The No. 1 Swede, Richard Lovik

June 12, 2009

During the 2008 season Richard Lovik (SWE) obtained his second, third, fourth and fifth Worldloppet Masters and became the foremost Swede. Richard was born in Stockholm in 1969, made his studies in this city and still lives there. We interviewed him.

Q. Usually we don’t see much snow in the Stockholm area. Has this handicapped you?
A. When I was a kid, we had cold and long winters with lots of snow. Although my parents took me and my sister skiing during our childhood, I had to learn all about skiing and waxing by myself. Nowadays, due to lack of snow in Stockholm, I don’t practice skiing in my homeland. Skiing the WL races is my way to get in shape, which is also the major reason to participate.

Q. We have seen you together with your sister Marie in some WL places. Is she also a WL enthusiast?
A. Yes, she is WL Master No. 2322.

Q. How did you get involved in WL races?
A. It was not until after my military service that I skied my first Vasaloppet. Starting amongst the very last, and with warm temperatures during the race, made for a very tough initiation. A few years later I returned to Vasaloppet. Meanwhile I had read, and heard stories about Marcialonga, Dolomitenlauf and the WL Master title. Gradually I became determined to one day become Master myself. I obtained my first Master in 1999. It took me ten years between No. 1 and No. 5, so that means an average of 4 races per year.

Q. What is your job?
A. I have been working with finance and as a scuba instructor. Being based in Sweden made it possible to fly to the races in Continental Europe just over the weekend.

Q. What motivates you travelling to these races?
A. Of course I could practice skiing in snow-rich areas of Sweden. But I like travelling and each WL race has its own charm, it’s nice to return to a race after a year or more.

Q. You are a Global Worldloppet Skier. What do you think about this new recognition?
A. I think that the GWLS helps motivate skiers to complete also the more remote, but rewarding races in Australia, Japan and North America. I have made the tour of the 14 races twice. Although WL issues only one GWLS diploma per skier, I plan to complete my third tour in the coming years.

Q. Can you tell us something about other interesting races that you have made?
A. I have skied the Arctic Circle race in Greenland on their second year. A race I cannot recommend. That year many skiers were taken off the track, although they were well within the beforehand announced cut-off times. Five skiers were caught in an avalanche on the course, and only by pure luck, just one perished.
A race I can recommend is the Svalbard Skimarathon, Spitsbergen, Norway. It is a one day event, also set in an arctic scenery. And yes, there is a chance/risk to encounter polarbear in town!
I have also skied the Polish race Bieg Piastow. My participation in the Murmansk Skimarathon was rather adventurous. It was not a wonder of organization but I have never met more friendly people than in Murmansk. When my skis were missing, I was given top-of-the-line race-waxed ski-gear by a guy from the organization, without charging me a single ruble! But the return flight was cancelled without prior notice and I was obliged to buy a new and expensive one-way flight back home via St Petersburg. That is a race suitable for adventure-minded people but not as a WL race.

Q. You must have a lot of memories from the WL circuit?
A. Yes, from almost every race. One of the funniest lines I remember was when I was skiing side by side with an American at Kangaroohoppet. That year it was really hot and the snow was just melting away. We were passing an area with almost no snow, ruining the bases of our skis, and his only comment was: “What the heck, they were due for stone grinding anyway!”

Q. Last winter you were desperately trying to find somebody to transport your skis from Gatineau Loppet to American Birkebeiner; what was the problem?
A. Oh, yes, skiing the races can be hard work, but getting there can be even harder. One episode that really put my nerves to a test was when I had planned to visit my girlfriend in Columbia (South America) between the two races you mentioned. The very morning of the flight I found out that I was not going to be allowed to check in my skis from Canada to Columbia. I was told that I could take my skis to any destination worldwide, except to Columbia (due to some kind of embargo). Travelling on an extremely tight schedule, meant that I would have to find someone who could transport my skis to the race in Wisconsin. This turned out to be a big challenge. Most people did not believe that the airline would not accept skis. Some people who were just about to offer me help, turned me down when they heard what country I would visit in between the races. Obviously they thought that it wasn’t really skis that I needed help to transport to the USA. Just when I was thinking that I would have to abandon my two sets of skis and poles in Canada, and not having any skis for the Birkie, two Swedish sisters reached out their hand. I was so grateful for their trust in me! What happened with my Columbian girlfriend? We broke up!

Q. What about your future plans?
A. To participate in more WL races but also all the Euroloppet races, Marxa Beret (SPA) and the Vasaloppet races in Japan, China and Minnesota.

This page was last revised on December 18, 2009