\u200bIn 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u200bDoctors told his parents, Dick and Judy, that Rick would be a “vegetable” for the rest of his life and suggested they institutionalise him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They refused. They noticed Rick\u2019s eyes following them around the room, proving his mind was wide awake even if his body wasn’t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u200bBy 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.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u200bInstead, 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u200bIn 1977, Rick told his father he wanted to participate in a 5-mile benefit run for a paralysed lacrosse player.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u200bDick 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\u2019s heavy wheelchair for all five miles. They finished next to last.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u200bThat night, Rick typed something that changed their lives forever:
\u200b”Dad, when I\u2019m running, it feels like my disability disappears.”
\u200b
\u200bDick 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u200bTo complete an Ironman (a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, and 26.2-mile run), Dick had to:
\u200bSwim: Tow Rick in a small boat attached to a rope around Dick\u2019s waist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u200bBike: Carry Rick in a specialised seat on the handlebars of a tandem bike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u200bRun: Push Rick in his specialised racing wheelchair. \u200bDick Hoyt passed away in 2021, and Rick in 2023, but they left behind a legacy that transformed how the world views disability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They proved that an athlete isn’t defined by their muscles, but by their will. \u200bDick 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.
\u200b”My father is the ‘Father of the Century.’ He saved my life.” \u2014 Rick Hoyt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u200bIn 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u200bDoctors told his parents, Dick and Judy, that Rick would be a “vegetable” for the rest of his life and suggested they institutionalise him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They refused. They noticed Rick\u2019s eyes following them around the room, proving his mind was wide awake even if his body wasn’t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u200bBy 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.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u200bInstead, 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u200bIn 1977, Rick told his father he wanted to participate in a 5-mile benefit run for a paralysed lacrosse player.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u200bDick 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\u2019s heavy wheelchair for all five miles. They finished next to last.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u200bThat night, Rick typed something that changed their lives forever:
\u200b”Dad, when I\u2019m running, it feels like my disability disappears.”
\u200b
\u200bDick 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u200bTo complete an Ironman (a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, and 26.2-mile run), Dick had to:
\u200bSwim: Tow Rick in a small boat attached to a rope around Dick\u2019s waist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u200bBike: Carry Rick in a specialised seat on the handlebars of a tandem bike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u200bRun: Push Rick in his specialised racing wheelchair. \u200bDick Hoyt passed away in 2021, and Rick in 2023, but they left behind a legacy that transformed how the world views disability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They proved that an athlete isn’t defined by their muscles, but by their will. \u200bDick 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.
\u200b”My father is the ‘Father of the Century.’ He saved my life.” \u2014 Rick Hoyt.<\/p>\n\n