¤ ¤
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I'm standing at the starting
line of the Boston Marathon.
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Each year over 30,000 people
set off from here on a grueling
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42 km run. The marathon along
with Iron Man are two of the
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toughest athletic endeavors on
the planet, the ultimate test of
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strength and endurance. They're
considered by most as barely
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possible but not for the
team Hoyt father/son duo.
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What makes this duo so special
is that Rick, the son, was born
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with cerebral palsy and is
quadriplegic. And so his father
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Dick pushes and pulls him in
specialized wheelchairs, bikes
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and boats. They've completed
over 1000 races and are as
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devoted to each other as ever
continuing to inspire millions
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of people around the world with
their trademark motto, Yes you
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can. This is one of the greatest
love stories of all time.
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A father who climbs mountains,
runs marathons, travels to the
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ends of the earth to give his
son a better life. A life that
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transcends the limitations of
his body. This story shows the
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true perseverance and
determination, love conquers all
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¤ ¤
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A 3.8 km swim, a 180 km bike
ride, 42.2 km run, the Ironman
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is arguably one of the
world's most challenging one day
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sporting events. It initially
began as a contest in 1978 to
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see which athletes between
runners, swimmers or cyclists
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were the most fit. The Iron Man
triathlon has developed into a
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worldwide competition of
determination and awe inspiring
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human fetes. To say an iron
man takes a lot of energy is an
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understatement. The average
iron man athlete burns around
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7000 to 10,000 calories during
those grueling 226 km., four to
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five times the average daily
intake. To us, it would seem
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barely possible to do one
by ourselves. But imagine how
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difficult it would be to push
and carry someone else. Well
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that is exactly what Dick
Hoyt does. For 226 km he pulls,
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pushes and carries his son Rick
who was born with cerebral palsy
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unable to walk or talk. Richard
"Rick" Eugene Hoyt, Jr. was born
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January 10, 1962 in Holland,
Massachusetts, the first son of
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Dick and Judy Hoyt. Due to
an umbilical cord being wrapped
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around his neck, Rick was
oxygen deprived at birth and was
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consequently born
with cerebral palsy.
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The first time that I saw
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Rick he was in an incubator and
he was doing pushups and I said
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wow. Man my son, he's going
to be an athlete. He's doing
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pushups already and he's only
two days old. Come to find out
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he was having spasm and he
ended up having severe brain
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damage.
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Doctors told the devastated
parents that their son
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would have minimal quality
of life and recommended that he
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should be institutionalized. His
parents were told to forget him.
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He's going to be
nothing but a vegetable.
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My wife and I, we
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cried and we talked about it and
we said No, we're not going to
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put Rick away like the
doctor suggested, put him in an
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institution. He's going to be
nothing but a vegetable for the
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rest of his life.
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We said we're going to bring him
up just like any other child and
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this is what we have done.
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Determined to give him the best
life possible regardless of his
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medical diagnosis, Judy
and Dick Hoyt, took Rick home.
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Family life at first when
we brought Rick home from the
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hospital was very tough because
we had all these problems and we
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didn't know exactly what was
going to happen with Rick and
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actually my wife, she didn't
want to go outside when she
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first came home with Rick
because of she thought what was
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going to happen.
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Rick's mother Judy spent
hours each day teaching Rick the
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alphabet with letters and
posting signs on different
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objects around the house
and soon Rick had learned the
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alphabet. We could tell by
looking in Rick's eyes that he's
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paying attention and he
understood everything that we
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were talking about. So we tried
teaching his the alphabet, you
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know, and we tried teaching him
the numbers, and we did a lot of
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reading with Rick and we
could tell that he understood
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everything we were saying
because of the look in his eyes.
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And what we used to do is have
him shake his head yes or no
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to all the question that we were
asking him. And he was able to
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do that and we were able to
communicate. But we have such a
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bond with Rick now that we know
what each other is thinking.
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It's unbelievable.
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Growing up with two brothers
Rick wasn't offered any special
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treatment. He was included with
his brothers and did everything
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they did from building tree
houses to sledding in the winter
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and swimming in the summer. When
playing baseball Rick was the
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umpire. During hockey, Rick was
a goalie. To his brothers he was
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just one of them.
