father-son dynamic duo

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Photos by Bakke/Svensson/Ivonman

Team Hoyt—the father-son duo of Dick and Rick Hoyt—has scorched marathons and conquered triathlons. For son Rick, a quadriplegic since birth, the events free him from his disabilities. For Dick, the running, cycling, and swimming saved him from heart failure.

Father’s Day comes more than once a year for Dick Hoyt, 66, who shares an inspirational bond with his son Rick, 45. It occurs every time Dick pulls on his running gear to push and pedal his quadriplegic son in marathons and triathlons all over the world, something he has done now for 28 years.

The two have crossed America—covering 3,735 miles during 45 consecutive days in 1992—and completed 64 full marathons and 206 triathlons, six of which were Ironman distances (a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike race, and a 26.2-mile run). And the father-son team is not slow, either. Team Hoyt’s time for a 5K is 17:40, only a few minutes behind the pace of an elite Olympic athlete.

Yet when Dick sweats up a hill with Rick, it’s not a one-way relationship. Rick gives back to his father, as well. “I know my dad gets nervous before events,” Rick writes in an e-mail. “He gets worried about the equipment and all that. So I try to do something to make him relax. For instance, at Ironman Canada (our first Ironman event), I wore a pink hat—and I never wear hats. Dad noticed the hat and pulled it off of me. I had gotten a Mohawk haircut! He cracked up laughing. It takes his mind off things before the race.”