Rick and Dick as father and son have participated in many races, including the Ironman Triathlon. Their goal was never to win, but to finish the race within the allotted time, which gave them a feeling of victory.
Rick Hoyt was born with cerebral palsy. His father, Richard Eugene - Dick Hoyt, was determined that his son should participate in races despite his disability.
They became an unlikely duo, never missing a race, with a special commitment to each other.
Ironman triathlon got its name from the English words iron which means steel and man which means man; loosely translated, "man of steel" alludes to the strength and endurance that a competitor in this sport must have. Ironman is an ultra-triathlon, i.e. a competition consisting of 3.800 m of swimming, 180 km of cycling and 42,195 km of running.
During the Ironman Triathlon marathon, while the others ran, Dick Hoyt pushed Rick in a special wheelchair. When it came to riding a bike in competition, Dick would place his son in a special seat on the bike he was riding. During the 3.800 meter swim, Rik was on a specially designed boat.
"Dad, while we were running, it seemed like I didn't have a disability."
Diagnosis of cerebral palsy
Rick was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at birth.
His umbilical cord was too tight around his neck, which prevented oxygen from reaching the brain, causing the brain to not send the right signals to the muscles.
His parents took him to many doctors. Most of them claimed that Rik has the same functions as a plant, which is why they proposed placing him in institutions.
Hope and Success
After some time, Rick's parents - Dick and Judy met a doctor from Boston, who encouraged them to treat him like other children. Judy has since spent hours teaching Rick the alphabet on sandpaper. They also put signs on all the objects in the house and taught Rick to read them. It took time and persistence for him to learn.
At the age of 12, Rick got a computer, on which he could write how much he loved his family. The computer enabled him to get an education, he managed to graduate in special education at Boston University.
In 1977, Rick Hoyt heard about a race to help a newly paralyzed lacrosse player at his school. Rick wanted to participate in the race to help him and told his father so. The problem was that Dick never ran, even though he wanted to meet his son.
Dick then decides to participate in the race and pushes Rick the entire five miles in a wheelchair. After that, RIk told him through the computer that he felt like he didn't have a disability. This statement changed both of their lives.
For the next 37 years, they participated in different races.
Dick's determination to help his son led him to run every day. when Rick was busy studying, Dick would train with a wheelchair, a bicycle, or a boat full of sacks of cement.
However, all good things come to an end. When Dick turned 73 and Rick turned 53, they decided to stop racing.
The last marathon they ran was in 2014 in Boston.
Dick and Rick founded the Hoyt Foundation, which helps people with disabilities to encourage them to study and work, all based on building self-esteem.
On April 2013, XNUMX, they received a bronze statue.
Today, although they do not live together, they are still close. Rick has his own apartment, takes care of the house himself and is employed, while Dick lives in the Netherlands. They still gather and travel across the United States giving motivational speeches.
When Rick was asked what he would like to give his father if he could do anything, he replied that what he would like most is for his father to be able to sit on a chair and for him to be able to push his father once.
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