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Rick's two brothers are just
unbelievable the way they treat
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Rick and handle Rick. They all
loved Rick and they did things
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for him. They built tree house
outside and they'd carry him
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up there. You know, they'd bury
him in sand when we went to the
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beaches. I mean we used to go
do a lot of camping and we'd go
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to camp grounds and they have
these big swimming pools there
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and they'd take Rick and
they'd throw him in the pool and
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everybody else that's looking
and they're freaking out and
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Rick's sinking down.
He's looking up at us and he's
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laughing and then they'd jump in
and get him up, I would jump in
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and get him. I mean, we were
able to, we did everything as a
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family and everything that we
could do, we found a way to do
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it with Rick. The
boys were just unbelievable
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However, life wasn't easy for
Rick or his family. They faced
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constant challenges at every
turn with one constant battle
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being the fact that Rick was
unable to communicate verbally.
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He'd wave his arms and try
to do anything just to get our
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attention, so he
could communicate with us.
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Although his family did their
best to interpret what Rick was
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communicating they could never
be 100 percent sure. However all
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this changed in 1974 when
engineering students at Tufts
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University in Medford,
Massachusetts developed a
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communication device for Rick
that the family would eventually
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dub the Hope Machine. The Hope
Machine's probably one of the
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most important devices that Rick
ever had because we wanted to
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get him in a public school and
Rick couldn't talk. So we went
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and met some engineers from
Tufts University, Boston, and we
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talked to them and they built
what was called the TIC, Tufts
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Interactive Communicator and
Rick's mother named it the Hope
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Machine. And so the engineers
were coming to our house and
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everybody's betting what were
the first words Rick was ever
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going to say. Well his mom's
saying it's going to be Hi mom
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and me the dad, no it's going
to be Hi Dad. Well the Boston
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Bruins were going for the
Stanley cup and the very first
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words he ever said was Go Bruins
So we knew right then and there
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that he understood everything
that was going on and he loved
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sports.
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For 12 very long years all that
I could do was cry, laugh and
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move my head to answer questions
the people asked. When I got my
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first communication device
the feeling was joyous. For the
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first time I could tell Dad,
Mom and the rest of the world
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exactly how I felt.
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Unable to talk and classified as
disabled meant that up until now
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Rick had not been entitled
to the same schooling as other
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students. However, Rick's
parents, mostly his mother Judy
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fought tirelessly for the
passage of a Massachusetts
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education reform law that forced
public school districts to
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accommodate individuals with
disabilities and educate them
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as they would any other student.
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Mom fought for the rights of me
and thousands of others to enter
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public school. She pushed
ahead even if it meant calling
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senators from different states
to make sure her point was heard
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It was important to Mom
that I be fully included.
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The addition of this
communication device proved that
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Rick was capable of learning
and with this Rick was able to
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attend public
schools for the first time.
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I wanted to be treated like any
other student as far as school
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work and responsibilities. I
also wanted to be treated like
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any other student outside
the classroom. You might be
00:10:05.30\00:10:09.77
wondering whether or not people
stared at me or made fun of me.
00:10:09.80\00:10:14.94
The answer to that question
is yes but in hoping they were
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staring at me because
of my stunning good looks.
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Rick not only attended middle
school but went on to graduate
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from Westfield
High School in 1984.
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_ just unbelievable
because that was our main goal
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for Rick to be able to live a
life like everybody else and one
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of the most important things
was for Rick to be able to go to
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school and we were able to get
Rick into school and then see
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him to go to high
school was unbelievable.
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However someone who always
pushed the limits, Rick didn't
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stop there. He applied and was
accepted to Boston University
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where he studied special
education. In 1993 at the age of
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31 Rick became the first non
speaking quadriplegic to ever
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graduate from the School of
Education at Boston University.
00:11:08.20\00:11:11.57
Rick later worked at
Boston College in a computer lab
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helping to develop systems to
aid in communication and other
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tasks for people with
disabilities. Rick not only
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broke down academic barriers
but smashed athletic barriers as
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well. In 1977 at age 15 Rick
used his Hope Machine to ask his
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father if they could run
together in a five-mile road
00:11:35.59\00:11:38.66
race to support a La Crosse
player from his school who had
00:11:38.69\00:11:42.40
recently been paralyzed.
