DEVOTED: A FATHER’S LOVE 

I’m standing at the starting line of the Boston Marathon. Each year over 30,000 people set off from here on a gruelling 42km run. Marathons, along with Ironmans, are two of the toughest athletic endeavours on the planet – the ultimate test of strength and endurance. They are considered by most as barely possible, but not for the Team Hoyt father-son duo. 

What makes this duo so special is that Rick, the son, was born with cerebral palsy and is quadriplegic, and so his father Dick, pushes and pulls him in specialised wheelchairs, bikes and boats. They’ve completed over 1000 races, and are as devoted to each other as ever, continuing to inspire millions of people around the world with their trademark motto – ‘Yes You Can’. 

This is one of the greatest love stories of all time – a father who climbs mountains, runs marathons, travels to the ends of the earth to give his son a better life, a life that transcends the limitations of his body.

This story shows that through perseverance and determination, love conquers all. 

THE IRONMAN RACE

A 3.8 km swim, a 180 km bike ride, 42.2km run – the Ironman is arguably one of the world’s most challenging one-day sporting events. Initially begun as a contest in 1978 to see which athletes between runners, swimmers or cyclists were the most fit, the Ironman triathlon has developed into a world-wide competition of determination and awe-inspiring human feats. 

To say an Ironman takes a lot of energy is an understatement! The average ironman athlete burns around 7,000 to 10,000 calories during those gruelling 226 kms; 4-5 times the average daily intake.

To most, it would seem barely possible to do one by ourselves, but imagine how difficult it would be to push and carry someone else! Well, that is exactly what Dick Hoyt does. For 226 kms he pulls, pushes and carries his son Rick, who was born with Cerebral Palsy, unable to walk or talk. 

RICK HOYT JR. ARRIVES

Richard “Rick” Eugene Hoyt, Jr. was born January 10, 1962 in Holland, Mass., the first son of Dick and Judy Hoyt. Due to an umbilical cord being wrapped around his neck, Rick was oxygen-deprived at birth and was consequently born with cerebral palsy.

Dick Hoyt, 60 Minutes interview: The first time I saw Rick, he was in an incubator, you know, and he was doing push-ups. And I said, ‘Wow, my son, he’s gonna be an athlete. He’s doing push-ups already, and he’s only 2 days old.’ 

I came to find out he was having a spasm, and he ended up having severe brain damage. 

Doctors told the devastated parents that their son would have minimal quality of life, and recommended that he should be institutionalised. His parents were told to “forget him…he’s gonna be nothing but a vegetable.” 

Dick: My wife and I, we cried, and we talked about it, and we said ‘No, we’re not gonna put Rick away like the doctor suggested, put him in an institution, he’s gonna be nothing but a vegetable the rest of his life.’

We said,  ‘We’re gonna bring him up just like any other child.’ And this is what we have done. (Dick Hoyt, 60 Minutes)

HEADING HOME

Determined to give him the best life possible, regardless of his medical diagnosis, Judy and Dick Hoyt took Rick home.

Dick: Family life, at first, when we brought Rick home from the hospital, was very tough, because we had all these problems and we didn’t know exactly what was going to happen [to do] with Rick.

And actually my wife, she didn’t want to go outside when she first came home with Rick, because she thought what was gonna to happen…

Rick’s mother, Judy spent hours each day teaching Rick the alphabet with letters, and posting signs on different objects around the house, and soon Rick had learnt the alphabet.

Dick: We could tell by looking in Rick’s eyes that he’s paying attention, and he understood everything that we were talking about. So we tried teaching him the alphabet. And we tried to teach him the numbers.

And then we did a lot of reading with Rick, and we could tell that he understood everything we were saying ‘cause the look in his eyes, and what we used to do was have him shake his head Yes or No, to all the questions that we were asking him.

And he was able to do that, and we were able to communicate. But we have such a bond with Rick now that we know what each other is thinking. It’s unbelievable!

ONE OF THE FAMILY

Growing up with two brothers, Rick wasn’t offered any special treatment. He was included with his brothers and did everything they did, from building tree houses to sledding in the winter and swimming in the summer. 

When playing baseball, Rick was the umpire. During hockey, Rick was a goalie. To his brothers he was just one of them.

Dick: Rick’s two brothers are just unbelievable, the way they treat Rick and handle Rick. They all love Rick and they did things for him. They built tree huts outside, and they’d carry him up there. You know, they’d bury him in sand when we went to the beaches. 

