After playing 24 seasons in the NHL, Zdeno Chara decided that he doesn't want to give himself a break, as the 47-year-old already now has his eyes set on his new career of being a triathlete, completing the most challenging sporting event of them all, the Ironman.
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"My athletic journey post-hockey naturally gravitated toward endurance sports," Chara said in an interview with Runner's World. "I've always enjoyed cycling and running so the transition to triathlon felt like a natural progression."
Zdeno Chara just completed his 1st full Ironman 💪
Since trading in skates for sneakers two years ago, he's completed:
* 8 total marathons
* 1 half Ironman
* 1 full IronmanThis October, he'll line up for the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii 🏝️
(h/t @runnersworld) pic.twitter.com/1iNtfhpcnf
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) August 23, 2024
Considering he already has completed eight marathons (best time of 3:10:24) before competing in a triathlon, Chara has found it comes easy for him.
Boston Marathon; April 15, 2024
That is to say, just last week he made his Ironman debut, completing a 3.7-kilometer (2.4 mile) swim in 1:26:08, 180-kilometer (112 mile) bike ride in 5:12:03, and marathon run (26 miles) in 3:48:54, with a total time of 10 hours, 40 minutes, and 48 seconds.
After playing in 1,680 career professional hockey games, the 6-foot-9 defenseman, future first-ballot Hall of Famer, now is striving to be one of the best triathletes.
"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."
In view of Chara's storied hockey career, he was drafted by the New York Islanders in the third round of the 1996 Draft, and he went on to also play for the Ottawa Senators (2001-2006), Boston Bruins (2006-2020), and Washington Capitals (2020-2021), before returning for a second tenure with the Islanders during his last season.
Notably, he won a 2011 Stanley Cup championship and was a six-time All-Star (2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012).
Chara will compete at the Ironman World Championships this year, as the event will take place in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, starting September 22, 2024.
