Former NY Islanders defenseman Zdeno Chara completes the Czech Republic Half-Ironman with an incredible time

In the NHL, there are athletes and there are specimens. And then there is Zdeno Chara, who falls into a category of his own.

The former NY Islanders defenseman, who retired from the NHL in 2022, isn’t sitting around at home relaxing as many people do in retirement; he’s arguably working harder than he did during his 24 seasons in the NHL. 

Chara completes a half-Ironman

The towering 6’9” blue liner just completed the Czech Republic half-Ironman at 48 years old, and did so with an astonishing time 4:56:57!

For those unaware, a half-Ironman consists of a 1.2 mile swim, a 13.1 mile run, and a 56 mile bike ride.

According to the Marathon Handbook, the average completion time for a male aged 45-49 is 6:25:59, meaning Chara smashed the average time by nearly an hour and a half.

Since hanging up his skates, Chara has stayed incredibly active, running multiple marathons, including last year's Boston Marathon and the London Marathon just six days later, while also completing a full Ironman.

“Being immersed in the endurance sports community has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my post-hockey athletic journey,” Chara said, according to Sportsnet. “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.”

Chara was known as one of the most dominant defensemen in NHL history. Drafted by the Islanders in the third round of the 1996 NHL draft, Big-Z was traded to the Ottawa Senators and spent of his career with the Boston Bruins, where he captained the team to a Stanley Cup. In his final season, he returned to Long Island, scoring his first goal back in blue and orange on his final shift.