We used to go do a lot of camping, and we’d go to campgrounds and have these big swimming pools there and they’d take Rick in there and they’d throw him in the pool. And everybody else that’s looking and they’re freaking out, and Rick’s sinking down, and he’s looking up at us and he’s laughing! Then they’d jump in and get him, or I would jump in and get him.

I mean, we were able to…we did everything as a family, and everything we could do, we found a way to do it with Rick. The boys were just unbelievable.

However, life wasn’t easy for Rick or his family. They faced constant challenges at every turn, with one constant battle being the fact that Rick was unable to communicate verbally.

Dick: He’d wave his arms, and try to do anything  just to get our attention so he could communicate with us.

Although his family did their best to interpret what Rick was communicating, they could never be one hundred percent sure.

THE ‘HOPE MACHINE’

However all of this changed in 1974, when engineering students at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts., developed a communication device for Rick that the family would eventually dub the ‘Hope Machine.’

Dick: The Hope Machine was probably one of the most important devices that Rick ever had, ‘cause we wanted to get him into public school and Rick couldn’t talk, so we went and met some engineers from Tufts University in Boston and we talked to them, and they built what was called the TIC, the Tufts Interactive Communicator. And Rick’s mother named it the ‘Hope Machine’. 

And so the engineers were coming to our house, and everybody’s betting what are the first words Rick is ever gonna say? 

Well, his mom’s saying it’s gonna be, “Hi Mom!”, and me the dad, no, it’s gonna be, “Hi Dad!”  Well, the Boston Bruins were going for the Stanley Cup, and the very first words he ever said were,  ‘Go Bruins!’

So we knew right then and there that he understood everything that was going on, and he loved sports. 

Rick Hoyt Jr: For twelve very long years, all that I could do was cry, laugh, and move my head to answer questions that people asked. When I got my first communication device, the feeling was joyous.

For the first time I could tell Dad, Mom and the rest of the world exactly how I felt.  

Unable to talk, and classified as disabled, meant that up until now Rick had not been entitled to the same schooling as other students. However, Rick’s parents – mostly his mother Judy – fought tirelessly for the passage of a Massachusetts education reform law that forced public school districts to accommodate individuals with disabilities, and educate them as they would any other student. 

Rick: Mom fought for the rights of me and thousands of others to enter public school. She pushed ahead, even if it meant calling senators from different states to make sure her point was heard. It was important to Mom that I be fully included.

OFF TO SCHOOL

The addition of his communication device proved that Rick was capable of learning, and with this Rick was able to attend public schools for the first time. 

Rick:  I wanted to be treated like any other student as far as school work and responsibilities. I also wanted to be treated like any other student outside the classroom.  

You might be wondering whether or not people stared at me or made fun of me? The answer to that question is, yes. But I’m hoping they were staring at me because of my stunning good looks!

Rick not only attended middle school but went on to graduate from Westfield High School in 1984.

Dick: It was just unbelievable, ‘cause that was our main goal…was for Rick to be able to live a life like anybody else, and one of the most important things was for Rick to be able to go to school.

And we were able to get Rick into school, and then [to] see him go to high school was unbelievable.

UNIVERSITY GRADUATION

However, as someone who always pushed the limits, Rick didn’t stop there, but applied and was accepted to Boston University where he studied special education. In 1993, at the age of thirty-one, Rick became the first non speaking quadriplegic to ever graduate from the School of Education at Boston University. 

Rick later worked at Boston College in a computer lab, helping to develop systems to aid in communication and other tasks for people with disabilities. Yet Rick not only broke down academic barriers, but smashed athletic barriers as well!

ATHLETICS CAREER BEGINS

In 1977, at age 15, Rick used his Hope Machine to ask his father if they could run together in a 5 mile road race, to support a Lacrosse player from his school who had recently been paralyzed.

Rick: I wanted to show this person that life goes on, and he could still live a productive life. That is why I turned to my dad and said that we have to run in this race.

Dick: Well, at the time I was 40 years old, I was not a runner. I used to run maybe, you know, 3 times a week, maybe a mile each time, to keep my weight down.

And all we had was a Mulholland wheelchair, which was form-fitted, prescription made for Rick’s body. And we had a hard time pushing him in it, never mind running in it! 

But we went down to the race – it was a 5-mile race. They gave Rick and I the number ‘double-zero’ and the gun went off, and Rick and I took off with all the other runners.

Well, everybody thought that we would go to the corner, and turn around and come back. Well, we didn’t. We finished the whole 5 miles, coming in next-to-last, but not last!

And we have a picture of Rick coming across the finish line, and he’s got the biggest smile you saw in your life!

TEAM HOYT 

When we got home that night Rick wrote on his computer, “Dad, when I’m running it feels like my disability disappears”, which was a very powerful message to me.

