Rick Hoyt, a legendary participant in the Boston Marathon who was pushed by his father Dick Hoyt, passed away on Monday. He was 61 years of age. The Hoyt Family has learned of the passing this morning of Rick Hoyt, our cherished brother and uncle, with great sadness. Rick had a 61-year-old age. Rick’s respiratory system issues caused him to pass away, according to a statement from his family.
Over the past few decades, the father and son team competed in a number of road races. The 32 Boston Marathons were the most notable.
When Rick, a quadriplegic due to cerebral palsy, told his father he wanted to take part in a fundraising run for an athlete who had been paralyzed in an accident, the two started competing together.
It was a significant event in my life. Rick later admitted to his father, “When I’m running, I don’t feel handicapped.”. Before retiring in 2014, they ran in their first Boston Marathon in 1980.
Dick and Rick Hoyt complete the 31st SBLI Falmouth Road Race in FALMOUTH on August 10. (Image by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) Over the course of several decades, they finished over 1,100 endurance races, including 72 marathons and six Ironman Triathlons. In 1992, they even rode and cycled 3,735 miles across the United States in 45 days.
NEW YORK, NY – MAY 13: Team Hoyt member Rick Hoyt attends the 2014 Superman Hall of Heroes Induction on May 13 in New York City. Rick continued to race until 2021, announcing his retirement months after his father passed away at the age of 80 (photo by John Lamparski/WireImage). Dick had declared his official retirement from racing in 2014. At the time, he was residing in a 24-hour assisted living facility, and the MetroWest Daily News reported that the time it would take for him to travel to a race, take part in it, and then return would be longer than the “four or five hours” he could be away from the facility. Rick made a difference in education in addition to racing. His mother, Judy Hoyt, worked to change the law so that her son and others with disabilities could attend classes with their non-disabled peers. The Hoyt Foundation was established by the Hoyt family to assist young people with disabilities in achieving the greatest amount of normalcy possible in daily life, including sports.
“As many people already knew, Rick and our father, Dick, were icons in the triathlon and road race worlds for more than 40 years. They encouraged millions of people with disabilities to believe in themselves, set goals, and achieve extraordinary things. Rick served as an example for a lot of people. May his enduring influence and memory never fade.
Peace be with you.
