- I want to know where my mental limit goes somewhere, says Benny Halvarsson to SVT Sport, with a hint that physics actually comes in second place.
He is the former wrestler who has landed in the most extreme form of triathlon. In October he will go to Mexico, for a Deca Ironman, which means Ironman distance times 10. Thus 38 kilometers of refreshing swimming, followed by a small tail heater of 180 km cycling, and then eventually run 42 km on supposedly stagnant legs.
- There is no chance of me breaking because I'm tired. A doctor may take me off the track in that case, he says of the approach to the extreme race.
He seems quite ordinary, with wife, villa and children in Norrtälje in Roslagen's arms. He also has jobs as a personal trainer in Stockholm. But Benny Halvarsson has his peculiarities, such as closing windows and fans and standing on the treadmill with lots of clothes on, as the body must be prepared for up to 30 degrees in Mexico this fall.
Or to practice on a training variant that involves one hour of running every three hours for a day, a total of eight hours. This is because he expects to sleep four hours a day during maybe twelve days of Ironman experience in Mexico.
- I have to find it uncomfortable in training. You have to train as you compete to cope with the lack of sleep, says Benny Halvarsson.