You think about it –  somebody that’s in a wheelchair, can’t talk, used their arms and their legs, and now they’re out there running – their disability disappears.

He called himself ‘Free Bird’, ‘cause now he was free and able to be out there competing, and running with everybody else.

Team Hoyt knew they just had to keep running, so they had a special racing wheelchair made for Rick – a streamlined 3-wheeler that wouldn’t keep veering off course. 

Team Hoyt steadily began doing longer and bigger races, and eventually set their sights on the Boston Marathon. Race organisers turned them down at first but finally relented, although the Hoyts got no special treatment.

BOSTON MARATHON

They would only be allowed to compete if they qualified in Rick’s age group. This was quite a challenge, as Rick was in his 20s, while Dick, the one who was doing the running, was in his 40s! 

Yet with determination and perseverance they qualified, and so began a father-son legacy. The Boston Marathon became an annual event for them. Their personal record for the Boston Marathon is 30 minutes shy of the world record, a record set by a person running alone! 

Rick: The message I am trying to tell everyone is that disabled people are people too, and just love the opportunity to be included in everyday life.

Dick: We’ve had more people that come up to us and say, ‘We want to thank you, because we saw you out there competing and we were on the sidelines.’ And they said, ‘If you can do it, we can do it.’

This is all people, people with disabilities and people that don’t have any disabilities.

A few years after their first Boston marathon, someone suggested, “Why not compete in triathlons and ironmans?” 

TRIATHLONS

Now a triathlon contains three elements – a swim, ride and run. For Dick, who hadn’t ridden a bike since he was six, and who couldn’t swim, one would think that he was up against an insurmountable challenge.

But Dick attacked the idea with a fury that could only be fuelled by love – love for his son, who couldn’t be happier competing.

Rick: Let me put it into perspective for you: the average triathlete probably weighs about 150 pounds, and their bike weighs about 17 pounds. This is a total of 167 pounds.

Dad weighs about 180 pounds and our bike weighs about 70 pounds, because it needs to be heavier and stronger to hold both me and my seat. 

Dad isn’t very pleased about this, but I now weigh about 100 pounds, thanks in part to a regular diet of ice cream and chocolate cake.

This totals 350 pounds, or almost 200 pounds more than the average triathlete with his bike! The same maths could be used to figure out how heavy a load Dad has to pull in the swim portion, as well.

IRONMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 

From there it was onto the most challenging of all sporting events, the Ironman Triathlon in Kona, Hawaii. This gruelling event is comprised of a 3.8 km swim, a 180km ride, and a 42.2km marathon run.

In January 1988, after a year of racing that included one Ironman, a half Ironman, three Olympic-distance triathlons, five marathons, three half-marathons, and fifteen short road races, Dick wrote to the Hawaii Ironman officials to ask permission to compete in the 1988 event.

However, concerned that the swim portion would be too dangerous to compete in, their application was rejected. However, Dick was undeterred. They had been rejected before. Dick took it in his stride to make it happen. 

He immediately replied, detailing exactly how they would be able to complete the swim, and emphasising that they had swum triathlon distances before, in all kinds of waters.

But the answer was the same. The Hawaiian ironman officials regretted that they couldn’t allow Team Hoyt to compete for safety reasons.

However, through incredible perseverance, Team Hoyt was officially invited to participate in the Ironman World Championship – an event which is really the ultimate test of strength and endurance.

In 1989 Rick became the first disabled person in the world to ever compete in, and complete the Ironman in Hawaii. 

IRONMAN HALL OF FAME

Due in part to Team Hoyt’s dedication and efforts, Ironman now has a physically challenged division. Nearly twenty-four years later, Rick became the first disabled person to be inducted into the Ironman Hall of Fame. 

Rick: I was inducted as the twenty-sixth member and Dad just behind me as the twenty-seventh, because, as you know, I always finish just ahead of Dad! This made me feel very happy, being a part of such an iconic accomplishment with my father.

I was able to show the world that my body does not define my spirit. Through this experience of this athletic achievement, my father and I have a greater love for one another, because we shared the same dedication at this event.

Team Hoyt have competed in more than 1,100 athletic events in the last 35 years. They’ve run the Boston Marathon 32 times, plus 39 other marathons and 252 triathlons, including six Ironman distance events. 

They have run across the United States of America, through 18 states, from Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles to the Marriott Long Wharf on Boston Harbor, Massachusetts. The whole thing distancing 6011 kms and lasting 47 consecutive days, averaging 127 kms a day!

