Former NHLer Zdeno Chara runs 3:16 marathon to qualify for Boston
In six months, the former NHL defenceman has lowered his marathon personal best by 22 minutes
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OLYMPUS DIGITAL
Since Zdeno Chara retired from the NHL in 2022, he has fully jumped into distance running. Now, Chara, 46, has earned himself a Boston qualifying time (BQ) by running a three-hour and 16-minute marathon at Baystate Marathon in Lowell, Mass.
In only his third marathon, Chara ran an eight-minute personal best of 3:16:36, which is three and a half minutes under the Boston Marathon qualifying time for his 45-49 age group.
Chara made his marathon debut in Boston last April as a celebrity charity runner, where he completed the race in a very respectable time of 3:38:23; he also raised USD $33,333 for The Hoyt Foundation during his campaign.
He followed up his marathon debut with a 50K ultra, where he placed eighth overall. And just two weeks before his Baystate Marathon, Chara ran a 3:24 at the 2023 Maine Marathon.
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, starting with the New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators, Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals.
At this rate, it’s only a matter of time until the six-foot-nine future Hall of Fame defencemen goes sub-three. However, despite hitting the qualification mark, he will have to wait to apply for Boston until next year since the 2024 marathon window is closed.
The cut-off time for the 2024 Boston Marathon was the highest for a non-pandemic year. Each athlete accepted into the 2024 race had to be five minutes and 29 seconds faster than the BQ time for their age bracket.
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