Since we first came across him preparing for his first long-course triathlon in Daytona last December, we’ve been keeping close tabs on hockey legend Zdeno Chara and his triathlon exploits. This weekend the Slovak added another impressive finish to his multisport resume – finishing Ironman Kalmar in Sweden.
During his storied NHL career, Chara played 1,680 games in the NHL, the most for a defenceman. The 6’9″ (2.06 m) star played in the NHL for 24 years, represented Slovakia at five Olympic Games and captained the Boston Bruins for all 14 years he played with the team. He won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenceman in 2009 and led his team to the Stanley Cup finals in 2011, 2013 and 2019, with the team winning the cup in 2011.
Chara retired from professional hockey in 2022, then, in 2023, turned his sights on endurance training and racing. He ran the Boston and New York City Marathons in 2023 (finishing New York in 3:19:19) and did his first triathlon in June. Last December he finished the half-distance race at Clash Daytona.
The race in Sweden was special to Chara because during his career he played for Färjestad Bollklubb, a Swedish professional ice hockey team.
“Chara swam the 2.4-mile (3.8km) Baltic Sea swim course in a time of 1:26:08, biked the 112-mile (180km) bike course in 5:12:03, and ran the 26.2-mile marathon course in 3:48:54, finishing in a total time of 10:40:48,” Ironman reported.
Earlier this summer Chara competed at Challenge Roth, where he finished in 10:20:53.
Ironman has invited both Chara and his long-time friend, Dave McGillivary, to compete at this year’s Ironman World Championship in Kona.
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Canadian Cycling Magazine…