Dick and Rick Hoyt: The legends and the silent beginning
In 1962, Rick Hoyt was born in Massachusetts. During childbirth, his umbilical cord became tangled around his neck, cutting off oxygen to his brain. He was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and quadriplegia.
Doctors told his parents, Dick and Judy, that Rick would be a “vegetable” for the rest of his life and suggested they institutionalise him.
They refused. They noticed Rick’s eyes following them around the room, proving his mind was wide awake even if his body wasn’t.
By age 12, using a specialised computer that allowed him to select letters by tapping his head against a switch, Rick typed his first words. His parents expected “Hi, Mom” or “I love you.”
Instead, Rick typed: “Go Bruins!” (referring to the Boston hockey team). It turned out he was a sports fanatic trapped in a body that couldn’t play.
In 1977, Rick told his father he wanted to participate in a 5-mile benefit run for a paralysed lacrosse player.
Dick Hoyt was not a runner. He was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air National Guard and was out of shape. But he couldn’t say no to his son. He pushed Rick’s heavy wheelchair for all five miles. They finished next to last.
That night, Rick typed something that changed their lives forever:
”Dad, when I’m running, it feels like my disability disappears.”
Dick started training intensely. Because Rick couldn’t participate alone, they became Team Hoyt. Dick didn’t just push Rick in local 5ks; they moved into the world of Triathlons and Ironmans.
To complete an Ironman (a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, and 26.2-mile run), Dick had to:
Swim: Tow Rick in a small boat attached to a rope around Dick’s waist.
Bike: Carry Rick in a specialised seat on the handlebars of a tandem bike.
Run: Push Rick in his specialised racing wheelchair. Dick Hoyt passed away in 2021, and Rick in 2023, but they left behind a legacy that transformed how the world views disability.
They proved that an athlete isn’t defined by their muscles, but by their will. Dick often said he was simply “loaning his arms and legs” to his son, but Rick always maintained that he was the one “pushing” his father mentally to achieve the impossible.
”My father is the ‘Father of the Century.’ He saved my life.” — Rick Hoyt.
In 1962, Rick Hoyt was born in Massachusetts. During childbirth, his umbilical cord became tangled around his neck, cutting off oxygen to his brain. He was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and quadriplegia.
Doctors told his parents, Dick and Judy, that Rick would be a “vegetable” for the rest of his life and suggested they institutionalise him.
They refused. They noticed Rick’s eyes following them around the room, proving his mind was wide awake even if his body wasn’t.
By age 12, using a specialised computer that allowed him to select letters by tapping his head against a switch, Rick typed his first words. His parents expected “Hi, Mom” or “I love you.”
Instead, Rick typed: “Go Bruins!” (referring to the Boston hockey team). It turned out he was a sports fanatic trapped in a body that couldn’t play.
In 1977, Rick told his father he wanted to participate in a 5-mile benefit run for a paralysed lacrosse player.
Dick Hoyt was not a runner. He was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air National Guard and was out of shape. But he couldn’t say no to his son. He pushed Rick’s heavy wheelchair for all five miles. They finished next to last.
That night, Rick typed something that changed their lives forever:
”Dad, when I’m running, it feels like my disability disappears.”
Dick started training intensely. Because Rick couldn’t participate alone, they became Team Hoyt. Dick didn’t just push Rick in local 5ks; they moved into the world of Triathlons and Ironmans.
To complete an Ironman (a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, and 26.2-mile run), Dick had to:
Swim: Tow Rick in a small boat attached to a rope around Dick’s waist.
Bike: Carry Rick in a specialised seat on the handlebars of a tandem bike.
Run: Push Rick in his specialised racing wheelchair. Dick Hoyt passed away in 2021, and Rick in 2023, but they left behind a legacy that transformed how the world views disability.
They proved that an athlete isn’t defined by their muscles, but by their will. Dick often said he was simply “loaning his arms and legs” to his son, but Rick always maintained that he was the one “pushing” his father mentally to achieve the impossible.
”My father is the ‘Father of the Century.’ He saved my life.” — Rick Hoyt.
