Rick Hoyt, who became Boston Marathon fixture with father pushing wheelchair, dies at 61

Rick Hoyt, who with his father pushed a wheelchair into gear at the Boston Marathon and other races for twenty years, has died. He is 61 years old.

Hoyt died of complications from his respiratory system, his family announced Monday.

“Rick, along with our father, Dick, were icons in the road racing and triathlon world for more than 40 years and inspired millions of people with disabilities to believe, set goals and accomplish extraordinary things,” the Hoyt family said in a statement. .

Rick Hoyt has cerebral palsy, which left him a quadriplegic, but his father became as much a part of the Boston Marathon as sore feet or Heartbreak Hill. With Dick Hoyt pushing, the two finished the course 32 times.

The Boston Athletic Association presents the Rick & Dick Hoyt Award each April to someone who demonstrates passion through advocacy and inclusion.

“Rick Hoyt will always be remembered as the icon of the Boston Marathon and personifying the ‘Yes You Can’ mentality that defined Team Hoyt,” Baa said in a statement. “We are lucky to have been able to call Rick a friend, mentor, pioneer, and Boston Marathon finisher.”

The father-son duo also participated in more than 1,000 other races, including duathlons and triathlons; in 1992 they finished the run and bike across the US covered 6,010 kilometers in 45 days. In 2013, a statue of father and son was erected near the starting line of the Boston Marathon in Hopkinton.

Dick Hoyt died in 2021.

“It’s hard to believe that the two have now passed but the legacy will never die. Dick and Rick Hoyt have inspired millions around the world,” said Dave McGillivray, race director of the Boston Marathon and other events that the Hoyts participated in. “We will always be grateful, Rick, for your courage, determination, tenacity and willingness to give yourself so that others can also believe in themselves, set goals and make a difference in this world as you have.”