Over the course of a 24-year career that lasted through age 44 and ended with the most games played among NHL defensemen, Zdeno Chara’s workout routine consistently drew plaudits from teammates and coaches.
So, naturally, he has taken to running marathons in retirement.
“No,” Chara told The Post in a phone interview, “I didn’t take any kind of break.”
Of course not. This is how he enjoys himself.
“I kind of sustained the physical training,” Chara said. “I was adding to my running, getting higher mileage, getting higher bike distances. And then at one point, I knew that I would like to talk to somebody who is more experienced and somebody who would be able to put me on maybe more specific programs to reach some of the goals I set for myself.
“And obviously marathons was one of them. Some triathlons, Ironmans would also be in my vision.”
It is on-brand and yet so jaw-dropping as to almost be funny — a 6-foot-9, 46-year-old former Norris Trophy winner deciding, well, why not start running marathons?
And why not throw in some Ironmans, too?
At a stage when many of his peers would sooner be in scouting, on TV or on a beach somewhere, Chara is instead training to run 26.2 miles, bike 112 miles and swim 2.4 miles — all in a day.
In April, Chara completed the Boston Marathon in 3:38.23 and in November, he’ll run the New York City Marathon in partnership with New Balance.
On Friday, he’ll visit PS 92 in Harlem, along with Olympic runners Elle St. Pierre and Emily Mackay, to distribute free shoes to students from pre-K through fifth grade.
He says he wants to complete all the major marathons, which include the two he’s checking off this year as well as Tokyo, London, Berlin and Chicago.
The purpose of this, he says, is “Pushing the limit.”
“Finding the limit,” Chara said. “Sometimes you get into different mindsets and you learn about yourself a lot through these challenges, through these good runs, bad runs. It’s just, I don’t know how to really explain it, but it’s something that it’s teaching you something about yourself. And it’s a very humbling experience.”
This is not a competitive expenditure for Chara.
He does not have any goal for a time other than being better than the day before.
He just likes doing it.
And unlike hockey, where the socioeconomic barrier to entry is high, running just requires some shoes and athletic wear.
“I enjoy running, I enjoy biking, I enjoy swimming. I really enjoy the community,” he said. “They’re very, very nice people. Very supportive. Very, very willing to help with any kinds of questions or anything that I need.
“Being part of racing or being a part of some runs, it’s addictive. It’s something that you start and then it becomes something that you’re looking forward to the next one and then you want to be part of the next one. It’s something that draws me in.”
Chara is used to performing on a 200-by-85-foot stage.
Major marathons happen in front of a crowd, but it is a different sort of situation than an NHL game.
He still finds it satisfying.
“You have spread out crowds throughout the races [that] number thousands of people and it’s electrifying,” he said. “It’s unbelievable energy and it’s exciting. And then once you get to the finish, it’s super, super rewarding.”