Boston Marathon Wheelchair Racer Rick Hoyt Dies At 62
Rick Hoyt is best known for completing 32 Boston Marathons while in a wheelchair. His father, Dick, would push him during those competitions.
Unfortunately, Rick has passed away at the age of 61 from respiratory complications. His father died in 2021, according to CBS News.
During the time that he completed those marathons, he was an inspiration to many people around the world.
CBS News reports that Hoyt was born with cerebral palsy and spent his life in a wheelchair. He had to use a computer at the age of 11 to type out his thoughts.
According to CNN, in 1977, he began running in marathons with the assistance of his father. They started out by running a 5-mile race for the benefit of a lacrosse player that was paralyzed. He did it to show the person that he could still be productive.
In the first 5-mile race, Dick pushed the wheelchair and the father and son duo came in second to last.
That is when Dick got serious about his training and they began running in many races together. Over the course of their lives, they ran in more than 1,000 races including marathons, duathlons, and triathlons. 6 different Ironman competitions were completed as well with Rick being pulled by a boat during the swimming portion.
Although they ran in many different races together, they are best known for participating in the Boston Marathon. They ran that race first in 1980 and Rick felt it was his favorite race. Over the years, they would be a familiar presence at the event.
They were there in 2013 during the bombing at the finish line, although they couldn’t finish the race that year. They returned in 2014, but that would be the final marathon run by the father, Dick. Bryan Lyons would take over for another five marathons before he, too, passed away, according to Boston News.
The father and son duo even had a bronze statue erected in 2013 close to the start line of the Boston Marathon. They received the Jimmy V Perseverance Award from ESPN the same year.
Although Rick Hoyt has passed away, the Hoyt Foundation still continues to operate. That foundation started in 1989 to help build the self-confidence and self-esteem of America’s disabled young people.
They even continued with the Dick Hoyt Memorial “Yes You Can” Run Together. That annual event takes place in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, and this year, it occurred on May 27.
Although that was only a few days after Rick Hoyt’s death, they ran it with his wheelchair at the starting line. More than 600 racers were there for the event, including 20 teams of fathers and sons racing with wheelchairs.