‘YES YOU CAN’

In 2005, the Hoyts used their popularity and fame to create a foundation, The Hoyt Foundation, to help others with disability take part in athletic pursuits, promote and foster inclusion in everyday life, and raise disability awareness.

Their motto is “Yes You Can”, to promote the message that you can do anything you set your mind to – for individuals with or without disability. For the Hoyts, after decades of being told “No, you can’t”, they proclaim a different message for others to hear.

Rick: To me finishing is so important. It is a representation of my life. Mom and Dad could have quit when I was born, but they didn’t. They could have given up trying to help me learn to communicate, or trying to get me into public school. They chose to continue, and because of that, I’ve had one heck of a ride!

So many people race now because of me and my dad. I love to inspire everyone to be able to run, or have someone push them if they are unable to run themselves.

Dick:  Today Rick is 53 years old. You know, they said he’s gonna be nothing but a vegetable and we still can’t figure what kind of vegetable he is, but he’s graduated from high school, graduated from Boston University.  He lives all by himself in his own apartment, and Rick and I have competed around the world – over 1100 athletic events. 

And he’s making himself well-known throughout the world, and now we’ve got a Team Hoyt Virginia Beach, we’ve got a Team Hoyt New England, we’ve got a Team Hoyt San Diego, we’ve got a Team Hoyt Arizona, we’ve got a Team Hoyt Canada – and they actually want us to start one over in Japan!

So you can see that this person they wanted to put away…and see what he’s doing to everybody all over the world.

UNIQUE BOND

This father-son team have proved to everyone that anything can be achieved with enough persistence, dedication and, ultimately, the bottomless depths of love that can only be found in the unique bond between a father and his son.

Rick:  I have said this so many times: Dad is my hands and my feet. He is the wind beneath my wings. There [are] many things I’d like to do for my dad. I wish I could sit him down in the wheelchair and I would push him, but obviously, because of my ability I cannot.

I have quite a list of things I would do with Dad: pull, pedal and push him in a triathlon. I would carry him on my shoulders up a mountain. I would do anything for my dad!

Dick, at age 75, still pushes his son in a wheelchair in races across the country.  Why? Because his son – who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at birth – forgets his disability and never feels better than he does during those races.   

And so Dick keeps going – despite warnings from his doctors, despite stents in his arteries, despite surviving a heart attack. This is what unconditional love looks like!

EVENTS TALLY [shown on-screen during song]

Total endurance events – 1108

Marathons – 72

Ironman triathlons – 6

Half marathons – 32

Boston Marathons – 32

Triathlons – 255

Duathlons – 22

20 mile races – 8

18.6 mile races – 8

20 km race – 1

10 mile races – 37

15 km races – 8

7 mile races – 35

11 km races  – 2

10 km races – 218

5 mile races – 161

Ran across America in 47 days – 3,735 miles

[Transition images to music:]

How deep the Father’s love for us

How vast beyond all measure

That He should give His only son

To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss

The Father turns His face away

As wounds which mar the chosen one

Brings many sons to glory

Stuart Townend. – Thank You Music

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1)

Fully devoted, 100% committed, unconditional love.

Wouldn’t you like that kind of love and devotion, to help you through life’s tough times?  Well, you can!  Just ask for it, and begin to experience it right now, as we pray.

CLOSING PRAYER

Dear Heavenly Father. Thank you for your unconditional love and commitment to us.  Thank you for being there in our time of need.  Thank you for your willingness to help us and carry us when we feel unable to continue alone.  We thank you that you are a God of love who is completely devoted to us.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Stories don’t come much more inspirational than this one about Dick and Rick Hoyt. It’s the story of a father, Dick Hoyt, who pushes his son, Rick, in a wheelchair, in marathons and triathlons across the country. In fact, in over 1,100 gruelling events. 

Why? Because his son, born with cerebral palsy and unable to walk or talk, forgets his disability and never feels better than he does during those races. 

SPECIAL OFFER

In fact, I’ve been so inspired by Team Hoyt that I want to share their story and inspiration wherever I can. So we have a special gift for all our viewers today. It’s the booklet, The One and Only. 

This book is our gift to you and is absolutely free. There are no costs and obligations whatsoever. This book has inspired people around the world, and here’s your opportunity to receive it free of charge. Here’s the information you need…

CONTACT DETAILS

If you’ve enjoyed today’s journey, be sure to join us again next week when we will share another of life’s journeys together, and experience another new and thought-provoking perspective on the peace, insight, understanding and hope that only the Bible can give us.

The Incredible Journey truly is television that changes lives. Until next week, remember the ultimate destination of life’s journey:

“Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth… and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” [ Revelation 21]