Rick Hoyt, a beloved Boston Marathoner who became an inspiration for others with disabilities as he competed in his wheelchair, pushed by his father, has died.
In a statement posted Monday, The Hoyt Foundation said Rick died due to complications with his respiratory system. He had cerebral palsy.
According to the Hoyt Foundation website, the legacy began in 1977 when Rick, told his father he wanted to participate in a 5-mile fundraising run for an athlete who had been paralyzed in an accident. Dick pushed his son all five miles. Afterward, Rick told Dick,"Dad, when I’m running, it feels like I’m not handicapped." Thus Team Hoyt was born.
The family would eventually start a nonprofit called The Hoyt Foundation in 1989 with the goal of making the world more inclusive for those living with disabilities, especially concerning sports, at home, in schools and in the workplace, the website notes. Money raised by the organization gives back by supporting inclusion efforts for other families who have a child with disabilities.Sign up for NECN newsletters.
The pair crossed the Boston Marathon finish line dozens of times. Team Hoyt completed more than 1,000 races together, with the 2009 Boston Marathon being the thousandth. They also crossed the country by bicycle and by running over the course of 45 days in 1992, according to the foundation.The family said that Rick was also a pioneer in education. He and his mother worked to change laws that would allow Rick and others after him to get an education alongside his peers without disabilities.
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