Penniless but with only one goal: to reach Athens and win the marathon of the first modern Olympics. In 1896, Carlo Airoldi is twenty-seven and leaves Milan behind to tackle on foot the two thousand kilometers of unknown roads that separate him from Athens; he is certain that the Olympic medal will earn him glory and his own place in the world.

Carlo is sure to win, he knows what the trick is: to survive. More than a month travelling across foreign lands, following the little information he has, fighting against rabid dogs and the menace of bandits. Once in Greece, Carlo will have to face another battle, this time against the Olympic Committee that wants him out of the Games.

This is the fictionalized story of the events that, in the spring of 1896, marked forever the history of sport and that of Carlo Airoldi, the first ultra-marathon runner

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144 pages – Original language: Italian (Piano B, 2021). Foreign Editions: Spanish/Spain, Colombia, Argentina (Caballito de acero, 2023).