00:11:42.43\00:11:43.77
I wanted to show this person
that life goes on and he could
00:11:43.80\00:11:48.24
still live a productive life.
That is why I turned to my dad
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and said, Dad, we
have to run in this race.
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Well at the time I was 40 years
old. I was not a runner. I used
00:11:57.75\00:12:02.48
to run maybe three times a
week a mile each time to keep my
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weight down. And all we had was
a Mulhowel wheelchair which was
00:12:05.42\00:12:09.19
form fitted, prescription made
for Rick's body. And we had a
00:12:09.22\00:12:12.99
hard time pushing him in it,
never mind running with it. But
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we went down to the race. It was
a five-mile race. They gave Rick
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and I the number double zero and
the gun went off and Rick and I
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took off with all the other
runners. Well we thought that we
00:12:22.50\00:12:25.64
would go to the corner and turn
around and come back. Well we
00:12:25.67\00:12:29.58
didn't. We finished the whole
five miles coming in next to
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last but not last. We have a
picture of Rick coming across
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the finish line and he's got the
biggest smile you ever saw in
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your life. When we got home
that night, Rick wrote on his
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computer, Dad when I'm
running feels like my disability
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disappears which was a very
powerful message for me. You
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think about it. Somebody's
in a wheelchair, can't talk, use
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their arms, their legs and now
they're out there running, their
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disability disappears. He called
himself Free Bird because now
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he was free and able to be out
there competing and running with
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everybody else.
00:13:03.95\00:13:05.88
Team Hoyt knew they just had
to keep running. So they had a
00:13:05.91\00:13:10.69
special racing wheelchair
made for Rick, a streamlined
00:13:10.72\00:13:13.39
three wheeler that
00:13:13.42\00:13:14.99
wouldn't keep veering off course
Team Hoyt steadily began doing
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longer and bigger races and
eventually set their sights on
00:13:19.93\00:13:24.40
the Boston Marathon. Race
organizers turned them down at
00:13:24.43\00:13:28.70
first, but finally relented
although the Hoyts got no
00:13:28.74\00:13:32.51
special treatment. They would
only be allowed to compete if
00:13:32.54\00:13:38.31
they qualified in Rick's
age group. This was quite a
00:13:38.35\00:13:41.62
challenge as Rick was in his
20s while Dick, the one who was
00:13:41.65\00:13:45.79
doing the running, was in his
40s. Yet with determination and
00:13:45.82\00:13:50.49
perseverance they qualified and
so began a father/son legacy.
00:13:50.53\00:13:56.30
The Boston Marathon became
an annual event for them. Their
00:13:56.33\00:14:00.30
personal record for the Boston
Marathon is 30 minutes shy of
00:14:00.34\00:14:05.04
the world record, a record
set by a person running alone.
00:14:05.07\00:14:09.64
The message I am trying to tell
everyone is that disabled people
00:14:09.68\00:14:15.88
are people too, and just love
the opportunity to be included
00:14:15.92\00:14:21.46
in everyday life.
00:14:21.49\00:14:22.82
We've had more people that come
up to us and they say we want to
00:14:22.86\00:14:27.60
thank you because we saw you out
there competing and we were on
00:14:27.63\00:14:30.80
the sidelines and they said,
If you can do it, we can do it.
00:14:30.83\00:14:34.77
Just as all people, people with
disabilities and people that are
00:14:34.80\00:14:37.97
that don't have any disabilities
00:14:38.01\00:14:42.18
A few tears after their
first Boston Marathon, someone
00:14:42.21\00:14:45.11
suggested why
00:14:45.15\00:14:46.51
not compete in triathlons
and Iron Man. Now a triathlon
00:14:46.55\00:14:52.39
contains three elements, swim,
ride, and run. For Dick who
00:14:52.42\00:14:56.49
who hadn't ridden a bike since
he was six and who couldn't swim
00:14:56.52\00:14:59.59
one would think he was
up against an insurmountable
00:14:59.63\00:15:04.07
challenge. But Dick attacked the
idea with a fury that could only
00:15:04.10\00:15:09.50
be fueled by love, love for
his son who couldn't be happier
00:15:09.54\00:15:13.17
competing.
