When you say Ironman, your thoughts immediately go to Tony Stark and the Marvel saga, but there are truly indestructible men: they don't act in a movie and are not drawn in comics, but they swim, pedal and run.This is the case of Giampaolo Bendinelli from Verona, Ultra Ironman athlete back from his last big challenge: the “Swisseultra”.A super long triathlon race, divided into ten days for 38 kilometers swimming, 1800 cycling and 420 running.For many like climbing Mount Everest, but not for the Lugagnano baker: "From the sixth day I felt like I was going downhill, it seems paradoxical to say, but in terms of chronometry I recorded the best time on the ninth day of competition" .At 56, Giampaolo Bendinelli was one of the 19 athletes out of the 31 starters to reach the finish line, also climbing on the podium in the Masters “Age Group” category.“More than a physical factor, when it comes to Ironman competitions, it is a mental issue.Most of the athletes who retire don't do it because of cramps, but because they are convinced they can't do it ”.The secret?“The curiosity to understand one's body and accept its challenge, the ability to manage motor difficulties and the fun of changing three disciplines with such different movements in a short time”.An alternation that Giampaolo Bendinelli implements every day, between the life of an athlete and his 4 days for 4 hours of training per week, "inevitable in the preparation of my classic Lugagnano - Bressanone by bike", and the private life in his bakery and with his family: “I'm lucky because I have a wife who, let's say, closes both eyes and allows me to do what I do”.A different superhero than the Ironman we all know, a simple man who, like all heroes, does not forget who needs help most: "When we started talking about my results, I thought they couldn't be just for me. , so I decided to make my contribution. "In fact, since 2015 Giampaolo Bendinelli has been testimonial of ABEO ", the association for fundraising for the Pediatric Oncohematology department," a group of children and volunteers that I always carry with me on the shirt and at the finish line.They have become a kind of luck, their desire to fight gives me strength in the most difficult moments of the race.“As in a Marvel saga, the“ Swisseultra ”does not represent the last chapter, on the contrary, it is only a stage of the journey:“ I hold the Italian primacy in the PentaIronman;for me, racing is not about breaking records, but the fun and satisfaction of going over the limit by crossing the finish line ".New challenges await him in 2020: where will they lead him?