For most of the Bruins legends who were in town this week for Boston's centennial celebrations, it was a time to relax and have a couple drinks or 10. For Zdeno Chara, it was yet another week of marathon prep.
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Chara ran the Baystate Marathon in Lowell on Sunday and posted afterwards that he finished in a personal record time of three hours, 16 minutes.
That is impressive enough, but what makes it even more impressive is that this was actually the third marathon the former Bruins captain has run in less than a month.
On Sept. 23, Chara ran the Jackson Hole Marathon out in Wyoming, finishing in a time of 3:27. Just eight days later, he ran the Maine Marathon and finished in 3:23.
Chara ran his first marathon in Boston in April, bringing his total to four for the year. He's not done, either, as he's also planning to run the New York City Marathon on Nov. 5.
Chara told the New York Post earlier this year that he wants to complete all the major marathons, eventually adding Tokyo, London, Berlin and Chicago to Boston and New York. He added that triathlons and Ironmans "would also be in my vision."
As for Sunday's marathon, Lowell isn't exactly a random location for Chara. He actually played 23 games there for the AHL Lowell Lock Monsters back in 1998-99 before getting called up to the New York Islanders and the NHL for good.
Always considered a workout warrior during his hockey career, Chara, now 46, continues to show even in "retirement" just how driven he is and just how much he wants to push his body to its limits.