In 1978, Rick, who was confined to a wheelchair since birth, asked his non-runner Dad, Dick, if he could participate in a five mile run to benefit a local Massachusetts athlete who had been paralyzed. The rest of the story is legend. The pair has gone on to compete in over 994 international athletic events, including 26 Boston Marathons and six Ironman Triathlons. The 2009 Boston Marathon was their history making 1000th event. From Rick’s simple request to experience the emotions of running a race, the pair has created an internationally recognized charity organization with hundreds of runners, organizers and sponsors.
Team Hoyt crosses the finish line at the Triathlon Tokunoshima in 1994. © All photos are Courtesy of Team Hoyt
The goal of Team Hoyt is to integrate the physically challenged into everyday life. One way to accomplish this is to educate the able-bodied, making them more aware of the issues that the disabled face every day. Another is by actively helping the disabled to participate in activities that would otherwise be inaccessible to them. Team Hoyt targets both of these areas.
For the past 28 years Dick, who is 68 and a retired lieutenant colonel in the military, has pushed and pulled his son across the country and over hundreds of finish lines. When Dick runs, Rick is in a wheelchair that Dick is pushing. When Dick cycles, Rick is in a seat-pod attached to the front of the bike. When Dick swims, Rick is in a small but heavy, firmly stabilized boat being pulled by Dick.
The team behind Team Hoyt.
At Rick’s birth in 1962 the umbilical cord coiled around his neck and cut off oxygen to his brain. Dick and his wife at the time, Judy, were told that there would be no hope for their child’s development. Defying everyone, at age 46 Rick is now a graduate of Boston University with a degree in Special Education.
Although Rick cannot write, he has a special interactive computer that lets him communicate by painstakingly choosing one letter at a time using the slight head movements that he can manage. In his own words, he told his Dad what the races mean to him:
“What I mean when I say I feel like I am not handicapped
when competing is that I am just like the other athletes,
and I think most of the athletes feel the same way.”
Dick and Rick compete at the Hawaii Ironman.
Team Hoyt recently received the 2008 Omar N. Bradley “Spirit of Independence Award.” An award bestowed upon outstanding American citizens or organizations which symbolize the spirit of freedom and independence on which our country was founded. Both father and son were inducted into the Triathletes Hall of Fame in 2008 as well.
Together the Hoyts don’t only compete athletically; they also go on motivational speaking tours, spreading the Hoyt brand of inspiration to all kinds of audiences, sporting and non-sporting, across the country.
The Hoyt Fund (now called The Hoyt Foundation, Inc) was established in 1992 to enhance the lives and mobility of people with disabilities. Its monies are used to promote the integration, inclusion and acceptance of people with all types of disabilities and their families into every aspect of society. Hoyt activities include the development of a curriculum at Boston Children’s Museum to teach children what it is like to have a handicap; consultation to manufacturers on the development and construction of better equipment for people with disabilities; provision of educational material, workshops, and seminars to support the vision of mobility and life enhancement for the handicapped. Money from this fund also has gone to summer camps for physically challenged kids and horseback riding programs for people with disabilities.
Rick himself is confident that his visibility—and his father’s dedication—perform a valuable purpose in a world that is too often divisive and exclusionary. He typed a simple parting thought:
“The message of Team Hoyt is that everybody should
be included in everyday life.”
To learn more about The Hoyt Foundation, Inc., a non-profit 501(c) (3) organization, please visit: www.teamhoyt.com.
Uta, Dick and Rick Hoyt, and Jim Boyle, John Hancock Insurance Group President.
Uta’s message: Every time I see Dick and Rick Hoyt at a race, I just want to hug them and say ‘You go guys!’ The Dad and son are a true team, each helping the other. What they have accomplished is a tribute to the human spirit in all of us. Team Hoyt stands for what is best in sports and life. Their never-give-up attitude is an inspiration to people everywhere.
They work tirelessly for their charity and to raise money for their causes. Single handedly the father and son team have become a symbol of what people can accomplish in this world—no matter what the challenges.
They have touched so many people with their generosity and their spirit. With each race they run, with each event they attend, they are making the world a better place.
Team Hoyt asked me to be their coach for the 2008 Boston Marathon and I said ‘yes’ immediately. I coached them again for the 2009 marathon, which was their 1000th event. I am honored once again to coach the runners of Team Hoyt for this year’s marathon in Boston. I get so much inspiration from the entire team’s dedication, willfulness, and courage. And I am happy to help them in their charitable efforts in any way I can.
The supreme inspiration that Team Hoyt evokes when they take to the roads is something that Take The Magic Step cherishes.
Read more about Uta and the Team Hoyt Foundation in the Boston Marathon with updates from the event in 2009.
