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The "heart and soul" of the Boston Marathon has died.
There’s a good chance you’ve seen a clip of Dick Hoyt, the muscular, tough-as-nails Massachusetts man, pushing his son, Rick, in a wheelchair along the route of one of a thousand races they’ve done together these last forty years.
Dick passed away on Wednesday at the age of 80.
The dynamic father-son duo became best known for competing and completing the Boston Marathon 32 times. But there were many other marathons and high endurance events, too, including the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii, a competition that involves a 1.2 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride and a 26.2 mile marathon.
DICK HOYT, WHO PUSHED SON IN MULTIPLE BOSTON MARATHONS, DIES
For the ocean swim, Dick literally pulled Rick in a boat via a bungee cord attached to a special vest.
It was in the spring of 1977 when Rick, born with cerebral palsy, told his father he wanted to participate in a 5-mile charity run. Back then, individuals with disabilities didn’t do such things – but Dick had a plan. He decided to push Rick in his wheelchair – and though they finished next to last, they won a major victory.
FILE - In this April 15, 2013, file photo Dick Hoyt, left, pushes his son Rick along the Boston Marathon course in Wellesley, Mass. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)
"Dad," he told his father later in the day, "When I’m running, it feels like I’m not disabled."
When Rick was born, the doctors told Dick and his then-wife, Judy, that Rick should be institutionalized. They said no way.
"That’s when we decided that we’d bring him up and treat him like any other kid," Dick remembered.
FILE - In this April 13, 2018, file photo, Dick Hoyt, left, and his son Rick, who competed together in 32 Boston Marathons, are introduced at a news conference in Boston before the 122nd running of the Boston Marathon in Boston. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)
I had the privilege of meeting Dick at the Boston Marathon, a race that I thought was a hefty challenge, especially the hills in the latter portion of the course. But ascending the famed "Heartbreak Hill" with tired legs seemed a lot easier when thinking of Dick pushing Rick up the very same incline in a heavy chair.
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Dick Hoyt’s death is a blow to his family, of course, but also to the wider community. A retired lieutenant colonel in the Massachusetts Air National Guard, the Bay State native-inspired countless individuals across multiple generations to do more than they thought they could do – and reach for things well beyond their grasp.
When I saw Dick Hoyt pushing Rick, I didn’t just see a well-conditioned athlete doing a physically extraordinary thing.
FILE - In this April 17, 2006, file photo, Dick Hoyt pushes his son Rick through Newton, Mass., during their 25th Boston Marathon together. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger, File)
Instead, I saw a father pouring himself into his son – using his own weary legs to do what his own son’s legs could not.
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I saw a warrior-like father, battling for his boy, devoting and giving his strength to a greater cause.
I saw a father spending time with his son, hours upon hours, often along lonely, cold roads.
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Team Hoyt called attention to those who struggle with disabilities – individuals whom the world often casts aside. They highlighted the sanctity of every life and the significance and meaning of every person, regardless of what physical challenge may beset them.
A popular speaker who traveled the country and gave hundreds of talks each year, often to schoolchildren, Dick saw his platform as a divinely inspired calling.
"We’re not inspiring one person," he noted. "We’re inspiring millions around the world."
Dick made me want to be a better person – a more loving husband, a more sacrificial father to my three sons.
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Most of us don’t physically push our sons and daughters along life’s roads, but every parent metaphorically pushes their kids to try and become the person God made them to be.
The next time you’re weary and ready to give up, think of Dick Hoyt, who never stopped pushing until he and Rick reached the finish line.
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