Former NHL star Zdeno Chara crushes Ironman 70.3 in standout time
Legendary defenceman "Big Zee" clocked an impressive sub-five hours in Sunday's 113-km triathlon in the Czech Republic
Lisa Gansky
On Sunday, former NHL defenceman Zdeno Chara joined the Ironman 70.3 sub-five-hour club, racing a 113-km triathlon in Hradec Králové, Czech Republic, in four hours, 56 minutes and 47 seconds–closing in a strong half-marathon split of 1:42:31.
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Chara, 48, expressed his gratitude for the event on Instagram: “SUB FIVE,” he wrote. “To all the volunteers and fans who came to cheer us on and support us–thank you for your hard work and your time to make our goals and dreams come true. Not possible without you all. Congratulations to all the participants and finishers.” He split 40:17 in the 1.9-km swim and 2:21:28 in the 90-km bike, securing him 29th place in the M45-49 category.
The race marked “Big Zee’s” second half-Ironman; he clocked 5:01:51 in his debut in 2024, two months before he completed his first full Ironman (226.3 km) in 10:40:48.
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Leaving a legacy on the ice
Chara holds the all-time NHL record for most games played by a defenceman, with 1,680. Chara played for four teams over his 20+ year career: New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators, Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals. At 6’9″ and the tallest player in league history, the Slovak was known the “Ironman” of the NHL for his unmatched fitness, endurance, and strength on the ice. In May, Chara was inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame, and a month later, he was inducted into the NHL’s Hockey Hall of Fame.
Former NHLer Zdeno Chara runs 3:16 marathon to qualify for Boston
Making the switch to marathons
After retiring in 2022, Chara made a seamless transition to endurance sports, first making his marathon debut at Boston 2023 as a celebrity charity runner. There, he clocked a respectable time of 3:38:23 and raised USD $33,333 for The Hoyt Foundation during his campaign. Chara has since completed nine marathons–five more in 2023 alone–and ran his personal best of 3:10:24 at the 2024 Chevron Houston Marathon. He’s also tested the waters with ultramarathons, triathlons and now Ironmans, showing no signs of slowing down.
