The Blogfathers

My Father Of The Year 2006 is Dick Hoyt. He gets the title for the incredible dedication, inspiration, and love he has shown his physically challenged son during the past 43 years and the money they have raised for others. And the huge inspiration they have been for people around the world.

Rick was born brain damaged 43 years ago when he was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth. Doctors repeatedly advised his parents to put him in an institution since he would be a vegetable his whole life. But his parents saw something different in their son and found a high tech solution for him to communicate with the world through a computer.

After a high school classmate was paralyzed and Rick saw people doing a charity run, he told his father, “Dad, I want to do that“. His father, who was kind of a couch potato at that time, reluctantly took him for a run in the wheel chair. His son told him via his computer, “Dad, when we were running, it felt like I wasn’t disabled anymore!‘’ Their lives were never the same and they have been running ever since that day. Together.

Running with his father made Rick happy and that’s what they’ve continued doing. Together. Since they started running they’ve completed 212 (!) triathlons, 64 marathons, and 204 10K runs. Plus hundreds of other races. They even ran and biked across the U.S. in 1992 during 45 consecutive days. Together. They have completed 24 straight Boston marathons and done countless speaking engagements to inspire others. A fund, The Hoyt Fund, was also established with a goal of helping “integrate the physically challenged into everyday life“.

When I was younger I used to run a lot and did some marathons. I managed to to a 2.48 marathon at a young age which I was ecstatic about since running 26.2 miles is no easy task. Dick and Rick have managed a marathon time of 2.40, with Rick pushing his son in the wheelchair. People are usually most impressed by their physical feat of completing 6 Hawaii triathlons, so called Ironman’s. This race makes a marathon seem like a walk in the park. It consists of a 2.4 mile swim in the ocean, a 120 mile bike ride, and a full marathon (26.2 miles). Without rest. Dick competes in this race by swimming with Rick in a dingy, biking with Rick on his custom built bicycle, and running with his 110 lbs. son in the wheel chair.

The Hoyt’s athletic feats are legendary and they have inspired millions of people around the world. To me personally, their dedication, stubbornness, and sheer will to enjoy life is even more impressive. They have shown that anything is possible and that physically challenged people can and should be included in everyday life. As a father of two young children I consider the Hoyt’s an incredible inspiration and often think about them.

The first movie is a short inspirational summary of Team Hoyt. The second movie is from last week when the Today Show featured “Today’s Heroes’. They tell the story better than I ever could. I know I sound like a wimp, but these clips bring tears to my eyes. Every single time.

Father Of The Year