Boston

NHL legend Zdeno Chára just added another accomplishment to his resume ... the former Bruins star completed the famed Boston Marathon in just over 3 1/2 hours!!

Zdeno finished the course -- 26.2 miles long -- on Monday in the 127th installment of the event, with a time of 03:38:23 ... good for an 8:20 min/mile pace.

FYI, the Boston Marathon features 30,000 athletes from more than 100 countries.

Chára -- who spent 24 years in the NHL -- got off to a good start ... running his first 3 miles in under 26 mins (25:32), and seemed to maintain that momentum the whole way through.

Check out the video ... Chára -- a 7x All Star and 2011 Stanley Cup winner with the Bruins -- crossed the finish line with his arms raised in the air and a smile on his face.

The 46-year-old -- who stands 6 feet 9 inches tall and weighs around 250 pounds -- looked relieved after he completed the nearly four-hour journey with his fellow runners.

The Boston Marathon is a huge deal ... and regularly brings out many celebrities and athletes! Doug Flutie, Brock Holt and Ryan Dempster ran this year.

George Clooney stepped into the batter's box in between takes on the set of his new movie, taking hacks while Ben Affleck tried shagging balls in the outfield ... and for one of them, it didn't go so smoothly.

George took a break from directing "The Tender Bar" Wednesday in Boston for a little batting practice on the softball field where they were filming ... and he was swinging for the fences.

The Red Sox probably won't come calling if any of their scouts see this video, but at least George makes contact and looks like he's having a helluva time.

Ben, meanwhile, tried tracking down George's deep fly balls in the outfield ... and well, let's just say the sun didn't play ball. Error, Affleck.

After struggling in the field, Ben took the mound while the cameras were rolling. As you can see, his orange softball uniform reads, "The Dickens," the name of the bar where his character works in the film.

While anti-maskers around the country continue to freak out, here's the Boston University men's basketball team wearing mouth coverings during their game on Monday.

And, get this ... they WON!!

FYI -- Boston U. implemented a new rule during the COVID-19 pandemic ... which requires players to wear masks during their home AND away games this season.

The Terriers debuted their new look in their season debut against Holy Cross ... with the players rocking red masks to match their jerseys.

The masks didn't come between BU's hopes at securing a dub, though ... with the Terriers coming up with an 83-76 win over the Crusaders.

HC didn't mask up in Monday's matchup, but players on both teams will be wearing face coverings when the Crusaders visit BU on Tuesday.

The matchup -- or should we say, "maskup" -- is believed to be the first time both teams will be wearing masks in a college hoops game.

To Infinity ... and BEYOND!!

The biggest stars on the Boston Bruins teamed up for the kids on Monday -- busting out their best costumes from 'Toy Story' to spread some Halloween joy at the Boston Children's Hospital and the pics are awesome!

Superstar David Pastrnak -- who's leading the NHL in scoring -- put on his best Rex costume ... along with Brandon Carlo (Hamm), Charlie McAvoy (Toy Alien), Charlie Coyle (Jessie), Danton Heinen (Woody) and Torey Krug (Mr. Potatohead).

The kids were STOKED to see the hockey stars roaming the halls -- where they gave out high fives, hugs and selfies to kids of all ages!

The families were happy too ... because when your kid is stuck in the hospital, seeing them smile is the best thing ever!

Lee Ann Yanni -- who suffered major injuries in the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing -- is returning to course on Monday to run 26.2 miles ... all to raise money for military families in need.

Yanni was a spectator at the 2013 marathon when shrapnel from one of the bombs hit her leg causing broken bones, severed nerves and other major injuries.

But, Yanni is a beast -- and just 6 months later, she completed the Chicago Marathon in 5 hours, 43 minutes. Amazing!

She's since completed the Boston Marathon TWICE -- once in 2014 and again in 2015.

And, on Monday, she'll lace up her shoes to do it again -- not only to stick it to the scumbags behind the bombing but also to raise money for the Semper Fi Fund.

The Fund provides resources and support for combat-wounded, critically ill and catastrophically injured members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families. It's a great cause.

So, where did Yanni find the physical and emotional strength to get back out there? We spoke with the 37-year-old who told us she couldn't have done it alone.

If you want to help Yanni ... click here to donate.

#BostonStrong

Adrianne Haslet -- who lost her left leg in the '13 Boston Marathon bombing -- is recovering after undergoing an 8-hour surgery to rebuild her left side after being hit by a car on Saturday.

As we previously reported, Haslet -- who's been training for the 2019 Boston Marathon -- was hit while crossing the street around 7:15 PM by a driver making a left turn.

Haslet has undergone multiple procedures -- and says she's still pretty groggy after a major operation on Monday, where doctors "put in a bunch of metal plates and screws trying to rebuild ... because my entire left side was shattered."

She hasn't gone into specifics about her injuries -- but, obviously, it's bad.

Haslet says she's not certain if she'll be able to run again -- and admits she's too afraid to ask the doctors for a prognosis.

That said ... if there's anyone who's tough enough to bounce back from this tragedy -- it's Adrianne.

Remember, back in 2016 ... after she was fitted with a prosthetic leg, Haslet decided she was going to complete the Boston Marathon to prove as a way of turning tragedy into triumph.

Even Tom Brady was impressed at the time ... saying, "Adrianne thank you for being my inspiration!! #BostonStrong"

Running the Boston Marathon is already hard as hell ... and that's without being caught in a TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR like the runners in Beantown are Monday!

The field of about 30,000 competitors are gonna have to be Boston Strong to make it through today's race -- attempting to run 26-plus miles through a damn flood and winds approaching 40 MPH.

Race officials also say it's the coldest marathon in 30 years ... with a starting temp of 38 degrees.

It was a pretty crazy scene at the starting line -- athletes fitted in bandanas, ponchos and trash bags -- and it's only expected to get wetter with the rain picking up in the afternoon.

A former Boston College football player says strippers and underage boozing is nothing new when it comes to recruiting players ... and claims he's got the video to prove it.

We spoke with ex-BC running back Jamall Anderson -- who says he committed credit card fraud to fund illegal recruiting parties to entice top players to join the BC family.

Which brings us to the video ... which Anderson claims was shot on campus in 1995 and shows various football players grinding with strippers, taking shots and one guy even passes out in a bathroom.

"What you see on the video is just us outta control. We just did it all," Anderson says.

We reached out to Boston College and a rep told us, "This 22 year old video, which is alleged to have taken place at Boston College, depicts unauthorized and unacceptable behavior that does not reflect the culture of BC or the standards to which our student-athletes are held."

Anderson says he goes into greater detail about the debauchery on campus in his book, "The Best Bet" -- and says he's coming forward about everything so future athletes can learn from his mistakes.

The founder of the '70s band Boston has more than a feeling that his ex-guitarist is ripping him off ... and that's why he's suing the guy.

Boston founder Tom Scholz says former axe-man Barry Goudreau -- a member from 1976-1979 -- is committing musical blasphemy by using the band's name to promote his solo career.

Let's go way back in time ... when Tom gave Barry a severance package to leave the band ... including 20% of the royalties for the band's first two albums. According to the lawsuit, Barry agreed to leave the Boston name alone for good.

Now Tom says Barry has been trading on the name ... even performing their songs at his shows.