00:15:13.21\00:15:14.54
Let me put it into perspective
for you. The average triathlete
00:15:14.58\00:15:20.85
probably weighs about 150 pounds
and their bike weighs about 17
00:15:20.88\00:15:27.76
pounds. This is a total of
167 pounds. Dad weighs about 180
00:15:27.79\00:15:36.16
pounds and our bike weighs about
70 pounds because it needs to be
00:15:36.20\00:15:42.74
heavier and stronger to hold
both me and my seat. Dad isn't
00:15:42.77\00:15:46.21
very pleased about this but
I now weight about 100 pounds
00:15:46.24\00:15:50.71
thanks in part to a regular diet
of ice cream and chocolate cake.
00:15:50.75\00:15:56.42
This totals 350 pounds or almost
200 pounds more than the average
00:15:56.45\00:16:03.53
triathlete with his bike.
The same math could be used to
00:16:03.56\00:16:08.20
figure out who heavy a load dad
has to pull in the swim portion
00:16:08.23\00:16:13.77
as well.
00:16:13.80\00:16:15.14
From there it was on to
the most challenging of all
00:16:15.17\00:16:17.71
sporting events. The Iron
Man Triathlon in Kona, Hawaii.
00:16:17.74\00:16:25.11
This grueling event is comprised
of a 3.8 km swim, a 180 km ride
00:16:25.15\00:16:33.62
and a 42.2 km marathon run.
In January 1988 after a year of
00:16:33.66\00:16:41.23
racing that included one
Iron Man, a half Iron Man, three
00:16:41.26\00:16:45.93
Olympic distance triathlons,
five marathons, three half
00:16:45.97\00:16:50.44
marathons and 15 short road
races, Dick wrote to the Hawaii
00:16:50.47\00:16:55.54
Iron Man officials to ask
permission to compete in the
00:16:55.58\00:17:00.08
1988 event. However, concerned
that the swim portion would be
00:17:00.12\00:17:02.72
too dangerous to compete in
their application was rejected.
00:17:02.75\00:17:07.46
However, Dick was undeterred and
he'd been rejected before. Dick
00:17:07.49\00:17:11.63
took it in his stride to make it
happen. He immediately replied
00:17:11.66\00:17:17.20
detailing exactly how they would
be able to complete the swim and
00:17:17.23\00:17:21.47
emphasizing that they had swum
triathlon distances before in
00:17:21.50\00:17:25.34
all kinds of waters. But
the answer was the same. The
00:17:25.37\00:17:30.78
Hawaiian Iron Man officials
regretted but they couldn't
00:17:30.81\00:17:33.65
allow Team Hoyt to compete for
safety reasons. However through
00:17:33.68\00:17:40.06
incredible perseverance Team
Hoyt was invited to officially
00:17:40.09\00:17:42.69
invited to participate in the
Iron Man World Championship, an
00:17:42.72\00:17:47.70
event which is really the
ultimate test of strength and
00:17:47.73\00:17:52.60
endurance. In 1989, Rick became
the first disabled person in the
00:17:52.63\00:17:58.51
world to ever compete in and
complete the Iron Man in Hawaii
00:17:58.54\00:18:04.45
due in part to Team Hoyt's
dedication and efforts Iron Man
00:18:04.78\00:18:08.85
now has a visiting challenge
division. Nearly 24 years later
00:18:08.88\00:18:13.56
Rick became the first disabled
person to be inducted into the
00:18:13.59\00:18:18.63
Iron Man Hall of Fame.
00:18:18.66\00:18:20.00
I was inducted as the 26th
member and Dad, just behind me
00:18:20.03\00:18:27.27
the 27th, because as you know I
always finish just ahead of Dad
00:18:27.30\00:18:33.71
first. This made me feel very
happy being a part of such an
00:18:33.74\00:18:40.95
iconic accomplishment with my
father. I was able to show the
00:18:40.98\00:18:45.99
world that my body does not
define my spirit. Through this
00:18:46.02\00:18:52.36
experience of this athletic
achievement my father and I have
00:18:52.39\00:18:56.83
a greater love for one another
because we shared the same
00:18:56.87\00:19:01.40
dedication at this event.
