Deal or no deal, Jeremy Swayman isn’t about to sit idle.
Currently a restricted free agent, the Boston Bruins goaltender shifted into another gear entirely.
As both sides hammer out a potential contract, Swayman is providing plenty of pedal power to a new-found passion, triathlons.
The goalie turned cyclist over the weekend, riding in the sprint relay portion of the Columbia Threadneedle Investments Boston Triathlon, Sunday at Carson Beach. The event is part of Boston Triathlon weekend.
Swayman shined representing Team Human Powered Health. They finished a strong second, completing the 17.5K trek in a time of 1:13.02. They were edged by first place finishers Team Talk To Us Nice, by 55 seconds (1:12.06).
“This is my first-ever organized road race,” said Swayman, 25, a native of Anchorage, Alaska. “I’ve been around it my whole life. My mom was a cyclist. I was able to do a lot of mountain biking, but this was my first time in a triathlon organized event.”
Swayman tackled the cycling relay head on. Donning a black bicycle helmet and burgundy-orange top, the 6-foot-3, 193-pound goaltender navigated the winding course at a crisp 21.31 miles-per-hour pace. The goalie proved to be as skilled a cyclist as he is a puck-stopper.
“I just wanted to get first place, that’s all I cared about,” said Swayman, who grew up watching triathlons, marathons and mountain races back in Alaska. “Cycling is great cross-training. I’ve been doing it for years. Being able to do it on a structured stage, with a lot of other competitors was awesome to get the competitive juices flowing again. I felt pretty good on the bike.”
It was the perfect way for the goalie to give back to his adopted home of Boston, while prepping for the upcoming season.
“The biggest thing I wanted to accomplish this summer was to obviously get some really good training in, and just be able to tap into the community as much as possible,” said Swayman. “Being here year-round has been really special doing events like this, to come out and do different running events. That’s my way of paying it forward and showing my love for the community.”
Swayman isn’t the only Bruin to show interest in the triathlon arena. Former Bruins team captain Zdeno Chara made an impressive debut in the Western Mass 70.3 Ironman in Springfield in January. The hulking defenseman ran the gauntlet. He completed a 12-mile swim, 550-mile bike ride and 13.1-mile run. “Big Z” covered the 70.3 mile half ironman distance in a time of 5:01.51.
Chara ran his first of two Boston Marathons in 2023, just seven months after retiring from the NHL finishing in 3:38.23.
“He’s a big-time inspiration,” said Swayman. “I wish he was here today, but he’s obviously set the standard at being an elite athlete. I think it’s so special that he maintains his competitive juices doing marathons and triathlons. That’s something I want to do way down the line. I’ll keep doing these relays, but I’m going to keep focusing on being a hockey player right now.”
