M. Kalnietis' Challenge as President of Kaunas Žalgiris: The Kaunas Marathon and A. Robben's Record

2026-03-13 14:03 © S. Čirbos

FK "Kauno Žalgirio" president Mantas Kalnietis is ready for a new and intriguing challenge – the former basketball player is preparing to run just over 42 km on April 26 and thus complete the Kaunas marathon.

"A new challenge awaits, in which I can finally physically participate myself, as it’s been a while since I've lacked the adrenaline of competing. I will try to run the full Kaunas marathon," – stated M. Kalnietis at a special press conference.

Currently leading the Lithuanian football champions club, the Kaunas native aims not only to complete the marathon but also to improve the record of a famous football player in his first marathon.

"I don’t just want to run. As an amateur, I feel that I am preparing in a targeted way. My goal is to run the marathon in 3 hours and 13 minutes. One of my favorite football players, now retired, the legendary Dutch player Arjen Robben, completed his first marathon in 3 hours, 13 minutes with some seconds. I am very impressed by his physical condition after retiring, and when I learned that he completed his first marathon in that time, it felt like something out of this world. I want to beat his record," – the club president set a goal for himself.

Internal motivation for M. Kalnietis also comes from Rimantas Česnulis, the coach responsible for the physical preparation of the champion FK "Kauno Žalgirio" players.

"Another motivator is Rimantas, a physical training coach working in the coaching staff of Eivinas Černiauskas. He has completed a marathon in less than four hours, so that has also lit a red light for me," – joked the long-time member of the Lithuanian basketball team, who also wants to improve the result of another former basketball player, Martynas Pocius.

After retiring from his career, M. Kalnietis is currently wearing running shoes much more often than basketball sneakers, and since September, preparation for the marathon has intensified.

"My amateur running started right after I stopped playing basketball professionally, but neither the distances nor the speeds were what they are now. I started preparing for this marathon in September when I registered. I began training according to the training schedule prepared by my coach, so I have a month and a half left to finish the remaining work and be ready," – said the 39-year-old Kaunas native about his preparations.

During the preparation period, M. Kalnietis also experienced an injury, and part of his training took place during the FK "Kauno Žalgirio" training camp in Turkey.

"While preparing, I had to run in all kinds of conditions – through snow, through puddles, in better conditions in Turkey, and on the treadmill. There were various experiences, but I believe that those difficulties toughen you up and add motivation for a better result," – shared the former basketball player.

A large group of partners agreed to support M. Kalnietis’s marathon running, and the benefits of a successfully completed marathon will be felt by all visitors to Darius and Girėnas Stadium.

"This whole project is definitely not happening because of me. We are very happy to have found so many partners who believe in this idea. The main goal is to promote football through this marathon and to provide benefits and good emotions to the fans of the "Kauno Žalgirio" football team. The focus is on the football club, on people who have not yet attended football matches. We want to engage them, create a community, run together, and attend football matches together. If I can achieve this set goal, thanks to the partners, people in the stadium will feel the benefits – the entire monetary fund will be allocated to improving the fan experience at Darius and Girėnas Stadium," – concluded the president of FK "Kauno Žalgirio".