Not many athletes pick up an entirely different sport in their 40s, but Boston Bruins legend Zdeno Chara is one of the few to do so.
Two years after hanging up his skates, Chara is now an accomplished runner who's completed eight marathons, including two Boston Marathons, a half Ironman and a full Ironman, which he took part in last Saturday. His next stop takes him to Kona, Hawaii, where he'll compete in the Ironman World Championships in October.
“My athletic journey post-hockey naturally gravitated toward endurance sports,” Chara told Runner's World in an email interview. “I’ve always enjoyed cycling and running so the transition to triathlon felt like a natural progression.”
An Ironman consists of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a full marathon run. According to Triathalon magazine, Chara completed his first Ironman with a total time of 10:40:48 - finishing the swim in 1:26:08, the bike in 5:12:03 and the marathon in 3:48:54.
Chara spends 18 to 20 hours a week training, but recovery is just as important to him, if not more so.
“It’s a delicate balance, especially as I’m still adapting to the demands of endurance sports after years of hockey-specific training,” Chara said.
Chara, 47, played 1,680 NHL games across 24 seasons for four teams, but is best known for his 14 seasons in Boston. The towering 6-9 blue-liner was the Bruins' captain for his entire time with the team and helped build one of the best cultures in the league, even winning the Mark Messier Leadership Award in 2011. He also won the Norris Trophy as the league's top defenseman in 2009.
Now, the future Hall of Fame defenseman has found a new passion, and he's excited to see where it will take him.
“Being immersed in the endurance sports community has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my post-hockey athletic journey,” Chara said. “This new chapter has opened up a whole new world for me. The transition from professional hockey to endurance sports has been more rewarding than I could have ever imagined. I’m eagerly looking forward to many more finish lines to come.”