00:19:01.44\00:19:02.77
Team Hoyt has competed in more
than 1100 athletic events in the
00:19:02.80\00:19:09.14
last 35 years. They've run the
Boston Marathon 32 times plus
00:19:09.18\00:19:15.75
39 other marathons and 252
triathlons including six Iron
00:19:15.78\00:19:19.92
Man distance events. They've
run across the United States of
00:19:19.95\00:19:23.66
America, through 18 states, from
Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles
00:19:23.69\00:19:28.76
to Marriot Long Warf in Boston
Harbor, Massachusetts. The whole
00:19:28.80\00:19:34.07
thing distancing 6011 km
and lasting 47 consecutive days
00:19:34.10\00:19:41.14
averaging 127 km a day. In 2005,
the Hoyts used their popularity
00:19:41.18\00:19:49.38
and fame to create a foundation,
the Hoyt Foundation, to help
00:19:49.42\00:19:54.46
others with disability take part
in athletic pursuits, promote
00:19:54.49\00:19:58.59
and foster inclusion
in everyday life and raise
00:19:58.63\00:20:03.80
disability awareness.
Their motto is "Yes You Can" to
00:20:03.83\00:20:07.04
promote the message that you can
do anything you set your mine to
00:20:07.07\00:20:11.11
for individuals with or without
disability. For the Hoyts, after
00:20:11.14\00:20:16.24
decades of being told, No
you can't, they proclaim a
00:20:16.28\00:20:20.85
different message
for others to hear.
00:20:20.88\00:20:23.92
To me finishing is so important.
It is a representation of my
00:20:23.95\00:20:29.69
life. Mom and Dad could have
quite when I was born, but they
00:20:29.72\00:20:35.13
did not. They could have given
up trying to help me learn to
00:20:35.16\00:20:38.53
communicate or trying to get me
into public school. They chose
00:20:38.57\00:20:43.67
to continue and because of that
I have had one heck of a ride.
00:20:43.71\00:20:48.74
So many people race now because
of me and my Dad. I love to
00:20:48.78\00:20:56.89
inspire everyone to be able
to run or have someone push them
00:20:56.92\00:21:01.26
if they are
unable to run themselves.
00:21:01.29\00:21:04.33
Today Rick is 53 years old. You
know what they say, he's going
00:21:04.36\00:21:08.76
be nothing but a vegetable and
we still can't figure out how a
00:21:08.80\00:21:12.20
vegetable is, but he's graduated
from high school, graduated from
00:21:12.23\00:21:15.60
Boston University. He lives all
by himself in his own apartment
00:21:15.64\00:21:18.37
and Rick and I competed around
the world over 1100 athletic
00:21:18.41\00:21:23.35
events. And he's making himself
well known throughout the world
00:21:23.38\00:21:28.08
and now we got a team
Hoyt _. We got a team Hoyt
00:21:28.12\00:21:30.99
New England. We got a team
Hoyt San Diego. We got team Hoyt
00:21:31.02\00:21:35.22
Arizona. We got a team Hoyt
Canada and they actually want us
00:21:35.26\00:21:37.99
to start one over in Japan.
So you can see that this person
00:21:38.03\00:21:41.26
they wanted to put away and see
what he's doing to everybody all
00:21:41.30\00:21:46.10
over the world.
00:21:46.13\00:21:48.80
This father/son team have
proved to everyone that anything
00:21:48.84\00:21:52.04
can be achieved with enough
persistence, dedication and
00:21:52.07\00:21:56.58
ultimately the bottomless depths
of love that can only be found
00:21:56.61\00:22:01.35
in the unique bond
between the father and his son.
00:22:01.38\00:22:04.09
I have said this so many times,
Dad is my hands and my feet.
00:22:04.12\00:22:10.19
He is the wind beneath my wings.
There are many things I'd like
00:22:10.23\00:22:15.66
to do for my dad. I wish I could
sit him down in a wheelchair and
00:22:15.70\00:22:20.90
I would push him, but obviously
because of my ability, I
00:22:20.94\00:22:27.51
cannot. I have quite a list
of things I would do with Dad.
00:22:27.54\00:22:33.52
Pull, pedal and push him in a
triathlon. I would carry him on
00:22:33.55\00:22:39.12
my shoulders up a mountain.
I would do anything for my Dad.
