. I run to work in the morning, I turn it into a physical workout when I get to work. Others go to the gym, but I go to work. My job may seem monotonous, but it is not. There are times when thinking and creativity are needed. The material that comes in is different every time, I have to be responsible for my work and the end product. There is also excitement, for example when the day is coming to an end, you see that you are a little short of the target, then you have to catch up. I see it as training and a competition. It depends on one’s perception, because we all have the same job!
I come from Soviet times, when we had to work in a collective farm during school. Nowadays, many people don’t understand that. We had to go and hoe beets. Back then it was more like fun, the whole class would go and you could mess around. It was a voluntary activity yet at the same time attendance was mandatory. If you didn’t go, you had to have some excuse.
It depends on the season, for me personally it depends on the running season. It starts my new year. From the end of March to the beginning of October, I spend time in races. Every other week I go somewhere. On weekends I try to relax by running a little less, but I have to run anyway. I also have several routes to run to work, because I live in the centre and I only get about 10 km straight, but that’s not enough for me – I need about 20–26 km. I plan different routes. On weekends I run to the other side for a change of scenery. At the moment, all my weekends are dedicated to training and races. Last year I found out that I am still capable of something, so this year I have big plans too. This year I have planned a little more brutal races, and I have to thank KRONUS for giving me the opportunity to plan all this.
The other big area where I am active outside of work is charity. A lot of time and personal resources are invested there. My charity work also involves running, it would be strange if it didn’t. I have an association called “Skrienam kopā” (Running Together). My sister is also a member and she helps me a lot. We work with youth, those children who sit at home and spend their time sitting in front of screens. We look for, involve and show them that you can run and do sport with joy. Of course, it is a drop in the ocean, but if we each realised that we could provide that drop, it would be a much better situation. For me, this is an added bonus that gives satisfaction!
I also take part in charity races. Riga–Valmiera is a very popular one, which raises funds for children with physical disabilities. This year will be my eighth year running in this campaign. This year I am going to Austria, and there will also be a charity race to raise funds for a disabled athlete. I enjoy such events!
I think the peak of my success is still to come. One of my plans this year is to compete in the 48 h race in August, which will be an attempt to break the world record. In parallel, I want to take part in the Backyard Ultra, which is a 6.7 km race every hour and the race is over when only one runner remains to complete a lap. This year’s plans were prompted by last year’s achievement of setting the Latvian record in the 24-hour race. My current record is 54 h and the world record is 101 h. I will be the first Baltic athlete to take part, qualification is required. I am determined to go and win! This will be a format where you can test your abilities, test the limits of your body.
Yes, absolutely! For some years this marathon was at the same time as other races. I will run 42 km and then run another five slowly with the others to see what is going on around me. If I’m in a race, I don’t see anything around me. I’m fully committed to the race and I want to improve my best result. In Latvia there is a race almost every week, so it’s possible to run everything here.
There is one colleague who I lured into this event. He started by running shorter distances, but now he’s going to run the Ultra Marathon, which is a distance longer than 42 km. He was unable to commit, so I suggested he run Riga–Valmiera, and he signed up. I won’t be the only crazy runner anymore. The interest in running from the employees varies, some admire it, others don’t understand it.
I haven’t been running all my life, I only started about ten years ago. At first I was running under the radar, I don’t know why, but I was ashamed of running. Then I started running to KRONUS. There was a lot of confusion from my colleagues – why was I running to work? That’s what makes the day interesting, because every run is different. Then, when life got to a low point, only then did I start to change things and I really got into running. It was the easiest way for me to give up alcohol and cigarettes. Now I am completely clean! I had a choice – either to go to church or to run. The first steps were also taken thanks to KRONUS, I wanted to run as a representative of the company. I was given shirts with the company logo. And so I went to the race wearing a KRONUS shirt. The company has definitely contributed to me achieving my records. The support is amazing! Now the third kit has been printed for my association, the KRONUS logo is still on it, it will stay there as long as the organisation exists. It’s gratitude!
Usually everybody is looking for a coach, I go a different way. I try to explore myself, to understand what I can do, what works for me or not. It’s important for me that I do it all with pleasure, then it’s much easier. I prepare all the time, because for me work is training. The whole body has to be trained. Psychological health is also important and it’s necessary to learn to push yourself a little. Often our inability is linked to our psychological state. In long-distance running, the psychological state is important because the body signals difficulties and you have to be able to overcome them. Probably if I didn’t run to work every day and my job wasn’t so physical, I wouldn’t be able to do it.
Every situation will have something different. To live peacefully and to plan life. I live quite ascetically and I see the meaning of my life now in sport. And I don’t judge people by their position or the thickness of their wallet. I like stability, living according to a plan and being comfortable. My formula for happiness is running!