00:22:39.15\00:22:47.30
Dick, at age 75, still pushes
his son in a wheelchair in races
00:22:47.33\00:22:53.80
across the country. Why? Because
his son, who was diagnosed with
00:22:53.84\00:22:59.94
cerebral palsy at birth forgets
his disability and never feels
00:22:59.97\00:23:05.25
better than he does during those
races. And so Dick keeps going
00:23:05.28\00:23:09.78
despite warning from his doctors
despite stents in his arteries,
00:23:09.82\00:23:14.12
despite surviving a heart attack
This is what unconditional love
00:23:14.16\00:23:20.96
looks like.
00:23:21.00\00:23:22.33
¤ ¤
00:23:22.36\00:24:07.64
Fully devoted, 100 percent
committed, unconditional love.
00:24:07.68\00:24:13.08
Wouldn't you like that kind
of love and devotion to help you
00:24:13.11\00:24:18.75
through life's tough times. Well
you can. Just ask for it and
00:24:18.79\00:24:24.93
begin to experience
it right now as we pray.
00:24:24.96\00:24:28.16
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you
for your unconditional love and
00:24:28.20\00:24:33.47
commitment to us. Thank you for
being here in our time of need.
00:24:33.50\00:24:37.21
Thank you for your willingness
to help us and carry us when we
00:24:37.24\00:24:41.08
feel unable to continue alone.
We thank you that you are a God
00:24:41.11\00:24:46.08
of love who is
completely devoted to us.
00:24:46.11\00:24:48.98
In Jesus' name, Amen.
00:24:49.02\00:24:55.89
¤ ¤
00:24:55.92\00:25:09.30
Stories don't come much
more inspirational than this one
00:25:09.34\00:25:12.34
about Dick and Rick Hoyt. It's
the story of a father, Dick Hoyt
00:25:12.37\00:25:17.91
who pushes his son Rick in
a wheelchair in marathons and
00:25:17.95\00:25:22.08
triathlons across the country.
In fact, in over 1100 grueling
00:25:22.12\00:25:28.56
events. Why because his son born
with cerebral palsy and unable
00:25:28.59\00:25:34.00
to walk or talk forgets
his disability and never feels
00:25:34.03\00:25:39.13
better than he does during those
races. In fact, I've been so
00:25:39.17\00:25:45.27
inspired by Team Hoyt that I
want to share their story and
00:25:45.31\00:25:49.68
inspiration wherever I can. So
we have a special gift for all
00:25:49.71\00:25:54.05
our viewers today. It's the
booklet The One and Only. This
00:25:54.08\00:25:59.85
book is our gift to you and
is absolutely free. There are no
00:25:59.89\00:26:04.36
costs or obligations whatsoever.
This book has inspired people
00:26:04.39\00:26:09.90
around the world and here's your
opportunity to receive it free
00:26:09.93\00:26:14.34
of charge. Here's
the information you need:
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Phone or text us at 0436333555
or visit our website www.tij.tv
00:26:17.07\00:26:31.02
to request today's free offer
and we'll send it to you totally
00:26:31.05\00:26:36.22
free of charge and with no
obligation. So don't delay. Call
00:26:36.26\00:26:40.83
or text 0436333555 in
Australia or 0204222042 in
00:26:40.86\00:26:51.57
New Zealand or visit our website
www.tij.tv to request today's
00:26:51.61\00:27:00.62
offer. Write to us at:
00:27:00.65\00:27:20.24
Don't delay. Call or text us
now If you've enjoyed today's
00:27:20.27\00:27:27.34
journey be sure to join us again
next week when we will share
00:27:27.38\00:27:31.01
another of life's journey
together and experience another
00:27:31.05\00:27:34.75
new and thought provoking
perspective on the peace,
00:27:34.78\00:27:39.25
insight, understanding and hope
that only the Bible can give us.
00:27:39.29\00:27:43.63
The Incredible Journey truly is
television that changes lives.
00:27:43.66\00:27:49.03
Until next week remember the
ultimate destination of life's
00:27:49.06\00:27:53.54
journey. Now I saw a new heaven
and a new earth. And God will
00:27:53.57\00:27:59.17
wipe away every tear from their
eyes. There shall be no more
00:27:59.21\00:28:01.98
death nor sorrow nor crying.
There shall be no more pain for
00:28:02.01\00:28:06.72
the former
things have passed away.
00:28:06.75\00:28:11.15
¤ ¤
00:28:11.19\00:28:23.87